'Shameless' (USA) - is it any good?

 
We get the first episode here on Thursday evening (More 4 ~ 10pm)...
 
 

 
 
 
The UK version we've all come to love is a modern classic so it would be interesting to know if any of you folk across the pond have watched the USA show, and if it's any good.
 
 
 
 

bapu


Being that I am the US model for the main character of the show, I feel no need to look that deeply in the  mirror.

Who among us has never been found regularly unconcious in the sink after trying to break-in through the kitchen window, sometimes even in your own house?

I ADORE it. My favorite show at the moment. I DID see a clip of the original several years ago on BBCAmerica, but didn't know what was going on... So I can't compare. But I will say that it is indeed Shameless, Hilarious, Heartbreaking and Heartwarming all at the same time. The first few episodes are mostly straight up Shameless, though. I loved it immediately. William H. Macy is astonishing as are the other players. If I was a man, I'd watch it just to see Emmy Rossum, who is an accomplished singer, btw... It's on HBO (or Showtime... Can't remember) here.

julibee


They are infinitely more intelligent and well written than Bapus' posts

Well, that is true of just about anything, no?

Wait.  We have to have context now?  When did that start?

SteveStrummerUK

 
I'll take into account the obvious differences in culture and surroundings and watch it with an open mind.

I'm not sure it will make sense translated and imported back, the Office didn't, being as the differences in culture are clearly not that obvious.  You could still identfy the characters but the relationships between them seem kinda odd.  And Ricky Gervais portrayed the English style self-concious, middle management twat to a tee there.  We could all recognize him, whereas his American counterpart was probably just as good yet seemed alien to the kind of office busy body I'd recognize.

Here I can't even imagine how the whole McGuire set up would work and the tirelessly co-dependant daughter Debbie are two examples that I can't see how the cultural nuances will transcribe across the Atlantic.

It will be interesting to watch the differences though and how the scripts stand up or whether they need complete re-writes.

craigb


The U.S. version of Top Gear certainly is a bomb.  I'll only watch the original.

Yeah, it works the other way too, sometimes the original American show is better than the British remake.

For example, I used to really like 'Married with Children' back in the day, the unvarnished derision loving couple and the odious children were much more fun than the comparable but cringingly wooden 'My Family' that more recently ran over here, despite it's Shakespearian trained and well respected cast.

Bring back Al Bundy I say!

I found this:

http://www.sho.com/site/shameless/home.do

I don't get Showtime, so I haven't seen the U.S. version of Shameless.  I like julibee, I caught a few minutes of the show on BBCA, but I had a tough time figuring out what was going on since I didn't catch it from the beginning. 

Jonbouy

but I had a tough time figuring out what was going on

Don't let that put you off, Frank can't figure out what's going on either half the time...

@Slug

Thanks for that info about the Office.

Thanks JB.  I'll give it another shot if I run across it again.  I do tend to enjoy a show more if I see it from the beginning.  Maybe I'll try to watch to DVDs instead of picking it up in the middle. 

I agree with Slug on The Office. 

SteveStrummerUK

Jonbouy

For example, I used to really like 'Married with Children' back in the day, the unvarnished derision loving couple and the odious children were much more fun than the comparable but cringingly wooden 'My Family' that more recently ran over here, despite it's Shakespearian trained and well respected cast.

+1
 
My kids like watching My Family but they can't understand how I can tell them exactly what's going to happen next all the time - I believe "cringingly wooden" was being rather generous JB (I'd have added mind-numbingly formulaic at least!).
 
As they grow older, I'm making certain they watch some genuinely funny TV 'sitcoms' from my DVD collection - they already love Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, and they'll soon be old enough for Father Ted. Soon to follow will be The Royle Family, The Fall and Rise of Reginal Perrin (w/ Leonard Rossiter of course), The Fast Show and Monty Python (TV and Films).
 
They also love Morecambe and Wise, and The Two Ronnies.
 
It makes me wonder if our tastes in humour have changed over the years, or, as I suspect, funny is funny, whenever it was conceived.
 
 
 

I love and have Fawlty Towers and Monty Python on DVD.  I used to like The Two Ronnies, I haven't seen that show in 20-30 years.  So, I don't know if I'd still like it.  I like a lot of the Blackadder series, too.  I've heard of many of the other shows you mention, but I can't remember seeing them.  I may have seen an episode of Reginal Perrin--I can't remember too much of it though.  Leonard Rossiter is one of those actors who turns up in unexpected roles.  Wasn't he in a Bond movie or two? 

I've seen the DVD for Father Ted.  I wouldn't have guessed from the cover that it was a comedy. 

I used to like Doctor In the House.  I love Lovejoy.  I have most of that series on DVD. 

I also like Brit sci-fi. 

Great humour is universally funny--like Bapu is universally unfunny. 

Other humour is dependent on time an location.  I can't think of a good example at the moment, but Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In from the 70's seems like a fair example--if you seen it.  Stuff that was originally hillarious seems kind of stale today.  It was so focused on current events--in the 70's.  I don't find old jokes about Richard Nixon all that funny any more. 

The Dr. Who spin-offs--Torchwood and Primeval--have had pretty good runs.  Outcasts looks promising, they've only run the premier episode over here. 

Karyn


I love Brit sci-fi but it seems Brit TV execs don't*.  They tend to show one or two series then drop it, more often than not leaving you wondering what happened to all the loose ends.

Yup, the recent 'Survivors' re-make being a good example.

*Dr Who is the exception

Am I getting stupid (whaddaya mean 'getting'? ) or have the plot-lines in Dr Who become insanely complicated?