Shameless (US)

Shameless is an American television comedy-drama which airs on Showtime. This remake of the award-winning British series is set in Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood on the South Side, although filmed in Los Angeles, with the exterior scenes filmed in Chicago. The series premiered on January 9, 2011.

The series depicts the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy, ER), 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 (Reckless), 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 (ER), 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”.