Shameless: The Complete Series DVD Review
“Shameless” gets a complete series release at last.
2011’s “Shameless” is a remake of the British series of the same name created by Paul Abbott. This particular version was developed by John Wells and revolves around the low-income Gallagher family living in a house together on the South Side of Chicago. The family is comprised of the father Frank (a drunk, irresponsible, and destructive person played by William H. Macy) and his 6 children Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. Their neighbors (Veronica, Kevin and Tony the police officer) are also an integral part of the series. At the start of the series, Fiona is essentially the head of the household, but duties change throughout the series. The comedy-drama (which ran 11 seasons on Showtime) contains plotlines about Fiona’s boyfriend Steve (a car thief), Ian coming out as gay and developing a relationship with Mickey, Frank and Sheila’s relationship, Sheila’s sex addict daughter Karen (who later becomes pregnant), Frank’s mother Peggy, the children’s mother (Monica), Jody (who has multiple relationships), children ending up in foster homes, Mandy (Lip’s girlfriend), Ian becoming bipolar, Frank’s health woes, the revelation of another child (Sammi), Fiona ending up in jail, Veronica and Kevin becoming parents, Fiona’s complicated love life, Lip going to college and having issues with drinking and relationships, Debbie’s pregnancy, a potential house loss, a death in the family, Fiona’s business ventures, Ian’s Gay Jesus movement (and a subsequent arrest), Fiona’s alcoholism, Carl going to military school and later becoming a cop, and the Covid pandemic.
It’s easy to see why “Shameless” developed a devoted fanbase. Dysfunctional family series are quite common, but few rarely explore the world of a lower class family struggling to scrape by and survive the frantic and often chaotic existence. That angle set “Shameless” apart from others and, as such, viewers found themselves drawn to the complex lives of the Gallagher family. No matter how messed up the family members can be (and they are all deeply flawed individuals), you become attached to these characters. The series is at its best when it focuses on Fiona (played by Emmy Rossum who was the clear MVP of the series). Her wild arc is in many ways the heart and soul of the show and she’s a character who experiences perhaps the most growth. She goes from the big sister/mother figure to a woman spiraling out of control to a woman with bad taste in toxic men to someone trying to better their life. It goes without saying that when Rossum left the show series, seasons 10 and 11 took a big dive in quality. The series never recovered from her loss. That’s not a knock on the other characters, but it just didn’t make much sense that she would leave her family and move on to the next chapter in her life.
Other characters who have compelling stories here are Ian (a young gay man who struggles with mental illness played by Cameron Monaghan) and Phillip AKA Lip (played by rising star Jeremy Allen White) who gets in his own way and sabotages his potential success due to seriously bad life and relationship choices.
If there was a knock on“Shameless” it’s that it is certainly a sensationalized show that ratchets up situations and scenarios for dramatic purposes. Sometimes it feels like you are watching an episode of “The Jerry Springer Show” to be honest (especially with the ridiculous plot involving Mickey and Svetlana). The series can also sometimes feel a bit punishing, exhausting and meandering. The lack of closure in the end also feels like a bit of a cheat given how much time viewers have invested in the show and characters. Given that this is a pay cable series, there’s also a plethora of sex, violence, and profanity. For whatever reason, cable outfits really double down on all of these elements.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.78:1. How does it look? While it’s a bit puzzling that there isn’t a Blu-ray release, this DVD release still does the job with quality standard definition picture quality.
Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. How does it sound? Viewers can expect a crisp 5.1 audio track.
Extras:
Each of the 11 seasons has their own extras. Among the inclusions here are deleted scenes for all 11 seasons, 22 featurettes, 3 commentaries, easter egg, season 2 and 3 sneak peeks, a music video, a cast discussion, and “Shameless: Last Call” (a special panel).
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