‘Shameless’ returns to Showtime for Season 8

Courtesy+of+Wikimedia+Commons

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The hit TV show Shameless returned to Showtime Nov. 5 for its eighth season. The comedy-drama series created by John Wells has been on television since 2011 and has gained popularity ever since its been on the air. The show is based on the British series with the same name created by Paul Abott.

In the series, a dysfunctional family of six children try to cope with their drunk and selfish father, Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). The eldest daughter, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) is left to raise her siblings on her own as her parents failed to do so. The family gets into a different crazy situation each episode.

There are some new faces in this season. The Sims twins who played the youngest child, Liam Gallagher, have left the show so Christian Isaiah has been cast to take on the role. In addition, a new character, Nessa Chabon is introduced this season. She is being played by Jessica Szhor, who many know as Vanessa Abrams from the popular show, Gossip Girl. Her character in the series is a tenant in the building that Fiona bought in the Season Seven finale.

The season starts off with everyone in the family doing very well which is something the viewers rarely ever see. The drunken father, Frank, is actually sober and has a job. All the siblings seem to have their life together. Almost all of the siblings are working. Fiona is running her own business and has bought an apartment building. Lip, Ian and Debbie are working. Carl is back from military school and Liam is attending private school, although they seem to use him by frequently taking him out of class to make the school look more diverse. In addition, Kevin and Veronica, the neighbors and close friends of the family, do not own their bar, The Alibi, anymore as Svetlana took ownership of it without them knowing. Kevin also finds out that his health may be in danger.

Monica Gallagher, the mother of the children and Frank’s wife, passed away in the Season Seven finale. Monica left her children and was never truly a part of their life. Although Monica was absent for the most part of the children’s’ lives, she is actually missed. It is impossible for her to come back into their lives from now on.

After seven seasons, the show succeeds as fans want to see more and more of the characters and their crazy lives. The series continues to entertain its viewers as the writing stays humorous, while also touching on life problems.

It would be refreshing to have a character from the earlier seasons come back. Many viewers miss the recurring characters that were on the show when it first began and would like to see them return. Most are upset over the character Mickey Milkovich leaving last season, which is understandable as he had such great character development and his storyline was thrown away after everything he had been through.

The new season focuses on the different characters and not just Fiona. All the siblings are trying to find out who they are and what they want in life. This season is more realistic as it focuses on real life problems each character faces such as dealing with loss, sobriety, health, and relationship and work problems.

In Season Eight, everyone seems to be trying to get their lives together. The family seems to be less dysfunctional than normal. The question is how long will it last.