Why I Finally Binge-Watched Shameless (and Why You Should Too)

Hello there!

I just binge-watched Shameless, the American comedy series that first premiered in 2011. With 11 seasons under its belt, it's a shame there won't be any more. Each season has 12 episodes, except for season 9, which had 14. And each episode clocks in at 50 minutes.

CAST:

William H. MacyEthan CutkoskyJeremy Allen WhiteShanola HamptonSteve HoweyEmma KenneyCameron MonaghanEmmy RossumMichael Patrick McGillJim Hoffmaster

ShamelessSYNOPSIS:Meet the Gallagher family and their neighbors, who live life on the edge, get into all sorts of crazy situations, and try to survive in this world with minimal effort and maximum chaos.

CHARACTERS, BRIEFLY ON THE PLOT:

At the center of it all is the Gallagher family:

Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) - the lovable, yet troubled patriarch. I didn't always love him, but by the final season, I was genuinely rooting for him.

Bespoke Frank GallagherFiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) - the eldest of the Gallagher kids, who's always trying to hold things together and provide for her family. She's always on the lookout for a way to make ends meet, and herself is often an afterthought.

Fiona Gallagher ShamelessLip Gallagher (Jeremy Allen White) - the middle child, and the smart one. Lip's a great kid, I don't even remember him ever getting on my nerves, even when he was at his worst.

Lip Gallagher, ShamelessIan Gallagher (Cameron Monaghan) - a few years younger than Lip (or maybe just a year, I'm not sure). He's another great character who never got on my nerves.

Shameless, Ian GallagherDebbie Gallagher (Emma Kenney) - in the early seasons, she was a kid and her character was super likable. Then Debbie started getting into teenage angst and her drama with Fiona was super annoying. When Debbie grew up, she started to resemble the Gallaghers more. Debbie Gallagher, ShamelessCarl Gallagher (Ethan Cutkosky) - my favorite character, he's just so cool! I loved him as a kid, and even more as he grew up.There's also Liam Gallagher, the youngest kid in the family. In the early seasons, he was super young, and by season 11, he was 11 years old. Carl GallagherThis is the main cast, and there are also secondary characters who made it to the end of season 11 - Kevin and Veronica (the Gallaghers' best friends and neighbors). And of course, there are plenty of characters who showed up for a few seasons and then left (either through death, moving away, or just disappearing).The show is about nothing and everything. We get to observe the life of a poor, large family living in a rough neighborhood. Shameless 2011-2021MY TAKE ON THE SHOW

I mentioned in the title that I started watching Shameless twice and gave up on it both times. I just couldn't get into it, and my mood wasn't right. The first season flew by, but the second season was a struggle. I had to force myself to keep watching.

But with the third try, I finally got hooked. I started to care about the characters, and it got more interesting as they grew up and stuff. It's actually funny to think about how young they all were in the early seasons and how much they've changed by season 11! Shameless 2011 reviewsThe show tackles a lot of social issues, and it's all presented in a harsh, satirical way. If you think about it, you can only feel sorry for these people. I mean, can you imagine living like that with a dad like that? No wonder all the kids were messed up and ended up in trouble - whether it was booze or jail time. Shameless 2011-2021But you gotta watch this show without thinking. Then yeah, it's actually pretty funny, but as soon as you start thinking about it, it's not so funny anymore.The show's got a ton of nudity, explicit scenes, sex, profanity, and drama. But I've noticed that the nudity's gotten way less with each season - in season 11, they didn't even show a single female breast or any actual sex, it was all just implied, but the profanity's still on point

Shameless reviewsSo many of the secondary characters were just infuriatingly stupid, especially Sheila This woman's just a hot mess, and she's both annoying and hilarious at the same time. There are a lot of characters like that in this show, some of them stick around longer than others, and some get written out after a few seasons.

Karl Gallagher, ShamelessIt was also pretty common for main characters to get written out for a bit - like, one of them would get arrested and be absent for a few episodes. When that happens, you can just tell something's off, something's missing. Emmy Rossum actually left the show after season 9, but her absence didn't really bother me because Fiona was getting on my nerves by the end. Shameless 2011-2021 I've gotta say, this show is full of raw, unapologetic drama. You never know what's gonna happen next over the course of 11 seasons. It's not a family show, it's a tornado. They'll keep you on the edge of your seat, and sometimes you'll even feel bad for the characters. I'm not a huge fan of Frank, but even he grew on me by the end. I actually got a little choked up when the series finale wrapped up - it felt like an era had come to a close... Shameless The music in this show is top-notch, and the plot twists come at you so fast, you'll be switching between episodes before you know it (once you're hooked, that is). For me, seasons 5 and 9 were a bit of a snooze fest. And season 11 was a bit of a letdown, too - the pandemic really threw a wrench in the works. But I'd already invested so much time in the characters, I stuck it out. Shameless reviews One thing that bugged me about the show is that it doesn't always explain what's going on with the characters. I'm talking about the main ones, not just the secondary characters. By the end of season 11, I was left with more questions than answers. I get that it's not always necessary to spell everything out, but it would've been nice to have a bit more closure. That being said, the finale was actually really well done - it was emotional, but also had a bit of that Gallager-esque flair. Shameless season 11 THE VERDICT Overall, I have to admit that Shameless did eventually win me over. It's not a masterpiece, but it's definitely a wild ride. If you're into dark humor and over-the-top drama, you'll probably love it. It's a bit like Breaking Bad, but with a lot more heart. I wouldn't say I'd rewatch it from start to finish, but I do feel a little sad that there won't be any new episodes tomorrow...

Shameless reviews on the show Thanks for reading, and if you're into this kind of thing, I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

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