Five of the Many Reasons You Should Be Watching Shameless

For those of you who somehow missed it, my favorite television show of all time is Showtime's Shameless, followed by CBS's The Good Wife. My personal tagline for the show is, "The best show you're not watching." But let's get into what makes Shameless an overwhelmingly under-appreciated television drama. Here are just five of the oh so many reasons you should start watching tonight:

1) Its seamless integration of social commentary into every episode

The entire show is social commentary for poor, dysfunctional families and the way our country handles these situations. After all, Shameless takes place in the South Side of Chicago, or a world of dysfunctional families, where parents are expected to fuck up either children. Their social commentary goes deeper into specific story lines of episodes.

2) The best written gay couple on television

One of the six children in the Gallagher family is Ian Gallagher, who was touted as a “unique” gay character on television from the start. And while it’s true that Ian is a bit more rough and tumble than your usual gay stereotype, he’s still a fairly sensitive boy. But there’s nothing sensitive about the Mickey character, a horrifyingly violent young thug who was as likely to punch Ian as he was to kiss him. Just last season, Mickey delivered this heart-breaking beat down.

These are scared, oppressed boys who often kiss through broken faces. They defy stereotypes and do not signal their sexuality with limp wrists or theatrical gestures. Both revel in their masculinity and seem more interested in throwing a punch than picking out flower arrangements. If for no other reason, watch Shameless for the most radical portrait of homosexuality. #TeamMilkovich

3) It handles its multiple, simultaneous, intersecting storylines masterfully

It's style of storytelling is unlike anything else on television right now. Unlike the more streamlined programs that follow careful A-story/B-story/C-story structures, it's, well, kind of a mess. The threads of the story get tangled easily. Though its frentic structure may seem untidy at first glance, it's one of the things viewers who stick with it come to love most. The frenzied, overlapping plotlines mirror and represent its characters' own hectic lifestyles.

4) The ensemble is full of incredible characters, played by incredible actors

Sex, violence, addiction, and depravity are the show’s rallying cry. But somewhere in the cracks, Shameless has built a cast of believable, sympathetic, dirt-poor characters struggling to escape circumstance, genetics, and self-destructive behavior. Every character is on point in every scene. Of course, the actors who play the gay couple, Noel Fisher and Cameron Monaghan, have grown beautifully into their roles. However, Fiona Gallagher, portrayed by Emmy Rossum, and Lip Gallagher, portrayed by Jeremy White, are two of televisions great heroines and heroes. Oh, and Bill Macy. If Shameless had no other redeeming qualities besides seeing William H. Macy playing the alcoholic mess that is Frank Gallagher, it would still be worth recommending. This is undeniably one of the best performances on television right now.

5) The show's themes

No, I don't mean their theme song. Although, their title sequence is one of my favorites...

 
Shameless is a very complex show that focuses on the human condition. As I said before, sex, violence, addiction, and depravity are the show’s rallying cry. And although the Gallagher’s are extremely poor, they stick together as a family and overcome struggles.

In short, watch Shameless. You won't regret it.

Above and Beyond

There are not many shows that are quite like the Showtime original series "Shameless." The show takes place in a shady neighborhood in Chicago and depicts the lives of the Gallagher family. This functionally dysfunctional family of 6 has to deal with getting the kids through school, paying their bills, and the focus of the video above, their alcoholic father Frank played by William H. Macy.

The clip I included above is not about the show exactly but the process that went into shooting this scene and how they wanted to portray it. The aspect of the scene they focus on is Frank's son Carl shaving his head while he is asleep in his hospital bed. Naturally, with any TV series, every scene has to have a multitude of takes to make sure everything was shot correctly. In an attempt to make the actions on screen during this scene extremely real, they actually shaved Macy's head which means they had to get exactly what they wanted the first time, no easy feat. I feel as though the little details put into series like these really takes them a step beyond your average everyday TV show.

Showtime Series: Opening Credits

I am a huge fan of many of the series that Showtime currently has on air (and many that are sadly no longer on.) Just a few weeks ago, I became hooked on Shameless--yet another compelling series to add to the list of Showtime programming that I absolutely adore.

One of the things that really engage me about Shameless (aside from the fantastic acting and always compelling writing), is their opening credits. As I began to think more about it, I realized that many of the series that Showtime has, have very interesting opening credits and reveal a lot about what the show is about to the audience. Nowadays, shows tend to have much shorter opening credits—if any at all. Think about the quick opening of Modern Family and Community. Their openings are approximately thirty seconds long or shorter. It seems that nowadays, shows are choosing to cut down time by having shorter credits, but Showtime (and HBO) have maintained longer opening credits that are visually interesting, and revealing about the series.

Let’s take a look at Dexter. It is a show about a serial killer who works for the Miami Metro Police Department. The opening credits to the show, doesn’t show one image of him killing anyone. But the images are so powerful because they are extremely close up and even though it is an orange being juiced, and laces being tied, they convey a deeper meaning. The song being played conveys precision, as well as mystery. The shots are gruesome and make you cringe and when in combination with the music—it makes the perfect opening to the show.



Shameless on the other hand is pretty explicit with their opening sequence. The song playing in the background immediately expresses chaos and distraction. The show is about a poor and dysfunctional family trying to survive on Chicago’s southside in spite of their drunk father. The opening sequence features every main character and shows a bit of their personality—and it all takes place in a bathroom, a very private place. Unfortunately for the Gallagher family, there is no privacy, so the opening credits fit exactly.

Click here to view the video: Shameless Opening

The other show that I watch on Showtime is The Big C (view my previous blogpost.) It is about a woman, Cathy, dealing with cancer. Their opening credits are very representative of Cathy’s state. In the credits, she is inside a pool, looking out on the world as they stare at her every move. It is apparent that Cathy wants to feel free but instead feels trapped. The song playing is about life, which of course is very fitting since the entire theme of the show is about the struggles that come with life.



Opening credits aren't something that I often think about, but they appear to be a powerful tool in engaging an audience. It is after all, the first thing that a person sees before the show begins, so it must speak for the series.