Shameless (US)
- 2011–2021
- 60 min
- Comedy
- Drama
- Ended
- Paramount+ with Showtime
- Showtime
On Chicago's South Side, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) raises her younger siblings more or less alone, because their father Frank (William H. Macy) is usually drunk, scheming or missing. The Gallaghers hustle, steal and improvise to keep the lights on, with Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney and Ethan Cutkosky as the kids.
Where to watch
Checked 25 Oct 2026. Services change their catalogues often; the service’s own page has the final word.
Our take
On Chicago's South Side, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) raises her younger siblings more or less alone, because their father Frank (William H. Macy) is usually drunk, scheming or missing. The Gallaghers hustle, steal and improvise to keep the lights on, with Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney and Ethan Cutkosky as the kids.
Why watch Shameless treats poverty as neither tragedy nor joke, but as the ordinary background to a family that is loud, loyal and frequently outrageous. Macy's Frank is a gleefully unrepentant creation, and the younger cast grew up on screen across 11 seasons, which gives the later years real weight. Viewers who liked The Bear will find an early Jeremy Allen White performance here. Expect strong language and very little restraint.
What to know
John Wells developed the series for Showtime from Paul Abbott’s British original, which began on Channel 4 in 2004 and was set in Manchester. The American version moved the family to Chicago and premiered in January 2011. It ran for 11 seasons, ending in April 2021, long enough for its child actors to grow into adult leads.
The show shifted over its run from Fiona’s struggle to hold the household together toward the grown siblings’ own lives, with Lip’s studies and sobriety and Ian’s story among the major threads. Emmy Rossum left after season nine, and the final two seasons belong to the rest of the family.
Where to start
Begin with season one, which sets up the household economy and every sibling’s role in it. If you want a sense of the show at its most confident, the early seasons with Rossum at the centre are the core; the last two are for viewers already invested in the Gallaghers.
Seasons & episodes
- Season 1
- Season 2
- Season 3
- Season 4
- Season 5
- Season 6
- Season 7
- Season 8
- Season 9
- Season 10
- Season 11
Cast & crew
-
William H. Macy
Frank Gallagher
-
Steve Howey
Kevin Ball
-
Emma Kenney
Debbie Gallagher
-
Jeremy Allen White
Phillip "Lip" Gallagher
-
Shanola Hampton
Veronica Fisher
-
Ethan Cutkosky
Carl Gallagher
-
Cameron Monaghan
Ian Gallagher
-
Emmy Rossum
Fiona Gallagher
-
Christian Isaiah
Liam Gallagher
-
Noel Fisher
Mickey Milkovich
-
Isidora Goreshter
Svetlana Yevgenivna
-
Justin Chatwin
Jimmy Lishman
More like this
More from Paramount+ with Showtime
Quick answers
- Where can I watch Shameless (US)?
- In Australia: Prime Video and Apple TV (buy). In the UK: Netflix, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy). In New Zealand: Prime Video. In Canada: Netflix, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy). In the US: Netflix, Prime Video (buy) and Apple TV (buy).
- What is Shameless (US) about?
- On Chicago's South Side, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) raises her younger siblings more or less alone, because their father Frank (William H. Macy) is usually drunk, scheming or missing. The Gallaghers hustle, steal and improvise to keep the lights on, with Jeremy Allen White, Cameron Monaghan, Emma Kenney and Ethan Cutkosky as the kids.
- Who is in the cast of Shameless (US)?
- Shameless (US) stars William H. Macy as Frank Gallagher, Steve Howey as Kevin Ball, Emma Kenney as Debbie Gallagher, Jeremy Allen White as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher and Shanola Hampton as Veronica Fisher.
- When did Shameless (US) start?
- Shameless (US) premiered on 9 January 2011 and ran until 2021, with 11 seasons.
Before you go