Shameless is an American black comedy drama television series developed by John Wells that aired on Showtime from January 9, 2011, to April 11, 2021.

It is an adaptation of Paul Abbott's British series of the same name and features an ensemble cast led by William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum.

[1] With the premiere of the ninth season on September 9, 2018, Shameless became the longest-running original-scripted series in Showtime's history.

The series depicts the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher, a neglectful substance dependent single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam.

As he spends his days getting high and drunk, his kids run through endless scams, affairs, and petty crimes throughout Chicago just to survive.

[6] HBO began developing an American version of Shameless after striking a deal with John Wells in January 2009.

"[9] Showrunner John Wells fought efforts to place the show in the South or in a trailer park.

"[9] William H. Macy stars in the lead role as Frank Gallagher, joined by Emmy Rossum as Fiona and Justin Chatwin as Steve, former co-stars from Dragonball Evolution.

[10][11] Paul Abbott, whose semi-autobiographical telescript was the basis for the British pilot, is credited as an executive producer on the American version.

[12] Before William H. Macy took the role, Woody Harrelson was originally considered to play the character Frank Gallagher in the 2010 remake.

Then the show cuts to a recap montage of plot points relevant to the current episode, followed by the opening title sequence.

[20] Despite most of the filming being done in California, most of the houses and other notable locations can actually be found in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois.

The dispute came to an end on December 14, when Rossum confirmed through Twitter that she would continue to work on the series, with production of an eighth season to begin in May 2017.

[39] On January 13, 2020, it was announced that the series had been renewed for its eleventh and final season, which had been scheduled to air in summer 2020 but was then delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Macy, White, Cutkosky, Hampton, Howey, Kenney, Monaghan, Fisher, Miner, and Isaiah would all return for the series' final season.

[42] The show has also featured music from Let's Wrestle, Eels, The Blue Van, Cake, Jimmy Eat World, Alien Crime Syndicate, Capital Cities, Future Islands, The Fleeting Ends, Witchrider and Johnny Foreigner.

[43][44][45] Shameless premiered on January 9, 2011 in the United States, becoming Showtime's highest-rated series debut on record across the network's target demographic.

The fourth episode, "Casey Casden", airing January 30, posted 1.45 million total viewers.

Defying the usual downward trend following a premiere, the series built on its initial audience, becoming number one in its time slot among adults aged 18 through 49.

The March 27, 2021 season finale, "Father Frank, Full of Grace," drew an audience of 1.157 million.

He said "she didn't have much Emmy buzz after Shameless debuted in January, but that changed after she gave powerhouse turns in such episodes as 'But at Last Came a Knock'".

[48] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the first season a '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."

[50] The episode airing January 30, "Casey Casden", received 1.45 million total viewers, making Shameless the best performing first-year drama on Showtime.