Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 27, 2026)
Best-known as hapless nice guy characters in films like 1996’s Fargo and 1997’s Boogie Nights, William H. Macy went in a different direction for a Showtime’s Shameless. An American adaptation of a UK series, Macy plays Frank, the badly flawed patriarch of the Gallagher family.
Shameless launched in 2011 and covered 11 seasons through 2024. All 134 episodes appear in a massive “Complete Series” Blu-ray set.
Given that this means Shameless spanned roughly 119 hours, it became unrealistic for me to watch all 120 shows for a single review. Normally I would “sample” a couple episodes per season but I didn’t want to take that scattershot approach to the series.
As such, I decided to review Shameless one year at a time despite the fact these can’t be purchased solo. Eventually I’ll work through all 11 seasons – well, maybe.
Season One aired in early 2011 and encompassed 12 programs. The plot synopses come from IMDB.
Pilot: “Drunken father Frank is of no use to his dysfunctional family. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) meets a handsome stranger named Steve Wilton (Justin Chatwin) when her purse is stolen. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) is shocked to discover his brother Ian (Cameron Monaghan) is gay.”
One whole episode into the series’ first season and I need to adjust expectations. I went into Shameless with the view it’d offer a broad comedy that focused on the wacky shenanigans of the Gallagher clan.
Indeed, the pilot sets up this concept as it runs through a quick introduction to the characters. However, this doesn’t hold true.
Sure, we get some laughs along the way. However, the pilot turns into more of a drama that heavily emphasizes the Gallagher kids – well, three of them, as Fiona, Lip and Ian dominate.
Though it comes with a few sassy moments, the pilot feels more like a Young Adult drama than anything, and it ladles out various issues with the characters’ prospective journeys. Granted, pilots come heavy on exposition so I expected some of this.
Still, this episode feels more turgid than I anticipated, and it comes with far less Frank than one would think. Hopefully Shameless will improve from here.
Frank the Plank: “A manhunt ensues after Frank goes on a bender and turns up missing on Friday - the day he never fails to cash his disability check - and turns up in Toronto with no idea how he got there.”
Does the fact Frank quickly enters “missing person” status feel like an excuse to use Macy as little as possible? Given Macy acts as the face of Shameless, it seems odd how underused he becomes in the first two episodes.
That said, Macy does show up more here than in the pilot, and the episode feels a bit friskier than the prior show. That comes largely thanks to the somewhat increased focus on Frank, as his moments bring life to the series.
Even when “Plank” sticks with the kids, the plot concentrates enough on Frank’s situation that it seems more involving. If nothing else, “Plank” delivers a definite step up from the disappointing pilot.
Aunt Ginger: “Fiona turns her attentions to a cop named Tony (Tyler Jacob Moore) but Steve isn't willing to give up without a fight. Ian is targeted by the brothers of a girl he spurned. The family searches for the elderly aunt who owns their house.
Apparently Shameless will spend a lot of time with Fiona’s romantic melodrama. While I enjoy the fact this lets us see Rossum in various stages of undress, the theme already seems tedious, especially now that we find a burgeoning love triangle.
Other aspects of the episode also lean more toward drippy drama than I’d prefer as well, particularly in terms of the Afterschool Special manner in which it explores Ian’s homosexuality. Still, “Ginger” manages some spark and features Macy more than the first two shows, so it balances the dreary with the good.
Casey Casden: “A sad and lonely Debbie (Emma Kenney) steals a little boy from a birthday party, forcing the family to scheme a way to return him. A web of lies ends in a marriage proposal from Kevin (Steve Howey), who is already married.”
Because Debbie bonded with the old lady the Gallaghers got to impersonate Aunt Ginger, she enjoyed more development than we saw in the first two episodes. This actually makes her one of the more interesting roles.
“Casey” expands on this, as it seems clear her abduction of the youngster comes from her general neediness due to a lack of parenting. The focus on this kidnapping also manages to allow us to spend less time with blah romantic nonsense, all of which helps make this a better than average episode.
Three Boys: “The family fakes a wedding when they learn Kevin's new fiancée Veronica (Shanola Hampton) comes with a substantial dowry. Frank deals with bad medical news by spiraling out of control. Steve looks for a new car, with Fiona along for the ride.”
Although we know Frank will comes out of his health scare unscathed, his brush with mortality offers up good chances for comedy. “Boys” exploits these in a satisfying manner.
Though the problematic engagement between Veronica and Kevin starts from a soap opera point due to his existing marriage, that theme also discovers some amusingly mercenary moments. After a slow start to S1, Shameless is finding a groove.
Killer Carl: “Fiona tries to prove the Gallagher home is suitable for rehabilitating a delinquent Carl (Ethan Cutkosky). Lip gets busted taking the SAT for fellow students. Frank's poor business acumen continues to have negative consequences.”
As I noted at the start, Macy made his bones with nice guy roles, and that helps Shameless. We enjoy a natural tendency to like Macy and that takes some of the edge off Frank’s persistently abhorrent behavior.
Not that we particularly bond with Frank, but Macy’s inherent charm means we don’t explicitly hate him. In the hands of another actor, we’d really loathe the dude.
This seems as important as ever here because Frank’s shenanigans cause so many negative repercussions in “Carl”. Other aspects of the episode lean more toward the melodramatic than I’d prefer – and I don’t like the fact the series paints Carl’s animal torture as comedy – but the show still works reasonably well, even if it means a step back after the advances seen in “Three Boys”.
Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father: “Frank takes a risk when goons demand the six grand he owes them. Fiona agrees to a night away with Steve, leaving Liam in agoraphobic Sheila's (Joan Cusack) care. Ian is fed up with Mickey's (Noel Fisher) bullying of Kash (Pej Vahdat).”
Even by their standards, the Gallaghers seem sleazy here. Not that this makes them appear out of character, but it becomes more difficult than usual to empathize with them.
“Father” mixes some amusing moments – mainly related to the way Frank tries to lose the aforementioned goons – with some romantic melodrama. This leaves “Father” as a mixed bag.
By the way, I can’t be the only one who finds it more than slightly skeevy that Shameless paints the relationship between Fully Grown Man Kash and Very Teenaged Ian as warm and romantic. Gay or straight, it’s statutory rape, and I can’t imagine the series would depict a sexual affair between a 30-year-old dude and a high school girl as sweetly.
It’s Time to Kill the Turtle: “When Frank gives up drinking, Sheila worries he'll no longer be attracted to her, while Carl and Debbie enjoy having their dad back despite Lip's warning that it won't last. Fiona barely notices that Steve's behaving suspiciously.”
On the surface, “Kill” offers opportunities for wacky comedy. Between Frank’s stab at sobriety and Veronica and Kevin’s “sister wife” foster daughter (Madison Davenport) seem like perfect opportunities for broad laughs.
“Kill” manages more depth than that, though, and that works surprisingly well. Although I tend to prefer a Shameless that leans funny versus the more serious version, “Kill” combines the two sides in a fairly positive way, even if the Fiona/Steve stuff remains tedious.
But At Last Came a Knock: “Frank needs his ex-wife's signature to claim some settlement money. Debbie learns that Steve may not be who he says he is. Monica (Chloe Webb) shows up and announces she's taking baby Liam.”
Though not mentioned in the synopsis, we spend a lot of time with the ever-tiresome relationship between Fiona and Steve. Maybe other viewers care about that situation, but I don’t.
After “Kill” offered a pleasing mix of laughs and drama, “Knock” loses that balance, as it veers too much toward the sappy side of the street. This means that it pushes ahead character moments but feels like drudgery too much of the time.
Nana Gallagher Had an Affair: “Monica's return wreaks havoc on the Gallagher clan, while Frank hits a new low to stop a disability worker from tampering with his benefits.”
Although I hoped “Nana” would go back to the better-balanced tone of “Kill”, instead it continues the more dramatic vibe of “Knock”. This doesn’t mean I object to serious material as a rule, but I just don’t think Shameless pulls off those moments well.
At least not when they dominate, which is why “Kill” succeeded and “Knock” didn’t. “Nana” does manage a few amusing moments but too much of it leans toward melodrama.
Daddyz Girl: “Fiona meets a new friend (Amy Smart) at Debbie's mothers group. Tony unravels the truth about Steve's car-stealing business. Frank loses his worker's compensation and tasks his kids with finding him a new and promisingly dangerous job.”
After a couple blah episodes, “Girl” rebounds – sort of. Frank’s futile efforts to get hurt on the job amuse, and if nothing else, Smart adds sexy intrigue.
Other parts lean less interesting, and Karen’s attempt to go full-on “bad girl” feels contrived, especially since her involvement with Frank pushes toward “cliffhanger” territory. Still, “Girl” manages to work fairly well.
Father Frank, Full of Grace: “Steve tries to convince Fiona to skip town with him while she's trying to get Lip and Ian out of jail. Frank and Karen's secret is revealed, forcing Frank to go into hiding.”
Season One comes to a close with some major events. Relationships develop and a character dies, among other elements.
These can seem a bit contrived, as though the producers felt the need to give S1 a Big Finale. Still, we get some intriguing developments that point us toward Season Two in a decent manner.
Which I’ll watch with less enthusiasm than I went into S1. While I found some good material in S1, it didn’t live up to expectations. Nonetheless, I see enough potential to give the next season a go.
