Based on the hit UK Comedy Drama, Shameless has had an American makeover and it is sooooooo much better than the trashy Gallagher family than we have to put up with in the UK. Gone are the benefit cheats and selfish acts that plague the UK version of the show.
Welcome to Gallagher Family 2.0. A family struggling to make ends meet with a dead beat dad who would rather spend his welfare cheque and money from illegal schemes on drink and drugs rather than help out his family. Meanwhile the family of kids run by Fiona played by Emmy Rossum has no time for a personal life with hungry mouths to feed, coupons to cut and a number of jobs to work to ensure that the bills get paid. Under appreciated and working her ass off, Fiona has no time for herself and with a bundle of trouble makers to keep in check, when romance comes a knockin' she's in for a tough time trying to deny herself Mr. (Almost) Right.
Shameless in the UK, I liked but I hated the character of Frank Gallagher, he was awful... is awful and the show could have been so much more than it actually was. The thing is, the US networks saw the potential and turned Shameless into a clever, funny, comedy drama with so many ups and downs to keep the viewer entertained.
The Gallagher family are the scourge of the neighbourhood, they are the white trash family that everyone perceives them to be but day to day life for Fiona, Lip, Carl, Ian and Debbie isn't easy, the bills pile up and the antics of their father Frank get them deeper into spiralling debts and in all sorts of trouble with the wrong people.
Meanwhile each child has their own issues to deal with. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) has a crazy assed girlfriend and an IQ through the roof but can't seem to reach his potential due to the ties to his family. Debbie is one of the youngest Gallagher's, she's resourceful, smart but growing up too fast leads to some mistakes that remind the family that she's just a young girl. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) has so much to do that she can't find the time for herself, keeping this family in check is no easy feat. Ian (Cameron Monaghan) has a big secret he's keeping and it involves his day job but he's not telling...
To add to those there's a whole host of excellent supporting characters who form this community of people helping each other to get by legally and illegally. Veronica (Shanola Hampton), Kevin (Steve Ball), Karen (Laura Wiggins), Sheila (Joan Cusack), Steve (Justin Chatwin) and a whole lot more make up the community that the Gallagher's interact with. OCD ridden women who won't leave the house, a neighbour who runs a webcam services with her top off, a car thief with a colourful past and a wicked young woman who knows how to make a man hot under the collar.
This with the overwhelming amount of fun and drama in each episode makes Shameless USA a great show to watch. Plus Emmy Rossum gets her boobies out on more than one occasion and I never once thought I'd see Christine Daae from Phantom of the Opera get her nipples out for public consumption.
It's great, it's funny, the cast are absolutely top notch from the youngest to the oldest and William H. Macy makes Frank a truly great character despite all the terrible things he does to people along the way.
It's a great show and to say I've watched season one three times in the past year kinda says it all.