Introduction
On television today, there are a lot of situational comedies and realities, but one this there isn’t a lot of is dramedies. Well one dramedy that is very prominent today is Shameless. Shameless began in 2011 and is still continuing on production now on eighth season.
Thesis
Shameless is a show that really depicts the poor life in America that some people have. It is based around the south side of Chicago. The show follows one family, The Gallaghers, and a few of their close friends. It follows the family over many years showing their constant struggle to stay afloat, since in this show the father of the Gallaghers doesn’t exactly believe in taking care of his children. This show depicts the struggle of trying to get above the poverty line and actually succeed in life with being given absolutely nothing. It shows how all things must be earned and worked for, most of the time. It shows the struggles of gender, race, sexual orientation, and many different mental issues.
Purpose
This critical analysis is to really look deep into all the interesting aspect of Shameless. It is going to take a look into all of the social issues that the show covers. This analysis is also going to cover the different familial aspects and social issues of the show.
Description of Shameless
Shameless is aired on Showtime and can be streamed on Netflix. Shameless currently has a rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 93% and an audience rating of 88%. Shameless is a show that has reached a very wide, captivated audience. The show takes place in Chicago, specifically on the South Side and centers around one family and a few of their close friends, with occasional love interests of different people in the show. It shows the struggle of living below the poverty line and the fight to keep living each day. This show gives into the enigma of the different ways that a family with nothing can continue to live on. It is also a genre bending show that combines drama with comedy to help depict a family today, which most are filled with dramatic and comedic moments. i also feel that this show is somewhat filled with contextual reality because, while it is not based off of an actual real life family, I feel that it really does depict a family you would see.
Production Information
Shameless is actually originally a British television series created by Paul Abbot. It was developed for the US by John Wells who is also one of the Executive producers. The cast is led by William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. Some of the other main characters are played by Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, and Steve Howey. There are many more characters that help to make this show great and can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shameless_(U.S._TV_series)
Questions for Analysis
- What are the familial dynamics and how does it affect the show?
- How does this show depict mental illness?
- How are gender issues identified in Shameless?
- How is sexual orientation represented in this show?
- How does Shameless address issues about race?
Analysis
What are the familial dynamics and how does it affect the show?
This show centers around one family, the Gallaghers, and some of their close friends and occasional love interests. The Gallaghers are made up of alcoholic and drug addict parents and six children who take care of everything themselves. Their mother, Monica is only around when it suits her and same goes for their father, Frank. The oldest daughter, Fiona, takes on taking care of her younger siblings at about 13 years old. As the siblings get older, they begin to take on more responsibilities, but for the most part Fiona is like a parent to them. This adds a very interesting element to the show. Not only does Fiona have to give up her own life to raise her sibling, but for the most part she takes care of her father as well. This is a different spin then we see on a lot of shows. This helps to shed light on how serious child abandonment is and how it really is wrong.
How does this show depict mental illness?
In Shameless, mental illness is covered quite extensively. Bipolar disorder is the most covered mental illness in the show. The mother to the Gallaghers, Monica, is bipolar and this really affects the family. She will come and go as she pleases, but she always makes a splash when she is there. One of her visits, she was so happy, in a state of mania, but unfortunately that is followed by a state of nasty depression. In one of her states of depression she actually attempted to kill herself on Thanksgiving, in front of the whole family. This shocked all of the characters, especially the younger ones. The worst part isn’t even that Monica, who most people simply tolerate, is bipolar, but that one of the siblings, Ian, is diagnosed bipolar. This really affects all of the members of the family as they have seen what their mother has been through, they don’t want that for Ian.
How are gender issues identified in Shameless?
Gender is addressed mostly through how the woman are treated. Quite often in the show is the oldest sister, Fiona, treated terribly. In the very first episode, she is being discussed by two men that are within earshot of her. They say how she would be “bangable” but you would need to make sure to wrap it because “project girls don’t abort”. Not only are they disrespecting her and acting as if she is a piece of meat, but she is also made fun of because of where she comes from. Another time in the show is when one of the siblings, Lip, acts as if woman are interchangeable and forgets names of girls that he slept with because he has been sleeping with so many.
How is sexual orientation represented in this show?
Sexual orientation is addressed very early on in the series. In the beginning of the first season, the audience discovers that one of the siblings, Ian is gay. When his brother discovers this, he tries to force him to be heterosexual, but doesn’t succeed. Ian begins to have a beard or a pretend girlfriend to hide himself. Later on, Ian comes out, but not to everyone. He and his boyfriend, Mickey, hide their relationship from his boyfriend’s dad. When he finds out he begins to beat Mickey and forces him to marry a Russian whore to make him straight. Ian feels betrayed by Mickey, as he doesn’t even try and fight to still be with Ian.
How does Shameless address issues about race?
Shameless addresses the issue of race in a very interesting way. In season 6, they have one of the siblings, Carl, act as though he is black. He begins to act like all of the horrible stereotypes. He begins to act as though he has lived through an oppression just like African Americans and he understands the struggle. He acts as though he is a full on gangsta. He continues on acting like this until he realizes just how wrong his actions are. He finally gets hit with how dumb he has been acting by a very violent situation. He realizes that it isn’t just a game to play, it is real life and in real life you can’t go around acting like something you aren’t.
Conclusion
Shameless is a show that isn’t afraid to lay it all out there. It is a show that tackles so many social issues that some people are very nervous talking about. This show acts as though it doesn’t care how very crazy and in your face it can be. The characters do and say whatever they want. The characters aren’t afraid to do what they want, constantly disregarding the consequences. These characters live life how they want to with no shame, and little to no embarrassment. It is a show that truly depicts the struggle and harshness that is life in today’s world.