Shameless poster

Shameless

★ 8.5 336K votes 2011–2021 11 seasons · 134 episodes Ended Showtime
Fumbled the FinaleSeries finale "Father Frank, Full of Grace" scored 6.7, against the show's 8.3 average.
Working classOrdinary people, ordinary money, real stakes.This show: 9/10GrittyRaw, unglamorous realism in both look and subject matter.This show: 9/10Addiction & viceSubstance abuse and self-destruction up close.This show: 8/10Family sagaBonds and fractures across generations of one family.This show: 8/10Dark comedyFinding the laughs in grim and taboo material.This show: 8/10Long-runnerA show whose sheer longevity shapes how it's watched.This show: 7/10Chaotic energyLoud, frenetic and gleefully anarchic.This show: 7/10Antihero leadA protagonist doing bad things you can't stop watching.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Emmy RossumWilliam H. MacyEthan CutkoskyJeremy Allen WhiteShanola HamptonSteve Howey
Written by
Paul AbbottJohn Wells
Starring
Emmy RossumWilliam H. MacyEthan CutkoskyJeremy Allen WhiteShanola HamptonSteve Howey
Written by
Paul AbbottJohn Wells
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
02k3k5k6k

Shameless Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7E8E9E10E11E12E13E14
S18.38.48.08.38.37.87.98.28.48.68.58.48.8
S28.38.07.88.08.38.18.37.98.48.18.49.18.6
S38.58.48.38.68.38.68.88.58.38.88.28.59.1
S48.78.08.38.28.38.98.88.88.68.88.69.39.3
S58.68.28.28.58.68.79.18.58.89.08.78.98.2
S68.38.37.88.38.48.28.57.88.28.48.28.88.9
S78.58.48.08.28.37.88.38.08.98.48.79.19.2
S88.18.28.18.98.38.08.07.97.97.77.78.48.1
S98.07.97.37.47.58.08.88.27.57.77.78.28.28.29.0
S107.57.57.37.37.17.47.07.57.36.87.47.58.9
S117.47.17.37.77.37.27.77.77.77.27.38.46.7

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About

"Poverty played for laughs and real heartbreak"

Shameless follows the Gallagher family, a broke, chaotic clan on Chicago's South Side led by their charismatic, perpetually drunk father Frank while the eldest daughter Fiona tries to keep her siblings fed, in school, and out of jail. It's raunchy, funny, and surprisingly tender, swinging from slapstick chaos to genuine heartbreak within a single episode. The ensemble cast carries it, each sibling getting arcs that range from addiction to sexuality to ambition. Eleven seasons means it eventually coasts on momentum rather than plot, but the family chemistry keeps it watchable long after the original story engine runs dry.

Watch it for

the Gallagher siblings' messy, believable chemistry as they claw their way through poverty together.

Maybe skip if

you dislike long-running shows that visibly lose steam and wrap up unevenly.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

Season 12011
8.346K129h 41m
Frank goes missing and turns up in Toronto, tries without success to embrace sobriety, and bends the law to protect his disability checks. Fiona falls for Steve, a handsome player with a nice car, a fat wallet, and a big secret. Ian embraces his sexuality, much to the chagrin of his brainy brother Lip. Debbie goes too far at a child's birthday party. Monica shows up with an announcement about baby Liam.
Season 22012
8.337K1210h 23m
Frank and Monica rekindle their self-destructive relationship after Frank's mother returns from prison to wreak havoc. Fiona is thrown for a loop when Steve returns from Rio with a surprise. Lip makes big changes in preparation for the arrival of his and Karen's baby. Karen and Sheila clash over Karen's new husband Jody, a good-hearted but weird guy she met in Sexaholics Anonymous. Ian tries to get into West Point. Debbie prepares for the onset of puberty. Kev and Veronica contemplate starting a family.
Season 32013
8.534K1210h 53m
Season three finds each member of the Gallagher family seeking their individual version of the “American Dream.” Jimmy has moved into the Gallagher home, and Fiona is beginning to realize that a long-term relationship isn’t nearly as fulfilling as she expected… and her GED will only get her so far. Meanwhile, Frank reappears south of the border, with no idea how he got there.
Season 42014
8.737K1210h 38m
The crazy Gallaghers returned. They have new issues. Lip went to college. Fiona’s life is gradually improving. She has a stable job. The whole family is waiting for news about the health of Frank. Can the Gallaghers finally realize the middle class American dream? This ain’t no tea party.
Season 52015
8.634K1210h 50m
Season five finds the Gallaghers dealing with both the upside and downside of personal and urban renewal. As their neighborhood begins a move towards gentrifying, the Gallagher clan begins to reconcile their chaotic past in the hopes of building a better future.
Season 62016
8.329K1210h 50m
Season six picks up a few months after last season’s finale, as the Gallaghers prepare for yet another long Chicago winter. Frank is still mourning his big loss, while his newfound appreciation for life is freaking the Gallaghers out. This season sees more than just the arctic Lake Michigan winds whipping through the Southside. Carl’s out of juvie. While Fiona struggles with a still-unstable Ian to take his meds, she’s also got another situation looming as Debbie faces a brand new baby-mama-drama.
Season 72016
8.529K1210h 56m
The Gallaghers have always scraped by, but season seven finds some of them finally getting a leg up, with more changes than the Chicago River. When Frank awakens from a coma to learn that his loved ones tossed him in the river, he declares war – Gallagher vs. Gallagher. But Fiona is too busy improving her own life to worry about Frank’s. Gallagher Golden Boy Lip finishes up his time in rehab, and emerges with a new outlook on alcoholism and his future, whereas the once-unstable Ian is now thriving as an EMT and in a comfortable relationship. Debbie is still figuring out how to be a good mom to young Franny, while Carl has some big decisions to face as he enters manhood.
Season 82017
8.122K1211h 1m
In season 8 the Gallaghers are finally on an upswing! Frank tries to become a contributing member of society, Fiona finds success as a landlord, Lip struggles to stay sober, Ian takes up a cause, and Debbie tries life as a working single mom.
Season 92018
8.025K1413h 5m
In season 9, political fervor hits the South Side, and the Gallaghers take justice into their own hands. Frank sees financial opportunity in campaigning and Fiona tries to build on the success of her apartment building.
Season 102019
7.519K1211h 12m
Season ten picks up six months after last season’s finale: Frank uses his leg injury to collect as many prescription drugs as possible and his exploits lead him to an old friend. Debbie rules over the Gallagher household with an iron fist. Lip navigates his relationship with Tami. And Gallavich returns as Ian and Mickey rekindle their relationship in prison as both cellmates and lovers.
Season 112020
7.420K1210h 53m
As Frank confronts his own mortality and family ties in his alcoholic and drug induced twilight years, Lip struggles with the prospect of becoming the family’s new patriarch. Newlyweds Ian and Mickey are figuring out the rules and responsibilities of being in a committed relationship while Deb embraces her individuality and single motherhood. Carl finds an unlikely new career in law enforcement and Kevin and V struggle to decide whether a hard life on the South Side is worth fighting for.

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Emmy Rossum Fiona Gallagher
William H. Macy Frank Gallagher, Jerry Gallagher
Ethan Cutkosky Carl Gallagher
Jeremy Allen White Lip Gallagher
Shanola Hampton Veronica Fisher
Steve Howey Kevin Ball
Emma Kenney Debbie Gallagher
Cameron Monaghan Ian Gallagher
Michael Patrick McGill Tommy
Jim Hoffmaster Kermit

Crew

Paul Abbott
John Wells

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