Product Details

• Actors: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Joan Cusack
• Format: NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Showtime
• DVD Release Date: December 27, 2011
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0041KKZKK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,999 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Shameless: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In one of the making-of featurettes accompanying this two-disc set of all 12 episodes from the first season of the Showtime series Shameless, a member of the creative team reports that in adapting the show from the British version that preceded it, the producers and writers were determined to depict "real Americans." They succeeded admirably--assuming, of course, that one's idea of "real" includes a family headed by an unemployed single father who spends his waking hours blind drunk or hung over and the other ones passed out, scams the government out of money to buy more booze, and blames his six kids for his problems while contributing absolutely nothing of substance to their welfare, while the kids in question support themselves by lying, stealing, cheating, and other dubious activity. That doesn't mean Shameless isn't well written and well acted, beautifully produced, consistently entertaining, and often very amusing--it is. On the other hand, The Waltons it ain't. But "real"? Not so much.

The estimable William H. Macy stars as Frank Gallagher, the drunken paterfamilias and all-around loser. While he may have a shred of a conscience in there somewhere (as one character says of him, "Deep down, I think Frank is capable of doing the right thing"), far more often than not it's his children (one of whom turns out not to be Frank's after all) who keep this family afloat. That's especially true of the oldest and most responsible, daughter Fiona (the excellent Emmy Rossum), who acts as de facto mom while balancing a complicated love life (the two main men in her world are a car thief and the cop who wants to nail him), and Lip (Jeremy Allen White), a smart and enterprising teen who makes money taking tests and writing papers for other students but also looks out for his younger siblings, who include Ian (Cameron Monaghan), Carl (Ethan Cutkosky), Debbie (Emma Kenney), and Liam (an infant played by twins), all of whom have issues of their own. These (and various others in the sizable cast) are the folks who, we're told, put the "fun" in dysfunctional, and along with a steady dose of raunch (nudity, sexuality, and profanity all flow as freely as the liquor at Frank's favorite bar) and serious issues such as school bullying, cancer, suicide, prison, and Ian's burgeoning homosexuality, Shameless does have a darkly comedic sensibility. Perhaps most striking is that the kids, against all odds, are generally far more mature and sensible than the grownups, who also include Frank's agoraphobic girlfriend Sheila (Joan Cusack), her very snarky husband, Ian's older lover (who happens to have a wife and children), and various others of questionable character. Indeed, it's the younger Gallaghers, not Frank, who are the most dedicated to keeping the family together, and the grit, determination, and guile they use to do that are Shameless's heart and soul. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/27/2011 Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wild And Out Of Control Ride That Starts To Find The Right Road As The Season Progresses, March 18, 2011

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shameless: The Complete First Season (DVD)

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.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series, May 24, 2011

By 

Mrs. Slotz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shameless: The Complete First Season (DVD)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm officially addicted to the Shameless, January 25, 2012

By 

Sean M. Ryan (North NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shameless: The Complete First Season (DVD)

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.