Shameless: A Family Circus Where Dysfunction is the Main Act

  The Gallaghers are the Southside's answer to the Kardashians, if the Kardashians lived on a perpetual bender and forgot how plumbing works. Frank, the Gallagher patriarch, is a walking, talking hurricane of bad decisions. Imagine if Willy Wonka and Mickey from The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse decided to raise a family after a bender fueled by questionable substances. Fiona, the eldest daughter, is basically Wonder Woman in yoga pants, holding together this ramshackle family with duct tape, grit, and a sarcasm level that could curdle milk.
 

  Lip, the middle Gallagher, is a brain sharper than a Ginsu knife but with a self-destructive streak wider than the Chicago River. He's like a walking stereotype of the tortured artist, except funnier and with a surprising knack for fixing boilers with chewing gum and a prayer. Debbie, the ever-evolving Gallagher, is a grenade with a glitter cannon strapped on. One minute she's a sassy little girl, the next she's running a daycare operation out of the living room with more juice boxes than supervision (think Lord of the Flies with toddlers).
 

  Carl, the resident bad boy, is a walking, talking Darwin Award application. Every episode is a suspenseful game of "will Carl survive his own schemes this time?" Liam, the youngest Gallagher, is the voice of reason trapped in a tiny human body. He's basically a pint-sized philosopher king, dispensing wisdom like a drunk fortune cookie at a dive bar.

  Kev and Veronica, the Gallaghers' neighbors, are the sane peanut butter to the Gallaghers' jelly of dysfunction. They're the friends you want by your side, always ready with a beer, a questionable life tip, and a brutal honesty that could roast a turkey.

  Shameless isn't for the easily offended. It's full of cringe comedy that could make your toes curl, dark humor blacker than Frank's lung, and enough Gallagher family drama to fill a Shakespearean tragedy. But through it all, there's a surprising amount of heart. You can't help but root for this messy, lovable bunch, even as they careen from one disaster to the next like a clown car on fire. So, if you're looking for a show that's hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely unpredictable, Shameless is the perfect guilty pleasure. Just don't try any of the Gallagher schemes at home. Unless you enjoy living life on the edge (and by the edge, I mean eviction court with landlords who look scarier than Frank on a bender).

By:

Amanda Morreale