Touches You

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fresh and Exciting

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

If Frank Gallagher was not so much of a caricature then this series would have got a 10 from me. Threlfall is a terrific actor and he makes the most of Frank but it is just too over the top. The ease with which he beds women is ridiculous given that he is so awful. It just interferes with the realism of the rest of the plots. The other weak aspect is Maggie O'Neill's portrayal of Frank's partner, Sheila. She really goes for it in a ludicrous performance which just gets on my nerves. The other actors in this are wonderful - Anne-Marie Duff, James Macavoy and the rest of the Gallagher kids are fantastic and always believable. Maxine Peake is such a consummate actress it is unreal - every character I have seen her portray has been brilliant whether comedy or drama. The stories in Shameless are well put together with the usual attention to detail which Paul Abbott is known for. I came very late to this series (this week I have watched series 1 & 2 on demand- thanks Virgin Tivo). Colleagues and my daughter kept telling me how good it was and I can now agree. I have just started on Series 3. I see that the Maguire family are about to take a larger role in this series and that is a pity as they have no redeeming features at all. My daughter is over the moon now I am hooked. Editing this post now after finishing series 7!!! I have watched all seven series in a week and a half!!! I still stand by my assessment but just love the way the stories have rolled out and progressed.Frank is the only consistent character with little development but the Maguire family have been terrific addition to the cast as has various other introductions. Regular characters have left in a very real and natural way and the quality of the writing has been maintained. Even the occasional lapses into fantasy have worked (even though that is usually a sign that they are running out of ideas). This comes second only to Dexter in my estimation- an extremely enjoyable watch.

This has got to be watched. I've found what I've been looking for. I find this work, better than any films coming out. Better than any programming from the United States or Britain. This is what moving image production can be. You would never find a bloke walking into a pub asking for e's every other week in any series of films, or on a cheesy American program or on any British program. It is unheard of. It makes American programming and film industry look cheesy. It's much more realistic and better in general than any other program on British TV. Better than any films coming out. The ingredients for this program are: *e*, *r***, ******c* and a **a*. Paul Abbott is a true visionary.* = me to know

This programme was 100% TV Gold when it first began. Series 1 & 2 were fabulous. It had it all - fabulous comedy, heartwarming family dynamics, strong characters - the works.Unfortunately, that is where it should have ended. Shameless lost two of it's most integral characters during series 2 (Steve and Fiona) and I don't think it ever really recovered. I think it might just have coped without James McAvoy, but without Anne-Marie Duff it lost a lot of the much needed warmth and became a show purely about a slightly chavvy family living on a rough estate in Manchester.It limped along through a third series which was just about OK thanks to excellent comedic performances from David Threlfall (Frank), Maxine Peake (Veronica) and Dean Lennox Kelly (Kev). However, it was a dying duck and the absolute final nail in the coffin for me was the return of the awful Monica into the family fold during series 4.It was shortly after this that I switched off.Shameless was truly excellent to begin with - I don't know anyone who didn't love it. But it's had its day now and I wish the producer had been brave enough to pull the plug after series 3 at the absolute most so it could have been remembered as a great show. At this rate it's going to end up another 'Bad Girls' - a quality show to begin with that descended into really, really crap pantomime because the production company was too greedy (or short of new ideas) to:JUST. LET. IT. GO!!!!

I have just started watching this series from the start. I acknowledge that it is excellent drama, well acted and very funny. However, it saddens me that there are men about like Frank Gallagher who have never done a days work in their lives and expect society to support both him and his family. The series in set on a fictional housing estate named after one of the most well to do stately homes in the UK, Chatsworth. The state is both new and run down at the same time. Although Frank is supposed to be the hero, I could never regard him as such, although his daughter Fiona is the heroine. Frank is so awful that he nearly becomes likable.