Customer Reviews

Shameless: The Complete First Season

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Brilliant, "comedy-drama". Because of the differences between British humor and American humor an American audiences will find more drama than comedy. Yes, we do "get" irony; however, it tends to make us smile rather than laugh out loud.

This series contains some of the best, most powerful scripts I've ever seen written for broadcast television. Yet, I expect this very R-rated series to be heavily criticized for coarse language, for themes of sex, scenes of drunkenness, and under-age smoking. Nevertheless, this series is one of the most family-positive series you'll ever see.

Imagine the picture perfect family, the very embodiment of "family values". Then one day somebody in the family snaps and is revealed to be involved in criminal activity, or infidelity, or substance abuse or darker more sinister assaults on the body and mind of other family members. In short, this imaginary picture-perfect family is dysfunctional.

Now, envision the opposite, a family with all the trappings of being dysfunctional. The father is unemployed and alcoholic, the children thieve, smoke and swear. One child has to keep his head shaved because he's so prone to nits, and there is no mother in the home because she's taken the family van and run away. Yet, this family is supportive, loving, caring and more honest than the Brady Bunch ever was.

There are no skeletons in the Gallagher family closet. They are very much a what-you-see-is-what-you-get group. Sometimes funny sometimes surreal and unlikely the goings on in this family are often moving and always entraining. While not promoting "family values" this is a very family positive series (but not for the whole family: R-rated I said). There is good reason why this show is called "Shameless".

One warning for American audiences. The story is set in Manchester, so that people in the story have strong northern accents. If your ear is unused to this or if your exposure to British accents ends at Hugh Grant... there are subtitles available on the DVD.

An excellent show, a sort of a fun-house mirror Waltons. Give it a chance

I ordered this DVD without having seen or heard anything about the series, and I was more than pleasantly surprised. It was thoughtful, funny, and generous, even while maintaining a gritty realism. Whenever an episode or storyline started to drift into the ridiculous or melodramatic it was quickly intercepted by a brutal but honest (and hopeful) reality. And even when their characters were at their most unlikable, the actors brought to them a warmth and passion that kept you involved. (In my opinion episode six is one of TVs best examples of the diversity of emotion that can be explored in under an hour.)

Basic plot: Single father Frank Gallagher [David Threlfall], whose wife disappeared about three years ago, lives (sometimes) on a council estate in Manchester (England) with his six children (Fiona, Lip, Ian, Carl, Debbie, and Liam), aged 20-3, respectively. Other central characters include the children's neighbors, a young couple named Kevin and Veronica, and Fiona's well-to-do boyfriend Steve [James McAvoy]. Together they deal with relationships, poverty, abandonment, their father's alcoholism, debt collectors, and the local police. It's not an easy life, but the family is determined to enjoy it whenever and however they can. There *is* some violence (fist fights), nudity, drinking, lots of swearing, and even one extremely inappropriate, even illegal, sexual relationship, but it is addressed and responded to reasonably (though definitely not in the PBS-broadcast sort of way). The younger children/characters really seem to peak in the second half of the season, as they become more integral to the plot. Their additional screen time is well-deserved, as they are all exceptionally talented actors.

As for the DVD itself, it is, of course, Season 1. Although Season 4 recently finished airing, this is the first installment to be released on DVD in the US. Disc 1 consists of episodes 1-4 (45 min. each) and Disc 2 contains episodes 5-7 and two bonus features: a brief "Meet the Cast" and an interview with Paul Abbott. Suffice to say this is a bare-bones DVD release for this day and age, but the show's quality warrants the purchase. Also note, subtitles are on by default for anyone who has trouble with the accent.

This show is funny, disturbing, and full of ribald characters - it is definitely not your typical American sitcom. There seems to be no subject that is taboo. I am not sure what prompted its US release, but all I can say is Hallelujah!
Note that this show is not for the faint at heart. If, however, you love irreverent British humor - buy this dvd!!

I purchased this series because I am a big James McAvoy fan. It is typical British comedy - lots of drama with comedic twists. This is NOT, however, a series one watches with the whole family although the maintaining the family unit is the theme of the series. Sexual scenes, use of alcohol and drugs, and language might make this a turn off to the "pure" of heart, but it is very entertaining and quite addictive in its own way. I am a Brit humor fan; therefore, I knew what to expect, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performances.

Shameless is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen! I have been really frustrated that season 2 has not been released in the US, but I was lucky enough to find that they were showing season 2 on the Sundance Channel. I only missed the first 2 episodes and got to see the rest! They are starting season 3 this Sunday June 20. I am excited to see that too. The reason I watched Shameless to begin with is James McAvoy. He is great in the show! Ann-Marie Duff is also really great! I just love those two together! I make sure to watch the show with subtitles, they talk so fast it is hard for an ignorant American (such as myself :)) to catch everything w/ their thick accents. It is much funnier when you understand everything they are saying, I highly recommend it!

This show is so so funny yet still retains a heart as it explores life in UK estate housing of a dysfunctional family and their friends and neighbors. This show doesn't pull any punches in its depiction and feels truly honest whilst producing belly laughs and snickers alike throughout most episodes.
General plot: mum does a runner on a family with six kids and dad goes on a three year bender, leaving eldest daughter to run the family with only meager resources while also trying to have a life. The youngest daughter's coping is less than perfect and provides some of the funniest and scariest moments of the first series. If you have any empathy for the situation you will find the show engrossing -- although an appreciation for brit humor is also necessary to fully enjoy the show.

WHEN DO WE GET SERIES 2 - 5 !!!!!!!!!!
c'mon BBC get with it.

I discovered "Shameless" on the Sundance Channel on my local Cable TV provider, and even though I could catch most episodes on the tube, I had to run out and buy my own copy of this DVD. This is an absolutely brilliant British series that I would highly recommend. Anyone who loves British humor, or just darn good writing should check it out. The relationships between these family members are about as real as anything I have seen on TV or in the movies for a long time. The acting is fantastic (I would watch anything with James McAvoy in it!)

It really is shameless, so if you are a prude, don't even bother! But it's also fun, has some great lines, fantastic actors and deals with emotion in an unexpectedly delicate way...
I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

I bought this DVD because I thought James McAvoy was tremendous in "The Last King of Scotland," where he
kept up with his co-star's showy, scenery-chewing performance (for which he won an Oscar). McAvoy had to
play it close to the vest in this film, because of his part--that of a young man drawn into the vortex of an
insane, volatile dictator, and McAvoy doesn't miss a beat. He was marvelous.

So I bought "Shameless," and it is wonderful in every department: the writing, the directing, and primarily
the acting were all spectacular. I laughed, and then, once, I was brought to the point of damp eyes. Man, this
DVD is worth the money. I can't wait for the other three seasons. (Also, I've read that McAvoy is cast in the
film version of "Atonement," Ian McEwan's stunningly good book. Twenty stars for this, if possible.

A friend told me about Shameless when I was in the UK 6 or 7 years ago. I bought the set of the first 3 seasons the last time I was over, and tucked it away until recently, and OH MY GOD!! What a show!!
Humor, sex, drama, pathos, and what's a pleasant surprise is that Frank Gallagher ISN'T the main character, which I'd expected, but is just one of a great ensemble cast. Frank is kind of like the character Mickey Rourke played in Barfly, but his little comments about life being a "working-class hero" and how tough it is being a "single parent" are hilarious, since A)he's probably been on the dole his entire life & never worked a day and B)He's so screwed up all the time that his oldest daughter, Fiona(played by the wonderful Anne-Marie Duff), has single-handedly raised her sibs since their Mum left a couple of years before the series opens. With the help of assorted neighbors and friends, the Gallagher clan struggle on.
With nearly as many plotlines per episode as a "Seinfeld" episode, it's no surprise that American TV is ripping "Shameless" off(ala "The Office"), reportedly to star William H. Macy as a Rust-Belt version of Frank. I enjoy Macy, but there's only one Frank Gallagher(except when I'm bloody pissed, and then I see two or three.
Warning: there is some pretty raw sex in this show, so if you're offended by that sort of stuff...sod off!