Shameless (season 1)

The first season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 9, 2011, at Sunday 10:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Paul Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on March 27, 2011. The show's season premiere was watched by 982,000 viewers, making it the network's biggest turnout for a series premiere since Dead Like Me in 2003. The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making Shameless the best performing first-year drama on Showtime. The season finale scored 1.16 million viewers.

Shameless
Season 1
DVD Cover
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkShowtime
Original releaseJanuary 9 (2011-01-09) –
March 27, 2011 (2011-03-27)
Season chronology

Plot

The first season of Shameless depicts the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a single, alcoholic, trashy father of six children in Chicago. With Frank's bipolar wife, Monica, running away from Frank prior to the first season, the family has been run by Frank's eldest daughter Fiona, who raises her five other siblings: the extraordinary intelligent Lip, goofy and strong-hearted Ian, the mature and grounded Debbie, the troublemaking and slightly "off" child Carl, and Liam, who is mysteriously black. Often involved in the Gallagher's lives are their neighbors, Kevin and Veronica, who fake a marriage mid-season to obtain a substantial dowry.

The season's core story revolves around Steve Wilton, a wealthy man whom Fiona and Veronica meet at a dance club. Fiona pursues a relationship with Steve and, to her surprise, discovers that Steve is a high end car thief. A local cop, Tony Markovich, is attracted to Fiona, though Fiona is not very interested in dating him. When Steve leaves to visit his family in Lake Forest, it is revealed that his real name is Jimmy Lishman; Jimmy, going under the alias of Steve, comes from a wealthy family who presumes he is away at medical school. When Debbie discovers Steve's secret, she agrees to keep it a secret from Fiona, but does notify Steve's real mother about his double life.

The subsidiary plot throughout the season involves Ian, who is a closeted homosexual, his sexual orientation only known to Lip and a friend, Mandy. Ian is in a sexual relationship with Kash, the adult owner of a convenience store that Ian works at. Kash is unhappily married to his wife, Linda, who discovers their affair through the store's security cameras; Linda blackmails Kash into giving her a baby. Mandy's thug brother, Mickey Milkovich, openly shoplifts from the store and regularly insults Kash. When Ian confronts Mickey, the two unexpectedly have sex, and they begin a casual sexual relationship. When Kash finds out, he angrily shoots Mickey in the leg when Mickey attempts to shoplift. Mickey is arrested for attempted shoplifting and Kash is praised for his efforts. In the final episode, Ian comes out to Fiona.

Frank's eldest son, Lip, is in an open relationship with the promiscuous Karen Jackson, though Lip wants to pursue their relationship more than just a casual fling. Karen's mother, Sheila, is a nice but kooky housewife diagnosed with agoraphobia. Frank becomes romantic with Sheila and moves in with her, though he's mainly there to freeload, to Karen's dismay. Sheila's ex-husband, Eddie, attempts to reconcile with Karen by attending a purity ball, a father/daughter event where girls pledge their chastity, but this fails when Karen delves into a detailed list of her sexual history at the ball; Eddie angrily calls Karen a whore. Sheila furiously kicks Eddie out of her house, overcoming her agoraphobia in the process. In a cruder turn of events, Karen wants to get back at her father and rapes Frank, showcasing the incident on a video blog that she sends to Eddie and his co-workers. Beaten over the video and past events, Eddie commits suicide by jumping in a frozen lake. Consequently, a guilt-stricken Karen breaks up with Lip. Both Frank and Karen separately apologize to Lip for the video.

Nearing the end of the season, Lip and Ian are arrested after being caught driving one of Steve's stolen cars, further straining Fiona and Steve's relationship; though Fiona, conflicted, admits that she may be falling in love with Steve. Meanwhile, Tony discovers the truth about Steve's occupation. He beats Steve up and gives him an ultimatum - to turn himself in and be arrested, or to leave Fiona and disappear without a trace. Though Steve tries to convince Fiona to accompany him in Costa Rica, Fiona declines his offer and takes up an office job from a new friend, Jasmine, to further care for her family. Under obligation, Steve is forced to run off without the girl he expected he'd be with.

Cast and characters
See also: List of Shameless (American TV series) characters

Main

Special guest stars

Recurring

Episodes
See also: List of Shameless (American TV series) episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Mark MylodTeleplay by : Paul Abbott and John Wells
British Episode by: Paul Abbott		January 9, 2011 (2011-01-09)2967690.98[1]
Alcoholic Chicagoan father, Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) is of no use to his dysfunctional family. Fiona's (Emmy Rossum) purse is stolen, but a handsome stranger named Steve (Justin Chatwin) helps her. After Steve buys Fiona a new washing machine to win her over, Fiona goes on a date with Steve and finds out that he's a car thief. Lip (Jeremy Allen White) has suspicions about Ian's (Cameron Monaghan) sexuality, and decides he should take him to Karen Jackson (Laura Slade Wiggins) to confirm his suspicions. Karen's father, Eddie (Joel Murray) discovers Karen performing oral sex on an unfazed Ian; Eddie is disgusted by his daughter's actions and angrily leaves his family. Lip is horrified when he uncovers Ian's sexual relationship with his married boss, Kash (Pej Vahdat).
22"Frank the Plank"John WellsTeleplay by : Paul Abbott and John Wells
British Episode by: Paul Abbott		January 16, 2011 (2011-01-16)2J54020.81[2]
After Steve and Frank get into an argument, Frank suddenly goes missing the next day. A manhunt goes out for Frank, and the police get involved. Heavily intoxicated from the previous night, Frank is arrested in Toronto, with no memory of how he arrived there. Fiona finds out that Steve had smuggled Frank across the border while picking up a stolen car; Fiona orders Steve to get Frank back. After Steve successfully smuggles Frank back home in an RV, Fiona breaks up with Steve. Tony (Tyler Jacob Moore), a local cop who has had feelings for Fiona since childhood, asks Fiona out on a date. Frank is invited into the home of Sheila (Joan Cusack), Karen's agoraphobic and mentally ill mother. After having a brief sexual liaison with Sheila, Frank officially moves in with her, to Karen's horror.
33"Aunt Ginger"Stephen HopkinsNancy M. PimentalJanuary 23, 2011 (2011-01-23)2J54030.90[3]
Fiona, having dumped Steve, has sex with Tony, but is horrified to learn that she had taken his virginity. After Ian rejects Mandy Milkovich (Jane Levy), Ian is targeted by Mandy's brothers. Ian comes out to Mandy, and she agrees to be his "girlfriend" in order to mask his sexuality. A social security worker visits the Gallagher home looking for Aunt Ginger, the owner of the family house, who has supposedly been living in a Wisconsin nursing home. Unbeknownst to the family, Aunt Ginger had passed away twelve years ago, and Frank has been secretly cashing her checks. In order to save their home, Fiona gets a senile woman from the nursing home to act as their aunt. Fiona declines a dinner date with Tony, and ventures off to visit Steve.
44"Casey Casden"Todd HollandTeleplay by : and Television Story by: Cindy Caponera
British Episode by: Paul Abbott		January 30, 2011 (2011-01-30)2J54041.11[4]
A sad and lonely Debbie (Emma Kenney) steals a toddler from a birthday party. When the town goes into a frenzy over the boy's disappearance, the family concocts a plan to return the boy to his family without drawing attention from the public and the police. Eddie moves back in with his family, citing financial issues. Karen tries to rebel against her father by attempting to seduce Frank, but she is rebuffed. At The Alibi Room, head bartender Kevin Ball (Steve Howey) tries to get rid of a flirty girl by falsely claiming he's getting married to his girlfriend, Veronica (Shanola Hampton). Frank overhears this and loudly celebrates while Veronica's mother is present. Kevin drunkenly proposes to Veronica, who happily accepts. Later, Kevin secretly tells Fiona that he's already married.
55"Three Boys"Mimi LederTeleplay by : Alex Borstein
British Episode by: Danny Brocklehurst		February 6, 2011 (2011-02-06)2J54050.95[5]
Veronica's wedding plans fall south as she discovers that Kevin is separated but still legally married to his abusive wife. When Veronica finds out that she comes with a substantial dowry, Kevin and the Gallagher clan help set up a fake wedding to collect the money. Things fall awry when Veronica's pyromaniac brother, Marty (Anthony Anderson) breaks out of prison to attend the wedding. Frank is forced to schedule a biopsy for a strange third lump in his scrotum. He temporarily joins a cancer support group until his results come back negative. Kash makes time for Ian when his wife, Linda (Marguerite Moreau) is out of town.
66"Killer Carl"John DahlMike O'MalleyFebruary 13, 2011 (2011-02-13)2J54061.01[6]
When Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) gets a note sent home from his teacher, Fiona has to prove to Carl's teachers that the Gallagher home is suitable for rehabilitating a delinquent, but the school officials demand that Carl show up with a legal guardian. When Frank declines to show up, Steve attends Carl's meeting and lets him off the hook by exchanging a marijuana deal with the principal. Linda begins complaining to Kash and Ian about the shoplifting in the store. A professor catches Lip taking the SAT's for other students, and warns him to never do it again. But, impressed by Lip's intelligence, the professor has some educational opportunities for him.
77"Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father"David NutterEtan FrankelFebruary 20, 2011 (2011-02-20)2J54071.14[7]
Frank is hunted down by two ruthless thugs after he fails to follow through with an illegal money-making scheme, and he must repay them $6000. The family helps Frank fake his own death to convince the thugs to leave town. Steve gets Fiona to spend the night at an expensive hotel, leaving Liam in agoraphobic Sheila's care. When Liam waddles off outside, Sheila gains enough courage to briefly go outside and save Liam, making significant progress in her agoraphobia. Linda discovers her husband's affair through the store's security cameras; Linda punches Ian and blackmails Kash into giving her a baby. Ian confronts Mandy's thug brother, Mickey (Noel Fisher), for stealing from the store, and the two end up having sex.
88"It's Time to Kill the Turtle"Scott FrankNathan Jackson and Nancy M. PimentalFebruary 27, 2011 (2011-02-27)2J54080.92[8]
Frank is offered $3000 if he can stay sober for two weeks as part of a hospital study. While the family is relieved with Frank's new behavior, Lip warns his younger siblings that Frank's sobriety isn't going to last. Ian continues his sexual relationship with Mickey. Kevin and Veronica take in a teenage foster kid, Ethel (Madison Davenport), who comes from a polygamous sect where she was married to an adult man. When Lip takes a tour at the university, Karen questions their relationship. Lip agrees that they're strictly friends with benefits. Steve visits his wealthy family out of town, and it is revealed that his real name is Jimmy Lishman. When Frank begins doing destructive home renovations, the family agrees to sacrifice Frank's sober behavior and force booze down his throat.
99"But At Last Came a Knock"Mark MylodTeleplay by : Alex Borstein
British Episode by: Paul Abbott		March 6, 2011 (2011-03-06)2J54091.14[9]
Debbie stalks Steve and discovers his double life. Debbie extorts him to keep it a secret, and Steve reveals he has bought the house directly next to the Gallaghers. Lip works with Steve in order to buy concert tickets for Karen. Frank has settlement money coming his way, but he needs his ex-wife's signature on the papers. Frank lures his ex-wife, Monica (Chloe Webb), into Chicago with a fake grocery contest, but he's shocked when Monica returns with a girlfriend. Ian and Mickey are caught having sex in the store by Kash. When Mickey later attempts to shoplift, Kash shoots him in the leg. Fiona is enraged when Monica wants to take Liam to live with her.
1010"Nana Gallagher Had an Affair"Adam BernsteinTeleplay by : and Television Story by: Cindy Caponera
British Episode by: Paul Abbott		March 13, 2011 (2011-03-13)2J54101.12[10]
Fiona moves in with Steve next door, keeping an eye on the kids while Monica tries to be their mom again. A paternity test on Liam is done, and the family finds out that Frank is Liam's biological father. Lip and Ian also take a paternity test; Lip reveals that Ian is not actually Frank's son, but the father is probably one of Frank's brothers. Ian visits Mickey in prison. Karen agrees to go with Eddie to a purity ball, a reconciliation event where girls pledge their chastity. Eddie angrily calls Karen a whore when she admits her extensive sexual history at the ball, as required by the ball's program. Sheila kicks Eddie out of the house and overcomes her agoraphobia. Monica, having done enough damage within the family, willingly returns Liam to Fiona before leaving with her girlfriend.
1111"Daddyz Girl"Sanaa HamriNancy M. PimentalMarch 20, 2011 (2011-03-20)2J54111.10[11]
Amy Smart guest stars as Jasmine, a school mother from Debbie's class who befriends Fiona. However, Jasmine's take on friendship and her unusually sensual actions bemuses Fiona. Lip sets out to find Ian's real father, but Ian isn't as eager to trade up families. Tony discovers Steve's car-stealing business and beats Steve up in an alley. He advises Steve to either turn himself in, or skip town without telling Fiona. Lip and Ian spend the night in jail on grand theft auto charges when Lip is caught driving one of Steve's stolen cars. Following the purity ball incident, Karen spirals out of control. When Karen sees that Frank is dosed up on Oxy for a nail gun injury, Karen rapes Frank and broadcasts it on her video blog Daddyz Girl to get back at her father.
1212"Father Frank, Full of Grace"Mark MylodJohn WellsMarch 27, 2011 (2011-03-27)2J54121.16[12]
Tony gets Lip and Ian out of jail without charges. The incident strains Fiona and Steve's relationship, though Fiona admits to Veronica that she may be falling in love with Steve. Under Tony's ultimatum, Steve makes an attempt to get Fiona to skip town with him. Ian comes out to Fiona. Lip visits a depressed Karen and the two have sex. After Lip states that he loves her, Karen breaks up with him; Lip attempts to take back his statement. When Karen's video blog goes viral, Frank is forced to go into hiding. Broken over past events, Eddie ties a cinderblock to his feet and jumps into the frozen lake. Karen apologizes to Lip. Frank begs for Lip's forgiveness; Lip urinates on Frank from his window, and Frank takes it as his punishment. Fiona ultimately decides against leaving with Steve, and instead takes up a job at Jasmine's workplace.

Development and casting

HBO began developing an American version of Shameless after striking a deal with John Wells in January 2009.[13] By October 2009 the development had moved to Showtime. John Wells Productions filmed a pilot episode for the cable network in December 2009.[14] William H. Macy stars in the lead role as Frank Gallagher. Also joining the cast were former Dragonball Evolution co-stars Emmy Rossum as Fiona and Justin Chatwin as Steve.[15][16] Paul Abbott, whose semi-autobiographical telescript became the pilot episode for the original UK version, is credited as an executive producer on the U.S. version. In April 2010, Showtime green-lit the series with a twelve-episode order.[17] In late August Joan Cusack was cast as Sheila, a romantic interest for Frank, replacing Allison Janney, who portrayed the role in the pilot.[18] A preview of the pilot aired on December 12, 2010, after the Season 5 finale of Dexter. The first season officially began airing on Showtime on Sunday, January 9, 2011.

Production

Production began in mid-September 2010.[18] It is filmed in the North Lawndale[19] community area of Chicago[20] and Burbank, California, at Warner Bros. Studios.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the first season a 'Certified Fresh' rating of 70% based on 37 reviews, with the critical consensus "Shameless is a dark, urban dramedy that overcomes its leaps of logic thanks to fantastic casting, intriguing ambiance, and shock value."[21]

DVD release
The Complete First Season
Set details[22] Special features[23]
  • 12 episodes
  • 595 minutes (Region 1); 940 minutes (Region 2); 925 minutes (Region 4)
  • 3-disc set
  • 1.33:1 aspect ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Subtitles:
    • English, and French (Region 1)
    • English, Spanish, Danish, French, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, English and German for the Hearing Impaired (Regions 2 and 4)
  • Bringing Shameless to America – A look at the process of reworking and repurposing a successful UK television series for an American premium cable audience.
  • Bringing the Fun to Dysfunctional – Go behind-the-scenes of the show with key members of the cast and crew in this much-too-brief making-the-series featurette.
  • A Shameless Discussion About Sex – Rossum and co-stars Steve Howey, Justin Chatwin and Shanola Hampton have a candid chat about the sex in Shameless.
  • Audio Commentaries – Two commentaries are available:
    • "Pilot," which features a broad overview of the series courtesy of writer/director John Wells, executive producer Andrew Stern and actress Emmy Rossum
    • "Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father," a more episode-centric track with writer Etan Frankel, director David Nutter, and actors Cameron Monaghan and Jeremy Allen White.
  • Deleted Scenes – A small selection of deleted scenes of the series.
    • Episodes: 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19
  • Season 2 Sneak Peek – A look into season 2 of Shameless
Release dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia

December 27, 2011 (2011-12-27)[24]

 June 25, 2012 (2012-06-25)[25] April 4, 2012 (2012-04-04)[26]

References
  1. Seidman, Robert (January 10, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Real Housewives, Hannah Montana, Shake It Up, Sarah Palin's Alaska, Californication and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  2. Gorman, Bill (January 19, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Hannah Montana' Finale, 'Real Housewives,' 'Top Gear,' 'Big Love' Final Season Premiere & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  3. Seidman, Robert (January 25, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives,' Kardashians, 'Holly's World' Lead Night + 'Shameless' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  4. Gorman, Bill (February 1, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Holly's World,' 'Real Housewives' Finale Up; Plus 'Kardashians,' 'Shameless' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  5. Seidman, Robert (February 8, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Big Love,' 'Californication,' 'Episodes' and 'Shameless' Tackled by Super Bowl". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  6. Gorman, Bill (February 15, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Real Housewives,' 'Ax Men,' 'Grammy's Red Carpet,' Lead Night + 'Shameless' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 17, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  7. Seidman, Robert (February 23, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NBA All Stars, Housewives, Worst Cooks and Kardashians Lead Night + 'Shameless' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  8. Gorman, Bill (March 1, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Knicks/Heat Scores; 'E's Red Carpet,' 'Ax Men,' 'Shameless' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  9. Seidman, Robert (March 8, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Tosh Leads Night + More 'Breakout Kings;' 'Shameless' Up & MUCH More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  10. Gorman, Bill (March 15, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Chopped' Rises, Leads Night; 'Breakout Kings;' 'Army Wives' Down & MUCH More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  11. Seidman, Robert (March 22, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives' Up 30%; 'Breakout Kings,' 'Sister Wives' Dip; 'Big Love' Inches Up for Finale; 'Shameless' Steady + Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 26, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  12. Gorman, Bill (March 29, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives' Takes The Crown; 'Breakout Kings,' Rises; 'Shameless' Finale Steady + Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  13. Leigh Holmwood (January 5, 2009). "HBO cues up US version of Shameless". The Guardian. London.
  14. Moody, Mike (April 8, 2010). "Showtime picks up 'Shameless' remake". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  15. "Allison Janney, Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin Join US Shameless Remake – Sky TV". Tv.sky.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  16. Martin, Daniel (January 7, 2011). "Shameless remake set for US TV debut". guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  17. "Showtime Greenlights Shameless to Series". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  18. Andreeva, Nellie (August 31, 2010). "Joan Cusack Joins Showtime's 'Shameless'". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  19. Cora, Casey (January 11, 2013). "'Shameless' in Canaryville? Not Exactly". Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  20. Anonymous. "Shameless". filming.90210locations.info. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  21. "Shameless S01". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  22. "Shameless (USA) – Season 1 [DVD + UV Copy] [2012]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  23. Kenneth Brown. "Shameless: The Complete First Season Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  24. Lambert, David (August 29, 2011). "Shameless – DVDs, BDs for 'The Complete 1st Season' of Showtime's Series with William H. Macy". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  25. "Shameless (USA) – Season 1 [DVD + UV Copy] [2012]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  26. "Shameless – Season 1 (U.S) (Blu-ray)". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
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