Shameless

Note: I have not seen the UK version.

I wasn't sure what to make of the first episode of Shameless. I wasn't sold on the characters and the direction seemed directionless. In fact, it wasn't until the third ep that my eyes were opened. It's as if the actors have found their mark and the characters have come to life.

While the ensemble cast is solid, and Macy is at his irascible best, it is the performance of three of the actors which makes Shameless something special. Emmy Rossum, as the 'adult' glue that holds the family together, has rightly received the most press. Her role requires a combination of strength, resolve, humour and vulnerability - qualities that would thwart a lesser actress. Rossum is able to convincingly bring it all together with fire and sexuality in addition to her other qualities.

Equally effective in his role as the younger brother Lip, Jeremy Allen White brings a world-weary innocence to his character. Blessed with a malleable physiognomy, White is at once rascal and protector of the brood. White makes us want to know Lip better. That's rare.

In a smaller role but probably my favourite is Emma Kenney as little sister Debbie. Her deadpan wisecracks supply the laugh-out-loud moments while her heartbreaking scenes of longing for parental love bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened soul. She can act toe-to-toe with Macy and still steal the scene.

The rest of the cast is almost as good. Their performances would be wasted, however, without a tight script and fluid - but not frenetic - direction. The third episode brought all these pieces together in a fascinating show. Whether the writing and direction can sustain this level of quality over a season we don't know. What we do have for now is some of the best ensemble acting you will see on TV or on film.

I have never watched the British version of this show so I cannot comment on the original. I was under the impression it was a new Showtime story.

I have to admit that started watching because I have always been a fan of William H Macy. However, viewing Macy in this kind of role was startling . I had always seen him in more conventional-almost typecast - parts. I knew that Joan Cusak was a quality actress which lent the project some further credibility.

At first the show seemed to be almost forced. The plot seemed bizarre, and unbelievable. It seemed awkward. Its quite common for shows to take time to develop chemistry when the actors haven't defined their characters yet. The same can be said for the writers.

However, I had never seen anything like it. In that regard it was dynamic and worth the time. The young actors soon found their roles and by the 5th episode I found myself thinking about the show every day.

Now I cant stop watching. Im addicted. The actors are fantastic. The plots are far more developed. The supporting players play a big part in the series, and new characters keep rotating in flawlessly. The show has evolved .

And just for the record, Im getting really sick and tired of people trashing the show because in their minds it doesn't measure up to the original. Its not supposed to be the original. If you don't like it, stick with the British show.

I've followed the original version in the UK since it started and it's still going strong (to correct an earlier reviewer it wasn't aired on the BBC, it's a Channel Four series). I therefore approached this with apprehension. To take a loved UK program and set it in the US has a history of failures but I liked the look of the trailer and gave it a go. I have to admit that throughout the first episode I was constantly thinking 'oh she's not as good as so and so' or 'I much prefer David to William'. However there was a lot packed into that episode and the script was pretty good. Come episode two I was hooked and to honest much prefer this version.

It has cleverly achieved what the UK version has in taking a subject and a group of characters that most people should loathe and turned them into a lovable group, all beautifully portrayed. Real, rounded, believable characters and so many of them too. Many people will have been turned off this by the trailer and thought it's not for them which is a shame. It really is extremely well written with great pace and some superb performances. I love Emmy Rossum and her portrayal of Fiona is astounding. I agree that William H Macy's Frank is more likable since he isn't always drunk and Joan Cusack is perfect as Sheila (I found the UK Sheila quite annoying).

We are only up to episode 7 of the US series here in the UK and its top of my weekly viewing. Great to see they are making a second series in the US and in fact given they have plenty of material to use, since we are up to Series 8 here in the UK, I hope it has the same longevity.

I've grown up with the original Shameless. It's a fast paced Comedy-Drama like no other, in that it lends itself perfectly to both without apology or hesitation.

Whereas the British original finds it's characters living, fornicating, screaming and jumping in the revelry of zero-expectation in a rigid class system, the American remake masterfully equivocates the triumphs and the tribulations of a lower class family existing on the edge of acceptability at the heart of society in a flawless, delicate and shameless manner.

The pilot introduces the characters, much like their British counterparts, not in an effort to garner their sympathy but simply as a statement of fact. The aspiring teen marine struggling to hide his homosexuality only fears losing the love of his brother, the absent drunk dad who loves his children but through the haze becomes a heckling prophet - a Shakespearean fool who sees through the thin veil of sanity and order, a young woman struggling to keep the family together seeing a way out through a handsome highwayman. These people are not bad even if they do bad things. Society has forgot about them and for that they couldn't care less for it.

The whole cast is tremendous but William H. Macy rises to the occasion with the father, a Frank Gallagher straight out of a bar in Memphis at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday, last orders, don't interrupt him because he hasn't finished yet, he's got to tell you what's wrong with the world before he wakes up and it all ends. You would believe this guy was a war vet or something with the confidence and delirium at which he pontificates.

No matter what your race or background you can take something away from Shameless. Most television that likes to call itself Comedy, Drama, or both, tends towards a particular demographic, offering an escape fantasy for, say, the 'off-beat' teens in Glee or the sexually deviant young adults in True Blood or the repressed housewives in that show about the repressed housewives.

As the designated guardian's new boyfriend takes a seat at the head of the table, he pushes Frank's legs aside as he crashes drunk on the floor. Shameless doesn't escape anything, it lives in the world it is given and every so often reminds you, during those joyously chaotic scenes, that the sweetest lemonade is almost bitter, so it's just as well every episode is only an hour for you to laugh, cry and enjoy.

Moments of anarchic jubilation inter lap, run over and sometimes juxtapose flourishes of near-the-bone reality, served eloquently on a fresh platter to which America needs to to have the stomach for.

"Shameless" is a unique series that doesn't mince words.

The characters in the series are brilliantly written and really grow on you over time, no matter what big jerks they are.

The series is also incredibly funny, but also incredibly sad at times.

In addition, two excellent actors were produced here with Cameron Monaghan and Jeremy Allen White, who both hopefully still have a huge career ahead of them.

But the ending was unfortunately one of the worst I've ever seen and doesn't fit into the usual scheme of the series at all.

Therefore unfortunately no 10 points.

Nevertheless, it's definitely worth seeing if you feel like watching a longer series that you can get used to.