Shameless is a very, very dark and brilliant comedy. It is the American adaptation of a British show that has so far lasted 11 seasons. The U.S. Version tells the story of the Gallagher family, poor white fold from South Side Chicago. Frank, the father (William H. Macy) is an alcoholic who is always thinking up one scheme or another for easy money or to freeload off somebody. His eldest daughter, Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is the glue that holds the four other kids together.
In season 2 Frank’s schemes are even more bizarre and he sinks to new lows. There are moments of sheer comic brilliance such as what happens just after an agoraphobic character manages a breakthrough. Philip is going to be a father and drops out of school and gets kicked out by Fiona. The other kids cope with problems of their own. Frank’s mother (played by Louise Fletcher of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) shows up and she is worse than Frank in some ways. Monica Gallagher shows up and creates even more havoc.
This is a show with very dark characters but a hell of a sense of humor such as the Thanksgiving episode and the incident involving a bald eagle.
The show is still very good. The only problem I have with it is there is a great deal of gratuitous nudity. I am in no way a prude but the show seems to have a fixation about showing skin in every episode even if that involves a sixty-year-old homeless man or an eighty-year old man losing his marbles. Even Emmy Rossum has to show her tits in the last episode only because she had not done so in a long time.
Special features on Shameless Season 2 Blu-ray include the Shameless Christmas Carol video, 3 short features about the show, five actor discussions, a preview of season 3, and a few deleted scenes.
Shameless Season 2 Blu-ray
2 discs 12 episodes
Aired 2012
Warner Home Video 2013
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