2freensel
I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.
Janis
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Josh Brannan
The first four seasons of shameless were unbelievably brilliant. A northern working class family living on a rough council estate in Manchester. After that it declines immensely. By time it gets to season 11, it is complete garbage. Shameless used to film on an actual estate in Gorton, Manchester up to about season 4/5 when they moved to a custom built set due to problems filming because of the shows popularity. The problem with this, is that it's clearly a set. It's so noticeable that the set doesn't even try to resemble the layout of the estate. The shop is clearly behind the Gallaghers house, where as before it was about a mile away. There is houses across from the Gallaghers that were not there before. It's ridiculous. The biggest problem with this show though is the mysterious disappearances of cast members without any real mention of where they have gone. Debbie, Ian, Liam, Carol, Jez just name a few. The cast becomes almost unrecognisable. The first few seasons is about the real nitty gritty of northern working class life. After that, stories become pathetic like an episode where Frank and Monica are talking to there newborn baby through telepathy. Bottom line is that this show had the potential to be one of the greatest shows British TV has ever seen but rather than end it about six seasons before they did. They prolonged the agony of a once great show.
tequila101
What I am doing reviewing each series for how they did and their downfalls. I will be deeply analyzing Shameless, and the end I'll simply place a verdict.Series 1: It was the most intriguing entry of the series because of the raw power/tenacity of the actors, the way certain scenarios were built on (example, Karen and Frank's affair) and how various situations of a dysfunctional family living on the breadline would affect viewers to think. How could we believe in the decision making of how this family would survive whilst the mother was on a run-about and the father was a layabout. Overall, series one was the most realistic because themes involving poverty, sex and alcoholism played major factors in how the characters acted upon certain situations.Series 2: This was quite an excellent continuation from where the first series left off. We look through the lives of Frank and his dysfunctional clan. Again, quite relatable with audiences who are/were experiencing what the Gallagher family go through or even those who didn't live a lifestyle like this (I relate to the series through not living like the Gallagher's but instead deeply thinking about what they're experiencing and how certain situations impact them). I love how the Gallagher's are pounded with new situations to deal with. I also really enjoyed the way the cinematography was boosted up in color toning and brightness. It gave off the intention of a more tense feel.Series 3: I would say that this was the last strong entry because after this, things started heading downhill. I believe that without Fiona and Steve, series 3 was still quite a grand look into how the children would survive without their eldest sister. I found at times I related to this one a little bit more than the first two. I enjoyed many of the new ideas that the creators dwelled upon. I found that series 3 set up chronological story lines for how plot lines would turn out (example, Frank not going through with divorce w/Monica and he still marries Sheila, what a coincidence?) However, those episodes about the two set up greatly for how series 4 evolves. Overall, genius.Series 4: This is where I found Shameless would start taking a continuous root into recycling ideas. With the Maguire family being introduced, things would ultimately start to change greatly. Even though these were the cases for what some of the later entries turned out to be, I actually liked it. Still has a great cast, the Maguires are a laughable yet scary bunch of people who almost control the Chatsworth estate. I still found many of the episodes interesting, however I never liked the idea of Kev and Veronica leaving.Series 5: I found this to be the last good entry in my opinion. I thought that even for 16 episodes, I thought it was a mighty effort to keep the hype of the show going extensively to engage audiences for one final time until it would slowly start to crumble and become a repetitive mix of mess. I have to say I was disappointed with the departure of Lip (who was my favorite character!). Despite that, I loved the way the show still casted some drama, keeping good contrast between the Gallagher's and Maguires. Their issues and troubles were presented realistically.Series 6: This is where things started to really fall down the drain pipe. I don't think it was too bad, but I felt that Shameless was starting to run low on fuel to keep "continuous addiction". Story lines just felt a little over the top. I still liked the contrast between the two families and some of the humor was still up to scratch.Series 7: I would say for a this series; it was probably the most darkest I had ever seen of it. Affairs, drug abuse, etc. which made Shameless compelling were taken to a new level , where I found most scenarios color coated grimly. I hardly found any humor at all. Honestly though, I found it a great turning point. Sure, some stupid story lines but it was different in a great way.Series 8: This is when I really started dreading the series! Too many episodes! It was quite stupid as I found that most of the content which we had seen happen to characters in the past was happening all over again (example, Frank screwing a woman to make Libby break up with him) We've seen that before! I will admit there were some funny parts but I found that good characters were only tossed in whenever creators wanted them in! No good!Series 9: I'd say it was a slight improvement over the 8th series but it had no redeeming qualities. We lost Carl and Mickey who were fantastic characters. We also ended up with idiotic characters like Billy and Domenic. Why??? The eviction part was interesting though.Series 10: Well, it was awful. Zero develop and effort to achieve any realism whatsoever. It was sloppy. *I could note that it took me nearly a month to get through, come on!*Series 11: I didn't mind this one. The final entry series has it's stronger traits (episodes 8, 13, 14) whilst it too had it's weaker episodes (7, 10, 11). Overall, I thought that the last series was a major improvement over some of the previous. Bringing back old characters such as Lip and Fiona were positive steps forward. It was good for the most part.Verdict: Series 1: 10/10 Series 2: 10/10 Series 3: 9/10 Series 4: 8/10 Series 5: 8/10 Series 6: 6/10 Series 7: 6.5/10 Series 8: 5/10 Series 9:5.5/10 Series 10: 3/10 Series 11: 6/10Overall Shameless is a series not to be missed. If you're a person of variety, give each series a try. If you're specific with you're material, stick with the trilogy. 10/10
Inda_Rebel
This has got to be watched. I've found what I've been looking for. I find this work, better than any films coming out. Better than any programming from the United States or Britain. This is what moving image production can be. You would never find a bloke walking into a pub asking for e's every other week in any series of films, or on a cheesy American program or on any British program. It is unheard of. It makes American programming and film industry look cheesy. It's much more realistic and better in general than any other program on British TV. Better than any films coming out. The ingredients for this program are: *e*, *r***, ******c* and a **a*. Paul Abbott is a true visionary.* = me to know
Mis Behavin
This programme was 100% TV Gold when it first began. Series 1 & 2 were fabulous. It had it all - fabulous comedy, heartwarming family dynamics, strong characters - the works.Unfortunately, that is where it should have ended. Shameless lost two of it's most integral characters during series 2 (Steve and Fiona) and I don't think it ever really recovered. I think it might just have coped without James McAvoy, but without Anne-Marie Duff it lost a lot of the much needed warmth and became a show purely about a slightly chavvy family living on a rough estate in Manchester.It limped along through a third series which was just about OK thanks to excellent comedic performances from David Threlfall (Frank), Maxine Peake (Veronica) and Dean Lennox Kelly (Kev). However, it was a dying duck and the absolute final nail in the coffin for me was the return of the awful Monica into the family fold during series 4.It was shortly after this that I switched off.Shameless was truly excellent to begin with - I don't know anyone who didn't love it. But it's had its day now and I wish the producer had been brave enough to pull the plug after series 3 at the absolute most so it could have been remembered as a great show. At this rate it's going to end up another 'Bad Girls' - a quality show to begin with that descended into really, really crap pantomime because the production company was too greedy (or short of new ideas) to:JUST. LET. IT. GO!!!!
