Shameless

Few things make me more nervous than when someone has the bright idea to adapt one of my favorite British TV programs into an American version. For every successful translation ("The Office"), there are dozens of failed attempts ("Coupling"). So when I heard that Showtime was preparing to drop "Shameless" with William H. Macy, Joan Cusack, and Emmy Rossum--I got very very scared. Not because of the cast, but because, to me, "Shameless" is a quintessentially British show. The original version is an absolutely lunatic bit of brilliance that has all the elements to be a crashing disaster and yet balances them so adeptly, so audaciously, and so precisely. Instead of pushing into nightmarishly precious, overwrought, and quirky territory--somehow the show succeeds spectacularly. Don't get me wrong--the show is precious and overwrought and quirky--but every bit of it is in a good way.

So how did Paul Abbott do in formatting his original creation for an American audience? I'd say that it's a qualified success. If you've never seen the original program (and let's face it, most people won't have), this incarnation of "Shameless" is likely to seem strikingly different from most American domestic comedy with its unabashed embracing of lawlessness and anarchy. Adhering to the British original, but expanding subplots or introducing them earlier as there are more first season episodes, the version sticks fairly true to the initial plotting. In the first few episodes, the show seems on incessant overdrive slapping you in the face with its over-the-top antics. As such, in my opinion, it lacks a bit of heart, subtlety, and precise comic balancing of the original. Despite its unruliness, the original made you care about its characters from the jump. It takes about half of Season One for the American version to start really developing characters that you might actually want to root for. Once that kicks in, however, you're likely to find that certain elements of the program will get under your skin and really work.

Chronicling the lives of the Gallagher family, "Shameless" introduces us to a wastrel father and his brood of six kids. With mom out of the picture, oldest daughter Fiona (Rossum) has taken up the slack for a largely absent and altogether alcoholic father (Macy). This is a show of survival as the Gallaghers eke out an existence in lower income America. With the assistance of her new boyfriend (Justin Chatwin), this dysfunctional family unit triumphs despite itself. There's much drunken debauchery, plenty of illicit sex, fair amounts of stealing, fisticuffs galore, and even an odd kidnapping--this isn't mild entertainment.

Not worried about "good taste" or "political correctness," Paul Abbott's ingenious creation is a modern family unit unlike any other on contemporary TV. With an impressive, and massive cast, even the supporting characters get their chance to shine. Rossum has been praised for bringing a realness to the lead role and rightly so. For me, the unexpected heart in "Shameless," however, comes from Joan Cusack--a part that might have been painfully awkward is surprisingly tender! Fast-paced, loud, irreverent, crude, disturbing and yet oddly touching when necessary, I absolutely adored the original program and I have come to appreciate the charms of its successor. It took a bit for it to find its footing, but it did. As long as they keep working to ground their characters, the show can only get better. KGHarris, 3/11.

Showtime delivers again with this superb dramedy, a remake of the excellent British series of the same title. And just like the U.K.'s, America's 'Shameless' is so well-acted and brilliantly written I watched almost every episode in a row on a rainy Sunday. We're invited to view the hilarious and erratic lives & exploits of the Gallagher family in Chicago's South Side. Frank (Macy) is a chauvinistic alcoholic on disability and has six kids: Fiona (a sexy Rossum) is bearing the responsibility of supporting the clan; Philip (Jeremy Allen White) is a high school genius who sells his services; Ian (Cameron Monaghan) an active homosexual who wants to join the Army; and then there's younger Carl, Debbie, and Liam (who is black!). The remaining outside characters are fantastic and the show is laced with off-the-wall one-liners and scenarios that are socially conscious of the underlying difficult economic situation that they're faced with. But make no mistake about it - it is Macy's drunken white-trash antics and utter contempt for society, that clearly owns the show. Currently on the second season every Sunday and it just seems to get better and better as it goes along.

'Shameless' is the very best of TV.

I have never watched the British Version so have nothing to compare the US version too. I will say, however, that Shameless is my all time favorite show and I can hardly wait until it comes out on DVD. Can't wait until Season 2. Once we get Season One on DVD, I plan to have a "Shameless" party with friends and family over to watch and enjoy. This is not for children to watch. Adult entertainment done in good taste. I recommend this to all adults. You won't be able to stop watching.

Mrs. Slotz from Indiana

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 40 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars