Overview:

Shameless seemed to get pretty popular around a year and a half ago when I was just starting my senior year of high school. Based off of the original Shameless that took place in Manchester, England, the spinoff takes place in the South Side of Chicago and follows the Gallagher family. The Dad, Frank, is a deadbeat alcoholic who is mostly absent in his children’s lives, while the oldest daughter Fiona works to raise them all. After Fiona comes Lip, who is extremely smart, and then Ian, who aspires to join the military and in season one is hiding the fact that he’s gay. Debbie is a few years younger than Ian but is close in age to the second-youngest brother, Carl. Finally comes Liam, who Frank claims to be his biological son but who is also very clearly African-American. The Gallagher’s neighbors, Val and Kev, are also big recurring characters in the show.

Why I Binge:

Currently, I’m all caught up on this show, but when I started watching it in high school, I did so because it was so shocking. Each of the characters truly are horrible people in their own ways, and even if you think that you’re starting to like someone, I promise you that they will find a way to disappoint and disgust you. I’m from the Chicago suburbs, so I know the area where the show takes place, but even then some of the things that they say and do still shock and appall me. However, despite the fact that there is not one completely likable character, they all have enough redeeming qualities that make you want to root for them. Also, similar to the way that you can’t look away from a bad accident, there’s a big part of me that wants to see how they’ll manage to completely screw up their lives and relationships next.

Why You Should Start It: 

If you like dramas and sitcoms, then this is the perfect show for you. It’s different from other dramas that have been kind of similar, such as Breaking Bad, because there’s just enough humor sprinkled in that it isn’t completely miserable to watch all the time. Also, and I’m going to go out on a limb here, no one that may be reading this blog post lives on the South Side of Chicago. The lifestyle that the Gallagher’s are living is so undeniably different than what a typical college student at Penn State has experienced that to watch Shameless is a huge culture shock. There’s virtually no way to guess what’s going to happen next, which is exciting because a lot of shows that are on TV right now can be predictable. Also, even though the show can get pretty offensive and crude, there’s still a lot of representation for people of color and the LGBT community and the plot lines explore a lot of real-world issues without being homophobic, transphobic, sexist, etc. I really recommend this show if you’re looking for something different, but not so different that it’s tough to get into.

Where to Watch:

Netflix