Shameless

Sunday 10:00 PM on Showtime
EDIT

Show Summary

  • Returning Series
Set in working-class Chicago, the Gallagher family, a working class family of eight, must survive the ups and downs of today's recession. With a mother who is out of her element and an alcoholic father who usually ends up passed out on the living room floor, 18-year-old daughter Fiona is left with the task of keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on the straight and narrow. This series is based on the UK series of the same name.moreless
8.5
out of 10
Average Rating: Great
506 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Latest Episode

Full Episode Guide
Season 2, Episode 7

A Bottle of Jean Nate

Aired 2/19/12

Fiona walks into Steve and his new girlfriend Estefania on Jasmine's end-of-summer blowout. In the meantime, Frank tries to get rid of Grammy, while ...

Upcoming Episode

Season 2, Episode 8

Parenthood

Airs 3/4/12

Frank discovers Ian and Mickey's relationship. Meanwhile, Jody and Sheila take care of Grammy who is dying. Lip wants to leave school and Fiona ...

  • Shameless: I'm on a Boat!

    Shameless S02E07: "A Bottle of Jean Nate" With the summer winding down, desperate measures came to pass this week on Shameless. The Gallaghers made only $9,000 combined to get through the winter months, and back-to-school expenses have already come calling.… read more

  • Shameless: To Grandmother's House We Go

    Shameless S02E06: "Can I Have a Mother" This week's episode of Shameless, written by William H. Macy, took on a difficult challenge by introducing a brand-new major character in Frank's mother, Grammy Gallagher, while simultaneously juggling fast-moving existing storylines. New… read more

  • Shameless US or UK

    7.0
    "Good"
    I have literally watched every episode of the UK version of Shameless and though many of the seasons have been brillaint, the newer seasons have been missing the gritty edge and inticing storylines it once had.

    I never expected to like the US version however as in my mind the characters could never be replaced by other actors. Although the man who plays Frank in my terms completely kills the character of Frank they are many good things about this re-make. The actress who plays Fiona is so much better than the originial and really makes the show, let's hope her character stays in longer than in the uk show. Other chracters which have been potrayed brillaintly are Veronica and kevin, in the UK show I never really liked or got them but the actress and actor behind the US make their characters far more interesting and Sheila is just as amazing in the US as the UK really hard to decide which actress plays her better to be honest.

    However such characters as: Karen, Debbie, Carl, Lip, Ian, Monica, Monica's lesbian lover who I can't quite remember the name and the Macguire family wannabe's are just plain awful. Lip plays an unbelieveable womaniser in the show which is far from Jody Latham's potrayal, Debbie is just far too plain and Karen is just a shipwreck.
    moreless
  • This remake is a carbon copy of the British Channel 4 program. Characters, scenes and script have all been replicated for an American audience. While this may seem like a good idea, it falls short of delivering the raw, gritty presentation of the originalmoreless

    6.0
    "Fair"
    The main problem with copying the original, is that life in a council estate in the UK and Ireland does not have a direct equivalent in America. I suppose it would be like white trash people living in the projects, surrounded by a life of minor petty crime and drug taking. The kids are usually educated but unlikely to head off to university/college. Most families are on welfare and live a tough life. However, unlike the segregation in America, the community is usually mixed race; primarily white, black and Asian.

    I am a massive fan of the British series. Its characters are very convincing and the actors were probably chosen because of similar upbringings. It makes the show believable. Unfortunately with the remake it seems as though the actors have been chosen for having a similar resemblance to the original actors; rather than being able to play the character convincingly. That's not to say that all of the actors are bad or talentless, I just find that most of the time I don't believe the person on screen is who they say they are. William H. Macy is a prime example of this. A fantastic actor in his own right, but only chosen for the role because he will draw in viewers. In reality he's an awful choice for the role of Frank Gallagher. His voice is way too clean cut for a character who is essentially a lifelong alcoholic, pill popping, piece of white trash. By this stage in his life, much like the original character, his speech should be reduced to a series of incoherent, slurred, mumbles. Instead we get an unconvincing character who speaks with clarity one minute and passes out on the floor the next; it just doesn't work.

    Towards the end of the pilot episode I remember seeing Emmy Rossum (Fiona) rolling a joint. It really detracted from the scene because she had obviously never had to do it before. It looked like a windsock that practically fell apart as soon as she lit it. I even laughed when she passed it to Macy, who did a double-take because it wasn't even lighting anymore. Now it may seem like nitpicking, but I'm supposed to be viewing a character who has been exposed to this lifestyle for pretty much all her life. I find it hard to believe somebody like this hasn't had much practice rolling joints. The acting for the most part is delivered well, but I still feel it would be much better if the creators had chosen more suitable actors rather than focusing on looks. I'm somewhat bemused as to why they felt the need to cast actors with a resemblance to the original characters and then replace some with black actors just to be politically correct; it makes no sense. Aside from a slight language barrier, there really was no reason why this show needed to be remade. The original was excellent just the way it was and I have no doubt that a huge portion of the American audience would enjoy seeing a real-to-life comedy drama rather than something which has been dumbed down to suit a broader audience. In fact, Americans should be offended by Shameless; not because of the show's content but because the writers decided that people in North America are not intelligent enough to understand accents and references outside their own country. I just find that the magic of the original has been lost in translation. It's certainly a shame...but it's just not Shameless.moreless
  • Shameless that finally somebody on TV is telling the truth!

    10
    "Perfect"
    A realistic, frank telling of a functional, disfunctional family. This is my best friend's family from Syosset, New York, circa 1972! The characters are well drawn, diverse (as all humans are) and more important, these characters are interesting. The story line is unimportant, as long as this continues to be a character-driven series. The characters are well portrayed and well fleshed-out by the writing staff.

    Please continue to tell the truth about people and who we all are -- or 'reality television' will continue to teach the dumbshow of a false reality to the half-witted consumer. Keep up the good writing/ good work and please keep telling the truth. Outstanding.moreless

Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies
More
Less

More Info About This Show

Categories

Drama

Themes

Legal, Teen