By Maya Mattan
People take everything for granted all the time, but the TV show “Shameless” helps others appreciate life a little more and helps people realize they should be grateful for even the smallest of things. “Shameless” is a comedy/drama series played on Showtime that teaches the audience to appreciate having a warm shower and a working toilet.
This show goes through hardship and how to get by in the Gallaghers household everyday. Fiona is the oldest and has to take care of all 5 of her siblings because her dad is a drunk and her mom abandoned them when they were infants. Fiona has to put her 26-year-old life on hold and work two jobs in order to pay the bills around the house. Every Gallagher has a job and pitches in just barely to make the cut.
“Shameless” tries to pull off a relaxed and flexible kind of feel. The writing is street style with cursing weaved in. When the characters use profanity regularly, it genuinely emphasizes their hardships and struggles. The language used, is vocabulary all teens know; it’s not classy vocabulary, it’s simpler. This relates to a bunch of teens that use profanity for self-expression. The characters demonstrate profanity in every episode; Sheila says, “Frank, I want us to see the world”; and Frank replies, “I’ve seen it. It’s a piece of sh**” (SE1 EP1). Even one of the youngest, Carl uses profanity regularly.
John Wells, the director’s goal was to relate to a teen/adult audience. He acknowledges youths emotional, mental and physical characteristics. He also makes sure not everyone and everything is perfect. “Shameless” shows the struggles and the pain. It shows that you will do whatever to make sure your family has a roof over their head. Fiona went to every lawyer and every hiring work place just to keep the house for Debbie, Liam, Lippe, Ian and Carl. She went to the full extent just to try to provide the kids a “normal” life. It helps viewers realize they’re not the only ones that have ups and downs in their life.
The setting of the show is in a lousy cheap area. In the house, there’s holes in the wall, pee stains on the carpet and ripped cushions. It’s not the best environment to raise kids but for the Gallaghers, that’s all they had. It shows the viewer, that we can all be messy at times. The Gallaghers don’t spend much money on clothes or furniture. The guys and the girls share clothes and the younger ones wear hand-me-downs. Overall this show is relatable and understandable for all; whether it’s the messy house or the old clothes.