'Shameless' is a show that's been on since January of 2011, so why has it been discussed so frequently lately? A simple answer: Netflix.
'Shameless' airs on Showtime, which a lot of people don't have, but a lot of people do have Netflix. If people haven't noticed yet, shows are very trendy. The last buzz worthy show was 'Stranger Things' where it began to get shoved down your throat on every media outlet. Personally, I thought it was very overrated. Sci-Fi is not a widely accepted genre like drama or comedy is, so I was surprised by the mass audience of the show.
So what makes 'Shameless' so special? I am going to attempt to answer this without giving too many spoilers, so if you're late to the game, I am treading very lightly.
The show catches your attention by showing a low income family in Chicago that is an absolute mess. I'm not sure if it's sad or not, but America loves watching train wrecks. On the contrary, most of us are always rooting for their situation to get better.
The major appeal of the show is how raw it is. The show is so relatable due to how they show their glorious moments, like coming out of the closet or being accepted to a reputable college, as well as their low moments. These range from death, jail, surgeries, druken stupors, etc. As much as we want to show this facade of perfection in our lives, we can all relate to someone we know going through extreme struggles or ourselves going through these moments.
The emotions range widely from happiness, sadness (bipolar depression), love, hate, birth, death, etc. If there's an emotion we can experience, 'Shamless' touches on it. The show is a rollercoaster that is impossible to get off of. It's one of the only genuine shows where we want to cry and then laugh immediately after. It is so hard to not get emotionally invested in all of the lives of the characters, so much so that it's extremely easy to watch an entire season in a day or two.
Just when we feel stable and perhaps held in by a lap bar while riding this roller coaster, another surprise occurs leaving the audience dumbfounded/emotional. For the most part, these surprises make us feel better about our own lives. As I mentioned earlier, we may be going through similar things or know someone that is, but for the most part the scenes that play out are beyond anything we've experienced (losing children, involuntarily being put in homes, etc.) in our lives. To the contrary, we also feel for these characters and root for them.
The real situations show us the rawness of something like addiction. We see the reality of feigning for your next fix. Whether this is through scamming someone, stealing items, getting involved with the wrong people, we see how this turns into this toxicity that ruins your loved one's lives. In some instances it does have it's comedic appeal, but overall we see the shamelessness and ruin of such actions.
Another situation that this show reveals to us is a modern gay romance. We see the struggle of a character battling his inner feelings against his exterior environment. Said character's brother is the complete opposite, a real lady's man. They share a room where he eventually admits to him that he is gay. We see other situations where he "comes out of the closet" to loved ones and his peers. These situations feel uncomfortable to an audience, let alone relatable to his actual feelings. It opens up a conversation and insight into a modern gay romance and what it means to be gay where not everyone is accepting of such a relationship.
Said character is also diagnosed with Bipolar Depression, which is a condition that affects the brain in a way that can cause extreme mood swings that vary in length. People with bipolar disorder can go from mania (the “highs”)—feeling euphoric or revved up and irritable—to depression (the “lows”)—feeling down or hopeless (webmd). This is witnessed when returning to his boyfriend's house where his first major incident takes place. His mother suffers from the same disorder, which is predictably where it comes from as the disorder is thought to be genetic. Evidence also supports that the environment and lifestyle issues have an effect on the disorder's severity, which we can conclude is a major contributor in the 'Shameless' household. The important fact to remember is that bipolar disorder is a treatable mental illness, although not curable, it is possible to control the symptoms with proper care and to lead to a normal and productive life. Once again, talk therapy is the most sought out treatment for consistency with a patient. So, help those in need.
The most important part of the show is the cast. They are absolutely fantastic. The cast is authentic and talented in every facet. A particular character, Carl, developed from a young kid to a high schooler and we get to actually see this transformation take place. There are characters that come in and out of the show, all for the right reasons. They appeal to our wants and the timing is perfect. Just when we begin to forget about a character, they magically show up as if the writers have some mind reading skill. The relationships that develop throughout the characters is relatable on a real life scale. They lose their loves, gain them back, ruin it and fall back in love all within a single season (usually summer break or half of a school year for the younger characters).
The writers of the show are one of a kind. The timing, pace and excitability of the show are all done masterfully. They're capable of evoking all emotions at all of the right times. There is a balance of drama and comedy to really perfect the genre of a 'dramedy'. Overall, the show is absolutely fantastic and a must see as a development of modern society.
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