ReRuns: The Wholesome Chaos of ‘Shameless’

It’s almost unimaginable a show full of violence and abuse could evoke a feeling of comfort. 

“Shameless” first aired Jan. 9, 2011 on Showtime. A show described best by its title, it depicts a family drawn to unimaginable situations of violence and disturbia, while still providing a wholesome sense of warmth.

Set in the South Side of Chicago, “Shameless” follows the lives of the Gallagher family, consisting of six children, their alcoholic father Frank and their bipolar-diagnosed mother Monica. 

The Gallagher siblings’ love for each other is a prominent theme throughout the show. 

Though the siblings were abandoned literally by Monica (Chloe Webb) and emotionally by Frank (William H. Macy), they still manage to form their own sense of family. The Gallaghers pitch in money when they can, fight off each other’s bullies and encourage one another’s endeavors to maintain survival. 

When Debbie steals a child in season one, the siblings work to display her as a hero. When the kids get taken by child protective services in season three, Fiona gains guardianship of them.   

Forced to dig up their dead mother in season seven, the Gallagher siblings still display their ever-present camaraderie. Even when lifting their mother out of the ground to retrieve bags of meth from her casket. 

The only reason the Gallaghers survive is because they act as a team, one usually led by oldest sister Fiona (Emmy Rossum). 

Fiona is undoubtedly the matriarch of the family, despite being just 21-years-old at the beginning of the series. Her influence is responsible for any order in the Gallagher household. Rossum flawlessly portrays the strong-willed and aggressive, yet charismatic, character. 

Fiona often references times when she was forced to care for her younger siblings despite being a child herself. Once, at 6-years-old, she walked miles to the nearest hospital, carrying her fever-stricken brother Ian.

At one point Fiona, having dropped out of high school to raise her brothers and sister, makes a deal with oldest brother Lip (Jeremy Allen White) to mutually achieve academic success. Lip becomes the first Gallagher to finish high school and attend college, and Fiona attains her GED.

Though their love for each other never dies, the Gallaghers’ relationships change as the show progresses. 

When she’s no longer the only adult in the family, Fiona realizes she needs to reduce her responsibility — if she remains dedicated to their survival forever, she’ll never be able to build a life for herself. 

In season eight, Fiona holds a family meeting and explains her need for independence to her siblings, instructing them to no longer contact her in an emergency. 

Fiona always supports her siblings, but her dedication to herself grows dramatically with each ensuing season. When middle child Ian (Cameron Monaghan) gets arrested in season nine for using his alias “gay Jesus” to blow up a van, Fiona decides not to use her hard-earned money to bail him out. Yet even the unusual selfish decision ends up helping her brother, with Ian privately wanting to remain in jail.

Her gradual pull-back from the family allows the rest of the siblings to gain more responsibilities and show their growth. Fiona doesn’t abandon them but lets them gain their own independence. 

Lip takes a position as someone’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, and gets drawn into caring for an abandoned 10-year-old. Ian comes to terms with his bipolar disorder and pleads insanity to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. Youngest daughter Debbie (Emma Kenney) figures out how to financially and emotionally support her baby, and youngest son Liam (Christian Isaiah) learns to stand up for himself at school.

The Gallaghers display a unique family dynamic, one full of mental illness, addiction and dysfunction. Even so, they show how important family is — no matter how unconventional it is. 

“Shameless” can be streamed on Showtime, Netflix and Hulu.