Summary

• Mel's short-lived but memorable stint on Shameless left a mark on fans, showcasing Perry Mattfeld's talent as an actress.
• After leaving the show, Mattfeld landed lead roles in Homecoming, Carrier, and In The Dark, showcasing her range and versatility.
• The controversy around Mattfeld's casting as a blind character in In The Dark sparked debate, but her performance was still praised.

Before she left Shameless, Perry Mattfeld played Mel — the jealous girlfriend of Jessica Szohr's Nessa. While she only appeared in seven episodes of the Showtime series, she made a mark on fans of the show. She was part of an LGBTQ+ couple with Nessa, a tenant of Fiona Gallagher in the series' eighth season. She then created several problems, with an antagonistic attitude toward Fiona. Her stay was short, but Perry Mattfeld was so memorable in Shameless as she made Mel such an incredibly satisfying character to hate.

Perry Mattfeld was a relatively fresh face on TV when she joined the cast of Shameless alongside the likes of Emmy Rossum, William H. Macy, and the rest. She graduated from USC's School of Dramatic Arts in 2016 but got her first mainstream role years earlier when she appeared in Wizards of Waverly Place as FrankenGirl. However, Shameless was her first major role and helped her pick up her first lead role just one year after leaving the Showtime series, which is partly what made her exit a little shocking.

What Happened To Mel In Shameless?

Mel & Nessa Had To Relocate When Fiona Sold Her Building

Perry Mattfeld's Mel arrived in Shameless season 8. The ever-resourceful Fiona Gallagher took on many odd jobs in Shameless to provide for her family — from motel housekeeping to working as part of a toxic waste clean-up crew. In the show’s eighth season, she became a landlord after buying and flipping a failing laundromat the previous season, giving her enough capital to purchase an apartment building. Emmy Rossum’s Fiona encountered several problems in her new life, such as evicting a struggling single mother for not paying rent and almost getting sued by squatters.

Mel clashed with Fiona when she lied about the building being infested with bedbugs.

However, she did find an ally in the form of her new tenant Nessa Chabon, played by Gossip Girl star Jessica Szohr. The pair bonded over their love of wine coolers and sarcastic humor and became fast friends. The same couldn’t be said for Mel in Shameless, Nessa’s jealous live-in girlfriend. Described by Nessa as “blonde and bitchy,” Mel clashed with Fiona when she lied about the building being infested with bedbugs to a potential tenant. In later episodes of season 8, it was revealed Nessa and Mel were expecting a baby and the couple relocated when Fiona sold the building in season 9.

What Perry Mattfeld Did After Shameless

Homecoming, Carrier, & In The Dark

Perry Mattfeld was only in seven episodes as Mel in Shameless, but her career has gone from strength to strength since. After her time on Shameless ended, Mattfeld had a bit part in an episode of Amazon’s psychological thriller Homecoming and soon after nabbed a two-episode stint as a character named Pam in the podcast series Carrier.

Her biggest post-Shameless role came as the lead in The CW drama series In The Dark in which she played Murphy Mason — a blind 20-something woman who sets out to solve her friend’s murder. The former Shameless cast member reprised her role as In The Dark’s main character in the show’s fourth and final season on The CW in 2022. She also had a few movie roles, including A Little White Lie, Mending the Line, Who Invited Them, and The Idea of You.

Perry Mattfeld's Next Role Caused A Bit Of Controversy

Perry Mattfield Played A Blind Woman

Perry Mattfeld's most notable after playing Mel in Shameless was In the Dark, but her time as Murphy was highly controversial. Mattfeld's Murphy character is a 20-something single blind woman who deals with the wreckage of her life. While the show was not based on her blindness — despite the clear yet clumsy and problematic allusion to it in the title In the Dark — the fact that Mattfeld is not blind caused significant controversy.

The National Federation of the Blind president, Mark Riccobono, said, "There are blind actors looking for work, and no sighted actor, however accomplished or talented, can bring the same insight and authenticity to a blind character." (via The New York Times). Despite this, In the Dark lasted four seasons. Hopefully, what the former Shameless actress Perry Mattfeld does next is not as controversial because she delivered a great performance in the role, despite the problematic casting.

Mel Is One Of Many Memorable Short-Lived Shameless Characters

The Show Became Famous For This Kind Of Thing

Mel was one of several memorable short-lived characters on Shameless. While Mel only had a seven-episode arc, she managed to stand out and it showed that Perry Mattfield was a force to be reckoned with. However, she wasn't the only actor who really shined in a small role on the popular Showtime series. Laura Slade Wiggins played Karen Jackson in Shameless and was a key character in the first two seasons of the show. She is a promiscuous student who hooks up with Lip early in the series. Karen leaves for Arizona. Wiggins went on to appear in The Tomorrow People and Rings.

Shameless had to change actresses after season one when Levy left the show.

Mandy Milkovich is another hard character to forget. Played by Jane Levy in season 1 and Emma Greenwell after that, she was the girlfriend of both Ian and Lip. The interesting thing here is that Mandy lasted a lot longer than other characters, but Shameless had to change actresses after season 1 when Levy left the show. Shameless recast Mandy because Levy was offered the lead role in Suburgatory and left for the bigger opportunity.

Shaila Jackson is a character that ended up leaving the show after season 5. Played by Joan Cusack, she was a former lover of Frank, and most fans remember her as an agoraphobic who had a fear of leaving her home. She left the show when she bought an RV and left town, planning to see the world. Finally, Mikey shined in late seasons as Frank's friend on Shameless. Played by Luis Guzman, Mikey and Frank were constantly up for shenanigans.