MeinMMO author Dariusz Müller is a big fan of series and has already seen a lot on the various streaming services. His favorites include shows like Supernatural, Lucifer, Vikings and Suits. A new series recently joined his favourites: Shameless
Shameless is an American television series that tells the story of the Gallagher family. The main focus is on the alcoholic family man Frank, who lives in poor conditions with a total of six children in a small single-family house on the South Side of Chicago.
In the course of the series, the individual characters repeatedly experience personal crises and reach their limits. Each family member has to carry their own package. These range from thoughtless consumption of alcohol and drugs to persistent inability to form relationships, addictions and irresponsible actions to petty crime and physical violence against other people.
The dramas experienced regularly escalate to such an extent that sooner or later a catastrophe occurs. Again, family members respond to these disasters in their own chaotic ways and resolve them the Gallagher way.
The problems and catastrophes portrayed are often exaggerated, but their origins still reflect life in a social hotspot. Many events are really imaginable, although the sometimes extreme situations here are mainly reduced to one family or one person – Frank Gallagher.
Shameless – S01 Teaser Trailer (German)
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Characters between genius and madness
Shameless has a total of 134 episodes over 11 seasons. In the series, which has been off since 2021, we see above all how the children of the family develop and grow. And it’s not just related to the character of the different roles – most of the actors remain true to their roles throughout the series. The actors we meet in episode 1 as 10-11 year old children are grown up at the end of the series.
Every Gallagher child brings their own strengths and character deficits with them. Both can often be traced back to their dysfunctional parents. Special father Frank, who regularly abandons his children and sometimes disappears without a trace after his daily pub crawls, embodies a mix of genius and madness.
One moment he has a surprisingly clever plan to somehow get some money, the next he wakes up in a foreign country. The portrayal of Frank Gallagher is always so exaggerated that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Even after a really bad situation at the end of a dramatic development, there follows a scene that is so absurd that I had to laugh.
Regularly I found myself realizing that Shameless hardly knows any borders. I kept thinking, “Wow, I didn’t think they’d show it like that.” However, the series isn’t just funny. As the family members grow, one hopes that they will get their lives together. One hopes all the more that they can cope with the current situation and fight their way out of a low.
Rarely have I been so entertained
In the end I thought Shameless was really great. I watched the 11 seasons in just under six weeks and enjoyed every second of it. There are characters you like or hate and stories that hook you.
Due to the penchant for drama and the connection to the family members, Shameless always remains exciting, while the oddity of certain actions always lightens the mood. Not only do drama and comedy alternate again and again, they go hand in hand and managed to entertain me in a way that hardly any series has been able to in recent years.
For my part, there is a clear recommendation for series fans.