Shameless (American TV series)

Shameless
Genre	Comedy-drama
Created by	Paul Abbott
Developed by	John Wells
Written by	Paul Abbott John Wells Nancy M. Pimental Alex Borstein Etan Frankel Mike O'Malley Cindy Caponera
Starring	William H. Macy Emmy Rossum Justin Chatwin Ethan Cutkosky Shanola Hampton Steve Howey Emma Kenney Cameron Monaghan Jeremy Allen White Joan Cusack Noel Fisher Emma Greenwell Zach McGowan Laura Slade Wiggins
Opening theme	"The Luck You Got" by The High Strung
Composer	iZLER
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	36 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	John Wells Paul Abbott Andrew Stearn
Producer	Michael Hissrich
Production locations	Chicago, Illinois / Los Angeles, California
Running time	45–55 minutes
Production companies	Bonanza Productions John Wells Productions Warner Bros. Television Showtime Networks
Original release
Network	Showtime
Release	January 9, 2011 (2011-01-09) – present
Related
Shameless (UK)

Shameless is an American television comedy-drama which airs on Showtime. It is a remake of the award-winning British series of the same name. The series is set in Chicago's Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side. It is filmed in the South Lawndale community area of Chicago and Burbank, California, at Warner Bros. Studios. The series premiered on January 9, 2011. The show's second season, which began shooting on July 5, premiered on Sunday, January 8, 2012. On February 1, 2012, the series was renewed for a third season, which began shooting on June 27, 2012 and premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2013. On January 29, 2013, Showtime renewed Shameless for a fourth season.

Premise

The series follows the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a single father of six children. While he spends his days drunk, his kids learn to take care of themselves.

The show's producers sought to distinguish it from previous American working class shows by highlighting how Frank's alcoholism affects his family. Paul Abbott, creator of the original, said, "It's not My Name Is Earl or Roseanne. It's got a much graver level of poverty attached to it. It's not blue collar; it's no collar." When John Wells, the showrunner, began pitching the show, he had to fight efforts to place the show in the South or in a trailer park. He explained, "We have a comedic tradition of making fun of the people in those worlds. The reality is that these people aren't 'the other' – they're people who live four blocks down from you and two blocks over".

Cast

Main cast

William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher

Father to the six Gallagher children. He is a selfish alcoholic and a complete narcissist, and has done nothing but collect his disability checks (illegally) and drink heavily for years. He begins a relationship with Sheila after he discovers she gets maximum disability benefits for her agoraphobia. Although he is Fiona, Lip, Debbie, Carl, and Liam's biological father, he is not Ian's. He often self-righteously pontificates about political and social issues, yet spends most of his time developing schemes to cheat the system and take advantage of others in order to make money. He pays little attention to his children, but occasionally displays care and concern for them in drastic circumstances.

Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher

The eldest of the Gallagher children (21). Because of her mother's absence and Frank's neglect, most of the responsibility of child-rearing falls on her shoulders; this forced her to drop out of high school in her junior year. She works a few dead-end, minimum wage jobs to bring in money and support her five siblings. Though often stressed out and exhausted by her responsibilities, she never fails to perform them. She is prone to being overly selfless, and sometimes needs to be reminded to look out for her own happiness as well as that of her siblings. At the close of season two she does get her GED and begins to take interest in more serious jobs.

Justin Chatwin as Steve Wilton/Jimmy Lishman

A young man relentlessly pursuing Fiona, going to great lengths to win her over. He owns expensive things and throws money around liberally, which Fiona finds off-putting, until she discovers he steals cars for a living. It is later discovered that his real name is Jimmy, and he comes from a wealthy family. In season 2 he marries Estefania, the daughter of a Brazilian mafia mob leader, though he is not interested in her. Fiona and Jimmy resume their relationship at the end of season 2, but he keeps Estefania a secret. Nando, Estefania's father, wants her to become a citizen and stay in the US, and he threatens to kill Jimmy if he does not act as her devoted husband for the Immigration Offices. Jimmy spends season 3 living a dual life between Fiona and Estefania, with Beto, one of Nando's cronies, keeping a close eye on him wherever he goes. In the end Estefania cannot convince Immigration that the marriage is not a sham, and Nando takes Jimmy on a boat to murder him.

Jeremy Allen White as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher

The second Gallagher child (18) and the most academic. He is a straight A student. He uses his intelligence in various odd jobs to make money, such as running an ice cream truck in the summer that sells beer and marijuana, or taking the SATs for fellow students (often scoring a 2400, a perfect score). Despite his above average intelligence, he is not considered responsible, and is frequently shown smoking cigarettes, using marijuana, drinking alcohol, and having unprotected sex. He has a strong bond with his younger brother Ian, and is the first family member to know that Ian is gay. Lip develops a torrid relationship with Karen after helping her in math, and soon falls in love with her. However, after Karen marries Jody and gives birth to a baby belonging neither to Lip or Jody, Lip begins a relationship with Mandy Milkovich.

Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher

The third Gallagher child (16) and (according to Frank) the most like their mother. He participates in Army ROTC at school and works at a local grocery store. He is gay, but only a handful of people (Fiona, Frank, Jimmy, Monica, Mickey, Mandy, and Lip) know about it. He had a furtive gay relationship with the Muslim grocer, Kash, his employer. He is currently pursuing a relationship with Mickey Milkovich. He is not Frank's son, but of Monica and one of Frank's brothers. His middle name is Clayton.

Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher

One of the middle Gallagher children (11), Debbie is kind, helpful, has a good heart. She's willing to bring her baby brother to school for show and tell when there's no one else to watch him, put a pillow under her father's head when he's passed out on the floor, and collect money for charity year round – only some of which she keeps for herself. Debbie is very loving and shows the most forgiveness for her father's neglect and irresponsibility, as well as her mother's absence. She is very mature and therefore has trouble making friends with people her age. In season 3, she begins to enter further into her preteen years and demands respect as an adult from Fiona.

Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher

The second youngest Gallagher child (10). He shares a room with older brothers Lip and Ian, who try to keep their more adult interests from him. Carl is often in trouble at school for attacking other students. He shows several psychopathic tendencies such as mutilating his toys and bringing stray animals home and killing them. He also plays football on the team that Steve coaches.

Brennan Kane Johnson & Blake Alexander Johnson as Liam Gallagher

The youngest of the Gallagher children (2), he is black despite having two white parents.

Shanola Hampton as Veronica Fisher

The Gallaghers' neighbor. She is Fiona's best friend and confidante, and often gives her advice concerning relationships, caring for her siblings, and caring for herself. Veronica is always willing and able to lend a hand and had hoped to pursue a medical career before being fired from the hospital for stealing medical supplies. After being fired, she works as a webcam girl.

Steve Howey as Kevin "Kev" Ball

The bartender at "The Alibi Room" (the one bar where Frank has not been banned) and the Gallaghers' neighbor and friend. Though frequently exasperated by Frank's lifestyle, he gives him drinks on credit and cashes his disability checks for him. He and Veronica have a successful relationship, though he is technically married to another woman who left him prior. He comes from living with several foster families, and is dyslexic.

Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson

An agoraphobic germophobe. She is Karen's mother and Eddie's wife. It is shown that Sheila developed her conditions sometime when Karen was young, and has tried to overcome them unsuccessfully for years. Frank seduces her in order to live in her home, taking advantage of her cooking, disability checks and bedroom hospitality. Like Jody, Sheila is a kind and caring person, but also a bit empty-headed. After Frank moves in Sheila tries to muster the courage to overcome her agoraphobia and nearly makes it to The Alibi Room, but because of a near-fatal accident at the close of season 2, Sheila stays entirely on her own property. In Season 3 she begins to overcome her agoraphobia, going outside for routine chores like taking out the trash. Furthermore, Sheila chooses to care for Karen's baby.

Laura Slade Wiggins as Karen Jackson (Regular season 1–2, Recurring season 3)

Lip's tutoring student and the neighborhood bad girl. She begins a casual relationship with Lip, but due to her promiscuous nature, she refuses to make any real commitment, leading to a complicated relationship between the two. Her mother, Sheila, is a doting agoraphobe and her father, Eddie, is a straight-laced bus driver and devout Christian who left their family in the pilot episode. He later tries to reconnect with Karen by having her attend his church's purity ball in exchange for a car. At the end of season 2 Karen gives birth to a baby with Down's Syndrome. Karen runs away from home when her mother elects to take the baby and returns mid-way through season 3 only to be injured after Mandy runs her over with a car. Though she doesn't die from the incident, she sustains frontal lobe damage resulting in a short-term memory lapse. Due to her condition, Jody takes Karen, as well as her baby, to Arizona to be with faith healers.

Noel Fisher as Mickey Milkovich (Recurring season 1–2, Regular season 3)

The aggressive and sometimes psychopathic older brother of Mandy. Mickey is gay, but keeps it a closely guarded secret to avoid public ridicule and the wrath of his father. He and Ian begin a relationship when Ian goes to Mickey's house to settle his repeated and open acts of shoplifting at the Kash and Grab. In season 3, Mickey's father catches him and Ian having sex, beats them brutally, and calls in a Russian prostitute to "fuck the gay out of Mickey". This causes the girl's unexpected pregnancy, which forces Mickey to marry her out of his father's spite. Despite this, he is still in love with Ian and becomes heartbroken when Ian decides to enlist in the army.

Jane Levy (Recurring season 1) and Emma Greenwell (Recurring season 2, Regular season 3) as Mandy Milkovich

The bad girl of Ian's class and Mickey's sister, though she also possesses a sweeter side. She is offended initially when Ian rejects her after hitting on him, but when she later discovers his sexuality, she suggests acting as his girlfriend to help hide it. Mandy is noted to be promiscuous and proud of it as she seduces Lip in the second season, before agreeing to do the same to Jody in an attempt to break him and Karen up. Despite acting as Ian's girlfriend, she has no idea that he is in fact having sex with her brother.

Zach McGowan as Jody Silverman (Recurring season 2, Regular season 3)

A man Karen meets at Sex Addicts Anonymous and later marries. Jody is a keen tattoo artist, often seen looking for work and helping around the house. He becomes extremely attached to Sheila and calls her 'Mom', but is unaware that Karen breaks her celibacy and is cheating on him with Lip. Though good-natured, he is somewhat absent-minded.

Recurring cast

Amy Smart as Jasmine Hollander

Fiona's friend. She is the married mother of three kids. She is more free-spirited than Fiona and is less conventional with her parental responsibilities despite the fact that the children in her care are her own, not younger siblings. She often tries to bring Fiona out of her shell by inviting her to parties and setting her up with different men. Eventually Jasmine's husband discovers her multiple infidelities and kicks her out, leaving Jasmine with no place to go.

Pej Vahdat as Kash

Owner of the local grocery, Kash and Grab, and seen to be having an affair with Ian, despite being a married, putatively devout Muslim with children. When his wife discovers Kash's sexuality, she allows it, so long as he gives her another child. However Kash soon grows sick of Linda's behavior, feeling trapped in his marriage and now without Ian beside him, he leaves, thrusting the responsibility upon Ian to tell his family.

Tyler Jacob Moore as Tony Markovich

Neighbor and police officer, who bore a liking for Fiona for some time. He initially lives with his overbearing mother, whom he's desperate to impress. The Gallaghers attempt to keep Tony sweet in order to keep out of trouble, however as Tony gets more involved in their lives when he begins dating Fiona, he grows more cautious of Steve's illegal activity, resulting in a vendetta that lands Lip and Ian under arrest. In Season 2, Tony is re-doing his house, having found a new girlfriend (who may or may not be purchased from the internet, as stated by Steve).

Joel Murray as Eddie Jackson (Season 1)

The overbearing father of Karen and husband of Sheila. It appears he's stuck in an unhappy marriage, with a wife constantly on edge and a rebellious daughter. He appears to be quite religious, which causes his breakdown when he learns of Karen's true sexual nature. Eddie commits suicide at the end of season 1.

Madison Davenport as Ethel

A thirteen-year-old girl removed from a polygamist colony and taken in by Veronica and Kevin as a foster child after the police arrested her elderly husband for molestation charges. She has four "sister-wives" from the marriage and is later discovered to have had a child in the marriage, Jonah, whom Kevin and Veronica also take care of. Initially, Ethel struggles to fit in with her new surroundings, but soon warms up to Kevin and Veronica as well as the Gallaghers.

Marguerite Moreau as Linda

Kash's wife, shown as a business-minded busybody. She is a Muslim convert and proud mother, but treats everything like a business, including her marriage. When she discovers her husband and Ian have been having an affair, she accepts it, but only on the basis he gives her another child, and he not touch the 'forbidden fruit', (Ian), until she is pregnant. She gets pregnant, but Kash leaves several months later.

Chloe Webb as Monica Gallagher

Frank's ex-wife and the mother of the Gallagher brood. Stated to have bipolar disorder, she feels terrible for abandoning her children but can never sustain her love and concern for them for very long before succumbing to drugs, selfishness, and depression. She is resented and distrusted by the older Gallagher children, but is sometimes able to coax Debbie or Carl into spending time with her.

Louise Fletcher as Peg Gallagher

Also known as 'Grammy', she is the formidable mother of Frank and matriarch of the Gallagher family. She is sent home from prison on medical furlough after lying about her health. She immediately goes after a retired meth dealer who profited from her arrest and demands money from him, a plan which Frank ends up ruining. Despite her extremely hostile nature, she tries her best to reach out to the Gallagher children, giving Fiona money and showering Carl and Debbie with gifts. She dies at the end of season 2 after revealing that she has terminal cancer.

Michael Patrick McGill as Tommy

Kerry O'Malley as Kate

Dennis Boutsikaris as Professor Hearst

A college professor that catches Lip out when he attempts to sit someone else's exam. Since then he has tried to push Lip's intelligence into numerous projects in return for drugs and knowledge about youth/popular culture in order to bed his female students.

Missy Doty as Jess

The lesbian bartender at the Alibi Room. Jess seems witty and has a dry sense of humor; she takes charge of the books at the Alibi, unaware that it's because the dyslexic Kevin can't read. The two often clash over Stan (the business owner), who is slowly losing his mental faculties. She pushes for Kevin to phone Stan's daughter and have him put in a home, yet Kevin seems reluctant.

Nicky Korba as Little Hank

Carl's friend, shown to be socially awkward and slightly twisted. He tries to woo numerous girls and often leads the way on pranks and stunts that land him and Carl in trouble – such as taking advantage of his house-sitting duties. Despite all this, Debbie takes a shine to him, although at the time he seems more interested in other girls. He later gives Debbie a bunch of flowers, albeit drunk at the time.

James Wolk as Adam

A banker that is seen trying to woo Fiona while she is working at a bar, Veronica tells Fiona that he is just a second rate version of Steve, but she takes no notice. He encourages her to try and break her track record, which she never got to do at school and the two later begin dating. However when Steve arrives back in town and the two double date (alongside Steve's new wife, Estefania) he notices the signs between Fiona and Steve and is left heartbroken and humiliated, telling Fiona to stay away.

Dennis Cockrum as Terry Milkovich

The father of Mandy and Mickey, he is known to have escaped arrest numerous times, which causes Frank to turn to him when he needs a water-tight alibi to stop the police questioning him about the death of Eddie Jackson. He also very nearly catches Ian and Mickey together, but thinks nothing of it. It is later discovered, due to his constant drinking and blackouts he has unknowingly impregnated his daughter, Mandy.

Jim Hoffmaster as Kermit

One of Frank's cohorts at the Alibi Room, often seen listening to Frank's rants and stories. He is quick to defend his name, when people liken it to that of Kermit the Frog.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Carol Fisher

Veronica's loud and proud mother, she is the owner of a beauty salon/hairdressers and always speaks her mind.

Stephanie Fantauzzi as Estefania

Jimmy's wife and a drug lord's daughter. She was married to Jimmy yet had a flame in Marco but at the end of Season 2 he has abused her and she has taken up residence at the Gallaghers. In season 3 everything appears to be normal between Estefania and Marco, because they are seen living together when Estefania's father, Nando, comes to the States and quickly puts a bullet through Marco's head.

Harry Hamlin as Lloyd "Ned" Lishman

Jimmy's father, a surgeon, who attempts to start a sexual relationship with Ian.

Development and production

Somehow all the resonances from the original series occur in the remake, but in a different vocabulary

Paul Abbott in an interview with The New York Times

HBO began developing an American version of Shameless after striking a deal with John Wells in January 2009. By October 2009, the development had moved to Showtime. John Wells Productions filmed a pilot episode for the cable network in December 2009. William H. Macy stars in the lead role as Frank Gallagher. Also joining the cast were former Dragonball Evolution co-stars Emmy Rossum as Fiona, and Justin Chatwin as Steve. Paul Abbott, whose semi-autobiographical telescript became the pilot episode for the original UK version, is credited as an executive producer on the U.S. version.

In April 2010, Showtime green-lit the series with a twelve-episode order. In late August, Joan Cusack was cast as Sheila, a romantic interest for Frank, replacing Allison Janney, who portrayed the role in the pilot. Production began in mid-September.

A preview of the pilot aired on December 12, 2010, after the season 5 finale of Dexter. The first season officially began airing on Showtime on Sunday, January 9, 2011.

Although the series is set in Chicago, the show is mostly filmed in Los Angeles, with the exterior scenes filmed in Chicago.

Episodes

Main article: List of Shameless (U.S. TV series) episodes

Reception

Ratings

The first episode of the series, "Pilot", was watched by 982,000 viewers, which makes it the network's biggest turnout for a series premiere since Dead Like Me in 2003. The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making Shameless the best performing first-year drama on Showtime.

Reviews

Critical reaction to the series has been mostly positive. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter said that "Shameless is excellent, compelling television from the first moment. As long as it stays true to the roots of the original, it's going to be essential viewing". The show's first season score on Metacritic is a 66 of 100, which is a generally favorable review. The second season score on Metacritic a 76 of 100, indicating favorable reviews. Tom O'Neill of the Los Angeles Times acknowledged the Emmy buzz around Shameless, especially the performance of Emmy Rossum, stating "she didn't have much Emmy buzz after Shameless debuted in January, but that changed after she gave powerhouse turns in such episodes as 'But at Last Came a Knock'". BuddyTV ranked Shameless #8 on its list of 2011's best new TV shows.

Accolades

• Joan Cusack was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Sheila, in 2011 and 2012.
• In 2011, William H. Macy was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. In 2012, Emmy Rossum was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
• The show received a nomination for the 23rd GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 2012.
• The show received four nominations at the 2013 Emmy Awards for Best Direction, Best TV Actress for Emmy Rossum, Best TV Series and Best TV Actor for Macy. It won the latter award.

Worldwide release

Country	Network	Premiere date
Argentina	I.Sat Argentina	2011 – present
Australia	W	December 2011 – present
Brazil	I.Sat Brazil	2011 – present
Bulgaria	bTV Cinema	2012, July 28 – present
Canada	The Movie Network	January 2011 – present
	City	April 2012 – present
	Addik TV	February 2012 – present
Chile	I-sat	2011 – present
Croatia	Doma TV	August 2012 – present
Finland	Canal+	March 2011 – present
	Sub	April 2013
France	Canal +	September 2011 – present
Germany	FOX Channel	January 23, 2012 – present
Hungary	Viasat3	March 2012 – present
Japan	WOWOW	December 2011 – present
Italy	Mya	October 10, 2011 – present
Ireland	RTÉ Two	January 27, 2011 – present
Israel	Hot Network	November 2011 – present
Lithuania	TV1	November 2012 – present
New Zealand	TV2	November 2011 – present
Norway	Canal+	March 2011 – present
	VOX	Premiering in April
Peru	I.Sat	2011 – present
Poland	nPremium HD	September 2011 – present
Portugal	RTP2	July 2011 – present
	FOX	June 2012 – present
Slovenia	POP Brio	December 2011 – present
South Africa	M-Net	December 2011 – present
	M-Net HD	December 2011 – present
Sweden	Canal+	March 2011 – present
Turkey	CNBC-e	2011 – present
	e2	March 15, 2011 – present
United Kingdom	More4	April 2011 – present
United States	Showtime	January 2011 – present
Spain	Canal+	March 2011 – present

External links

• Official website
• Shameless at IMDb
• Favourable Review