Shameless is a show about the Gallagher family. The story follows the Gallaghers on their journey through life in southside Chicago. While facing all types of compromising situations, from merely trying to make ends meet, the family consists of two estranged parents and six children. The father (Frank) is an unemployed, alcoholic who blames everyone for his problems while failing to be a positive father figure in the children's lives. The mother, (Monica) is a drug addict, who neglects medically addressing her diagnosed mental health conditions and from the pilot, it was made known that her appearances in the show would be infrequent because she abandons the family. With the father and mother out of the picture, the Gallagher children are most of the time left without any caring or proper adult supervision. Although listed as a comedy, this isn't "friends," the storylines in Shameless are not always light, quirky, and fun. The show highlights many social issues that other shows represent lightly with a much darker tone, never the less; it has proven to be a significant hit. Why is that? In a somewhat eloquent manner, Shameless exemplifies stories that make light of the bad by illustrating just how chaotic and dysfunctional some people's lives can be. However, the reality is that there are people out there living chaotic and dysfunctional lives just like the ones depicted by the characters of Shameless.
So, given the high entertainment value, Shameless possesses for such a broad demographic, it's Villafuerte 2 important to recognize signs that mostly go unnoticed yet touch on portrayed realities, controversial subjects, and challenging ideas making it so compelling.
Beginning with Frank Gallagher Frank is the father of the family and considered to be a single father. In the start, Frank's wife Monica runs off with another woman abandoning the family altogether and leaving Frank with the responsibility of caring for all the children. From the beginning, Frank is unable to care for himself, let alone any of his six children, and is the epitome of shameless. He's seen conning or lying to people in situations that play out in his favor. In one case, he even goes as far as taking care of the sick in hopes of monetary compensation. From showing a lack of consideration for others to eating food out of the garbage canFrank is a despicable person and father and epitomizes what it means to be shameless.
The mother, Monica, leaves two months after her youngest son Liam is born. The pilot establishes the role of Monica's character and decided to abandon her family, therefore, making her appearances on the show inconsistent. The next Gallagher, Fiona is 17 years old in the pilot, and it was then that she became the one who carried the responsibility of raising herself and the rest of the family. Forced to drop out of high school to support her younger siblings because there weren't any adults to provide financially or emotionally, Fiona gave up...
