Shameless (season 1)

Shameless (season 1)
Shameless Season 1 DVD Cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Showtime
Original release	January 9 – March 27, 2011

The first season of Shameless, an American drama television series based on the award-winning 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 shows 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.

Overview

The series depicts the dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a single father of six children. While he spends his days drunk, his kids learn to take care of themselves. The first season mainly focuses on the ups and downs of Fiona Gallagher's new relationship with Steve Lishman. Their relationship begins when Fiona has her purse snatched at a nightclub and Steve attempts to retrieve it from a mugger. The season also follows Kev and Veronica, the Gallagher's neighbours, as they are forced to become foster parents due to fertility problems. The Gallagher patriarch, Frank meets Sheila Jackson, the mother of Lip's girlfriend Karen and the two become a couple. Lip also discovers that his closest brother, Ian is gay and having an affair with a married man. But this could soon change when Ian starts an affair of his own, with a local bad boy. The absent mother of the Gallagher clan, Monica returns with her lesbian lover Roberta and the couple want to take Liam to live with them.

Cast and Characters

Regular William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher Emmy Rossum as Fiona Gallagher Justin Chatwin as Steve Wilton Jimmy Lishman Ethan Cutkosky as Carl Gallagher Shanola Hampton as Veronica "V" Fisher Steve Howey as Kevin "Kev" Ball Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher Cameron Monaghan as Ian Gallagher Jeremy Allen White as Philip "Lip" Gallagher Laura Slade Wiggins as Karen Jackson Special guest stars Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson

Recurring Noel Fisher as Mickey Milkovich Jane Levy as Mandy Milkovich Amy Smart as Jasmine Hollander Pej Vahdat as Kash Marguerite Moreau as Linda Tyler Jacob Moore as Tony Markovich Joel Murray as Eddie Jackson Madison Davenport as Ethel Chloe Webb as Monica Gallagher Carlease Burke as Roberta

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (in millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	Mark Mylod	Teleplay by: Paul Abbott and John Wells British Episode by: Paul Abbott	January 9, 2011	0.98[1]
Fiona's purse is stolen, but a handsome stranger named Steve helps her. Lip has suspicions about Ian's sexuality, and decides he should take him to Karen Jackson to confirm his suspicions.
2	2	"Frank the Plank"	John Wells	Teleplay by: Paul Abbott and John Wells British Episode by: Paul Abbott	January 16, 2011	0.81[2]
Frank, heavily intoxicated from the previous night, wakes up in Toronto, Canada, with no memory of how he arrived there. The kids and friends search for him, but one may be hiding something.
3	3	"Aunt Ginger"	Stephen Hopkins	Nancy M. Pimental	January 23, 2011	0.90[3]
Fiona, having dumped Steve, decides to date Tony, a local cop who has had feelings for her since childhood. A woman from the Office of the Inspector General knocks on the Gallagher door looking for Aunt Ginger, the owner of the family house, who has supposedly been living in a Wisconsin nursing home for 12 years.
4	4	"Casey Casden"	Todd Holland	Teleplay and Television Story by: Cindy Caponera British Episode by: Paul Abbott	January 30, 2011	1.11[4]
Debbie steals a toddler from a birthday party while depressed from Aunt Ginger's departure. The family creates a plan that will return the boy to his family while avoiding the increased police presence in the area.
5	5	"Three Boys"	Mimi Leder	Teleplay by: Alex Borstein British Episode by: Danny Brocklehurst	February 6, 2011	0.95[5]
Frank has an interesting appointment with his disability doctor, who demands a biopsy of a strange third lump in his scrotum. Kev and Veronica fake a wedding to earn a lump sum of cash from Veronica's deceased father, to be given to her on her wedding day.
6	6	"Killer Carl"	John Dahl	Mike O'Malley	February 13, 2011	1.01[6]
Lip gets busted taking the SAT's for a number of other students. Carl gets in trouble at school and the principal demands to see one of Carl's parents, or he will face expulsion.
7	7	"Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father"	David Nutter	Etan Frankel	February 20, 2011	1.14[7]
Frank is hunted by two ruthless thugs after he fails to follow through with an illegal money-making scheme, and he must repay them $6000. The Gallagher family helps Frank fake his own death to convince the thugs to leave town. Steve takes Fiona to an expensive hotel to get away from her family and work stress. Mickey steals Kash's gun and Linda has the cameras at the Kash-n-Grab fixed, which has implications on Ian's affair with Kash. Ian tries to get the gun back from Mickey and discovers an unexpected secret while doing this. There is a surprise for Sheila as she does something she hasn't done in years.
8	8	"It's Time to Kill the Turtle"	Scott Frank	Nathan Jackson and Nancy M. Pimental	February 27, 2011	0.92[8]
In the hospital, Frank is offered $3000 if he can stop drinking for two weeks. This pleases Carl and Debbie but Lip doesn't believe Frank can stay sober for even two weeks. In the end, Frank starts to wreck the Gallagher's home, so Lip tasers him and forces liquor down his throat, ending the experiment. Ian continues his sexual relationship with Mickey. Fiona scrambles to find a better-paying job, while Steve's past starts catching up with him. Lip tours the University of Chicago campus and is offered an interesting opportunity. Veronica and Kev's new foster daughter Ethel is 13 years old and a little different than expected, having come from a polygamous sect where she and four other women were married to a 68-year-old man.
9	9	"But At Last Came a Knock"	Mark Mylod	Teleplay by: Alex Borstein British Episode by: Paul Abbott	March 6, 2011	1.14[9]
Frank is in line for some settlement money but there's a catch: he needs his ex-wife, Monica, to sign the paperwork, and there may be more to Monica than meets the eye. Debbie discovers a secret about Steve, and extorts him to keep it a secret. Ian has an eventful day at work, and Lip does some work for Steve to buy concert tickets for Karen.
10	10	"Nana Gallagher Had an Affair"	Adam Bernstein	Teleplay and Television Story by: Cindy Caponera British Episode by: Paul Abbott	March 13, 2011	1.12[10]
Liam's paternity test reveals different results than expected, as does another member of the Gallagher family. Karen attends the Purity Ball with her father, Eddie, on the promise that if she "rededicates herself as a virgin", she can have the car. Fiona and Steve move in next door so Fiona can keep an eye on the kids while Monica tries (and fails) to be their mom again.
11	11	"Daddyz Girl"	Sanaa Hamri	Nancy M. Pimental	March 20, 2011	1.10[11]
Amy Smart guest stars as a school mother in Debbie's class whose take on friendship leaves Fiona a little confused. Steve's "business" finally leads Tony to investigate what he's up to. Lip and Ian go on a search for Ian's real dad. Karen finds an extreme way to pay Eddie back for embarrassing her at the Purity Ball. Frank's worker's compensation is terminated and he searches for a new job at which to get hurt.
12	12	"Father Frank, Full of Grace"	Mark Mylod	John Wells	March 27, 2011	1.16[12]
Lip and Ian spend the night in jail on grand theft auto charges. Lip tries to take the blame so that it won't prevent Ian enlisting in the Marines. Fiona tries to locate Steve while waiting in the police station; Debbie hastily visits Steve/Jimmy's mother and tells her the truth; Frank foolishly tries to manipulate Karen to keep recent history a secret, which pushes her off the edge; Fiona tries to find out the truth of the stolen car from Ian, who also admits to being gay; Frank over and over narcissistically tries to justify his sleeping with Karen in front of the bar patrons, and tries to lecture to his audience, even going as far as using profanities about Ethel and Kev's relationship in front of Kev; Steve offers Tony the house he bought; while Karen is having depression, Lip visits her and in a passionate moment tells her that he loves her, which results in a breakup; Eddie finds out that Frank slept with Karen and goes in search of revenge, which makes Frank a homeless fugitive, later joined by Lip, which then turns into a violent showdown until Kev comes and stops Lip. Fiona has a difficult decision to make when Steve asks her to run away with him to Costa Rica. Frank tries to justify it about not having money and starts steering the conversation towards Sheila's money. Broken about past events, Eddie Jackson digs up a big ice fishing hole, ties a concrete block to his feet, and jumps in the frozen lake; Lip and Karen make up; Fiona initially decides to go with Steve to Costa Rica, but then changes her mind.

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.^[15] Also joining the cast were former Dragonball Evolution co-stars Emmy Rossum as Fiona and Justin Chatwin as Steve.^[16][17] 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.^[18] In late August Joan Cusack was cast as Sheila, a romantic interest for Frank, replacing Allison Janney, who portrayed the role in the pilot.^[19] 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.^[19] It is filmed in the North Lawndale^[20] community area of Chicago^[21] and Burbank, California, at Warner Bros. Studios.

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[24]	June 25, 2012[25]	April 4, 2012[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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. "William H Macy fits the bill perfectly as drunk Frank Gallagher in new U.S. version of hit show Shameless". The Daily Mail (London). November 3, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
16. "Allison Janney, Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin Join US Shameless Remake – Sky TV". Tv.sky.com. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
17. Martin, Daniel (January 7, 2011). "Shameless remake set for US TV debut". guardian.co.uk (London). Retrieved January 8, 2011.
18. "Showtime Greenlights Shameless to Series". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
19. Andreeva, Nellie (August 31, 2010). "Joan Cusack Joins Showtime's 'Shameless'". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
20. Cora, Casey (January 11, 2013). "'Shameless' in Canaryville? Not Exactly". Retrieved August 18, 2013.
21. Anonymous. "Shameless". filming.90210locations.info. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
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. 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.

External links

• Official website
• List of Shameless episodes at the Internet Movie Database