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I should begin by saying that I have never watched an episode of the original British version of Shameless. I actually don’t think it would be all that productive for me to list differences and similarities between the show and its US remake, though, so perhaps the fact that I’ve never watched it is a good thing. In any case, I have come to the concept of Shameless with no prior knowledge or expectations and find myself pleasantly surprised, even rather impressed, by it.
As far as similarities to the original Shameless go, I hear that this is actually a very close adaptation, with the same plot threads and tone... just set in Chicago instead. There is, of course, a reason why American television depicts social depravation less frequently than we do. Somehow, it usually comes across as rather uncomfortable and cautious, they’re evidently much happier depicting middle class families. Whether it ends up the same way here remains to be seen, but the first episode hits just the right tone, and looks like it’ll be able to fit somewhere in the gap between drama and comedy (I imagine the success in tone has something to do with the involvement of Paul Abbot, the creator of the original).
If you’re not familiar with the premise of Shameless, here’s a quick introduction. It’s a family drama centred around the Gallagher family, which is comprised of father Frank (William H. Macy), and children (in descending age order) Fiona (Emmy Rossum), Lip (Jeremy Allen White), Ian (Cameron Monaghan), Debbie (Emma Kenney), Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) and baby Liam. The other main characters of the series are their neighbours Veronica (Shanola Hampton) and Kevin (Steve Howley). Oh, and there’s also Steve (Justin Chatwin), someone who Fiona meets whilst out clubbing.
There are a number of things that work and some that don’t about this imperfect pilot episode. There are some points where you can’t help but notice the inconsistencies in the way that it’s shot (for instance during the overly frantic scene where Lip and Ian run out of a neighbours’ house) and the casting of Macy as a drunk doesn’t really work at all, his way of speaking is too articulated. Thankfully, Rossum gives a terrific performance as Fiona, who is the one actually holding the family together. I think I’d previously only seen her in The Day After Tomorrow and I was a little surprised to see that she’s capable of much stronger acting. Honestly, it’s worth tuning in just to see how well she inhabits the character.
The child actors are also very well-cast, which is something of a rarity in television. They don’t get loads of screentime, as the show seems to want to give the audience more of Frank and Steve than is actually necessary, but the kids give genuinely interesting performances.
The first episode of Shameless US is a bit of a mixed bag, but by the time it was over, I did feel that it was quite fun and that it has a decent heart to it. The potential for it as it develops remains to be seen (it certainly won’t be able to follow the British series as faithfully, because there will be 12 episodes in its first season as opposed to the original’s 8), but there are elements here that interest me enough to watch the next episode.
Shameless US airs on Thursdays at 10pm on More4
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