Shameless (season 1)
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The first season of '' Shameless'', an American comedy-drama
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
based on the British series of the same name by
Paul Abbott Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...
, premiered on January 9, 2011, at Sunday 10:00 p.m. EST on the
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on March 27, 2011. The show's season premiere was watched by 982,000 viewers, making it the network's biggest turnout for a series premiere since ''
Dead Like Me ''Dead Like Me'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for ...
'' in 2003. The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making ''Shameless'' the best performing first-year drama on Showtime. The season finale scored 1.16 million viewers.


Plot

The first season of ''Shameless'' depicts the
dysfunctional family A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse and sometimes even all of the above on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such ...
of Frank Gallagher, a single, alcoholic, and trashy father of six children in Chicago, Illinois. With Frank's bipolar wife, Monica, running away from Frank prior to the first season, the family has been run by Frank's eldest daughter Fiona, who raises her five other siblings: the extraordinarily intelligent Lip, goofy and strong-hearted Ian, the mature and grounded Debbie, the troublemaking and unruly child Carl, and Liam, who is mysteriously black (in the second half of the season, a paternity test reveals Frank as Liam's biological father). Often involved in the Gallagher's lives are their neighbors, Kevin and Veronica, who fake a marriage mid-season to obtain a substantial dowry. The season's core story revolves around Steve Wilton, an affluent man whom Fiona and Veronica meet at a dance club. Fiona begins a relationship with Steve and discovers that he is a high end car thief. Fiona's childhood friend and police officer, Tony Markovich, expresses interest in dating Fiona, though Fiona ultimately turns him down. When Steve leaves town to visit his family in Lake Forest, it is revealed that his real name is Jimmy Lishman; Jimmy, under the alias of Steve, comes from a wealthy family who presumes he is away at medical school. When Debbie discovers Steve's secret, she agrees to keep it a secret from Fiona, but does notify Steve's real mother about his double life. The subsidiary plot throughout the season involves Ian, who is a closeted homosexual, his sexual orientation only known to Lip and a friend, Mandy. Ian pursues a sexual relationship with his boss Kash, the adult owner of a local convenience store. Kash is unhappily married to his wife, Linda, who discovers the affair through the store's newly installed security cameras; Linda blackmails Kash into impregnating her. Mandy's thug brother, Mickey Milkovich, openly shoplifts from the store and regularly insults Kash. When Ian confronts Mickey, the two unexpectedly have sex, and they begin a casual sexual relationship. When Kash finds out, he angrily shoots Mickey in the leg when he attempts to shoplift. Mickey is arrested for attempted shoplifting and Kash is praised for his efforts. In the final episode, Ian comes out to Fiona, who is accepting of his sexuality. Frank's eldest son, Lip, is in an open relationship with the promiscuous Karen Jackson, though Lip wants to pursue their relationship as more than a casual fling. Karen's mother, Sheila, is a nice but kooky housewife diagnosed with severe agoraphobia. Frank becomes romantic with Sheila and moves in with her, though he's mainly there to freeload and cash on Sheila's disability checks, much to Karen's dismay. Sheila's estranged ex-husband, Eddie, attempts to reconcile with Karen by inviting her to a purity ball, a father/daughter event where girls pledge their chastity. When Karen delves into a detailed list of her sexual history at the ball, as required by the ball's program, Eddie angrily calls her a whore. Sheila furiously kicks Eddie out of her house, overcoming her agoraphobia in the process. In a cruder turn of events, Karen wants to get revenge on her father and rapes an incapacitated Frank, showcasing the incident on a video blog that she sends to Eddie and his co-workers. Beaten over the video and past events, Eddie commits suicide by jumping in a frozen lake. Consequently, a guilt-stricken Karen breaks up with Lip. Both Frank and Karen separately apologize to Lip for the video. In the final episodes, Lip and Ian are arrested after being caught driving one of Steve's stolen cars, straining Fiona and Steve's relationship; though Fiona, conflicted, admits that she may be falling in love with Steve. Meanwhile, Tony discovers the truth about Steve's occupation. He attacks Steve and gives him an ultimatum—to turn himself in and be arrested, or to leave Fiona and disappear without a trace. Though Steve tries to convince Fiona to accompany him in Costa Rica, Fiona declines his offer and takes up an office job from a new friend, Jasmine, to further care for her family. Under obligation, Steve is forced to run off without the girl he expected he'd be with.


Cast and characters


Main

*
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...
as Frank Gallagher *
Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of Fiona Gallagher in the television series '' Shameless'' (2011–2019). Since the mid-2010s, she has also directed ...
as
Fiona Gallagher The following is a list of fictional characters from the English comedy-drama '' Shameless'', created by Paul Abbott, which was on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2013. The programme is set on the fictional Chatsworth Estate in suburban Manchester a ...
*
Justin Chatwin Justin Chatwin (born October 31, 1982) is a Canadian actor. He began his career in 2001 with a brief appearance in the musical comedy ''Josie and the Pussycats''. Following his breakthrough role as Robbie Ferrier in the blockbuster ''War of the ...
as Steve Wilton / Jimmy Lishman *
Ethan Cutkosky Ethan Francis Cutkosky (born August 19, 1999) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles as Carl Gallagher on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', and Barto in '' The Unborn''. Early life Ethan Francis Cutkosky was born on Augus ...
as
Carl Gallagher The following is a list of fictional characters from the English Comedy drama, comedy-drama ''Shameless (British TV series), Shameless'', created by Paul Abbott, which was on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2013. The programme is set on the fictiona ...
*
Shanola Hampton Shanola Hampton (born May 27, 1977) is an American actress best known for her role as Veronica Fisher on Showtime dramedy '' Shameless'' and as the face model of Rochelle in the video game ''Left 4 Dead 2''. Acting career 2000–2010: Early c ...
as Veronica "V" Fisher * Steve Howey as Kevin "Kev" Ball *
Emma Kenney Emma Rose Kenney (born September 14, 1999) is an American actress. She has portrayed Deborah "Debbie" Gallagher on '' Shameless'', a role she played from 2011 to 2021, and Harris Conner-Healy in the tenth season of the family sitcom ''Roseann ...
as Debbie Gallagher *
Cameron Monaghan Cameron Riley Monaghan (born ) is an American actor and model. He is known for his role as Ian Gallagher on the Showtime comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elem ...
as
Ian Gallagher Ian Gallagher is a character from the British Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'' and its American remake on Showtime. U.K. version Character biography Ian Gallagher is the third oldest Gallagher sibling and is aged 15 at the beginning o ...
*
Jeremy Allen White Jeremy Allen White (born February 17, 1991) is an American actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher on the Showtime dramedy series '' Shameless'' (2011–2021). He has also appeared in the first season of the ...
as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher *
Laura Slade Wiggins Laura Slade Weishaar (née Wiggins) (born August 8, 1988) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is most known for her roles in '' Shameless'', ''The Tomorrow People'', '' Starving in Suburbia'' and ''Rings''. Early life Wiggins was b ...
as Karen Jackson *
Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997 ...
as Sheila Jackson (credited as "special guest star" in opening title sequence)


Recurring

* Tyler Jacob Moore as Tony Markovich *
Joel Murray Joel Murray (born April 17, 1963) is an American comedy actor. He is well known for his roles in the television series ''Mad Men'', ''Grand'', '' Love & War'', '' Dharma & Greg'', '' Still Standing'', and '' Shameless''. He has also appeared in ...
as Eddie Jackson * Pej Vahdat as Kash *
Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy '' Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in '' The Mi ...
as
Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...
*
Jane Levy Jane Colburn Levy ( ; born ) is an American actress. After attending the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, she debuted as the original Mandy Milkovich on the Showtime comedy-drama '' Shameless'' (2011). Levy left ''Shameless'' following its fir ...
as Amanda "Mandy" Milkovich *
Noel Fisher Noel Roeim Fisher (born March 13, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Mickey Milkovich on the Showtime series '' Shameless'', as well as his portrayal of Cael Malloy on the FX series '' The Riches''. He played Ellison " ...
as Mikhailo Aleksandr "Mickey" Milkovich *
Vanessa Bell Calloway Vanessa Bell Calloway ( Bell; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress. Beginning her career as a dancer, Bell Calloway became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 comedy ''Coming to America'', as well as for her roles ...
as Carol Fisher * Jim Hoffmaster as Kermit *
Michael Patrick McGill Michael Patrick McGill (born July 2, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared in film and television. He is most known for playing Tommy on '' Shameless''. Slim on Desolation Canyon Filmography Film Television References Exte ...
as Tommy *
Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...
as Jasmine Hollander *
Chloe Webb Chloe Webb (born June 25, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her roles in the films '' Sid and Nancy'' (1986), ''The Belly of an Architect'' (1987), '' Twins'' (1988), and '' Heart Condition'' (1990). She also was nominated for a Prime ...
as Monica Gallagher * Carlease Burke as
Roberta ''Roberta'' is a musical from 1933 with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical is based on the novel ''Gowns by Roberta'' by Alice Duer Miller. It features the songs " Yesterdays", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Let ...
*
Madison Davenport Madison Danielle Davenport (born November 22, 1996) is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Kate Fuller in '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series''. She also appeared in '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' as Kit's best friend ...
as Ethel


Episodes


Development and casting

HBO began developing an American version of ''Shameless'' after striking a deal with John Wells in January 2009. In October 2009, the project had been moved to
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
, and it was reported that
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...
would star in the lead role as Frank Gallagher. Later that year, ''
Dragonball Evolution ''Dragonball Evolution'' is a 2009 American science fantasy superhero-martial arts film directed by James Wong, produced by Stephen Chow, and written by Ben Ramsey. It is based on the Japanese ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyam ...
'' co-stars
Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of Fiona Gallagher in the television series '' Shameless'' (2011–2019). Since the mid-2010s, she has also directed ...
and
Justin Chatwin Justin Chatwin (born October 31, 1982) is a Canadian actor. He began his career in 2001 with a brief appearance in the musical comedy ''Josie and the Pussycats''. Following his breakthrough role as Robbie Ferrier in the blockbuster ''War of the ...
signed on as Fiona and Steve respectively;
Allison Janney Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. In a career spanning three decades, she is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. Janney has received various accolades, including an Academ ...
was also cast for the recurring role of Sheila. John Wells Productions filmed a pilot episode for the cable network in December 2009. Paul Abbott, whose semi-autobiographical telescript became the pilot episode for the original UK version, is credited as an executive producer on the U.S. version. In April 2010, Showtime
green-lit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
the series with a twelve-episode order. In late August, it was announced that Janney would be leaving the show, due to her series commitment on the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
comedy Mr. Sunshine; the role of Sheila was re-cast with
Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997 ...
. Production for the first season began mid-September, mainly being filmed in the
North Lawndale North Lawndale is one of the 77 community areas of the city of Chicago, Illinois, located on its West Side. The area contains the K-Town Historic District, the Foundation for Homan Square, the Homan Square interrogation facility, and the grea ...
community area of Chicago and Burbank, California at Warner Bros. Studios. A preview of the pilot aired on December 12, 2010, after the Season 5 finale of '' Dexter''. The first season officially began airing on Showtime on Sunday, January 9, 2011.


Reception

Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
gives the first season a 'Certified Fresh' rating of 70% based on 37 reviews, with the critical consensus ''"Shameless'' is a dark, urban dramedy that overcomes its leaps of faith thanks to fantastic casting, intriguing ambiance, and shock value."


DVD release


References


External links

* * {{Shameless 2011 American television seasons Shameless (American TV series)