If you’ve ever watched “Shameless,” you noticed one thing right off the bat: the Gallagher family is an absolute disaster. And I mean that in the most loving way possible.
Their house is always falling apart, bills aren’t getting paid without the squirrel fund and someone is always lying, stealing or running from something. Don’t even get me started on Frank — the dad who’s either drunk, scamming someone (likely the Social Security Administration) or both. The kids are basically raising themselves.
But weirdly, I loved them.
That’s the thing about “Shameless.” It’s loud, messy and kind of crazy, but it also feels real. The Gallaghers are poor. They fight a lot. They screw things up constantly. But they still show up for each other, even when it’s hard.
It’s not the kind of family love you see on Hallmark cards or those social media posts. There are no matching Christmas sweaters or perfect holiday dinners. And yet, there’s love in the chaos.
“Shameless” doesn’t hold back on anything. It shows what poverty is like as well as people struggling with addiction and/or mental health in a way that’s both truthful and even a bit funny at times. That’s part of what makes it feel real. Watching the Gallaghers made me realize my own family is perfectly fine. Yeah, we’re not great at being lovey dovey with each other. We argue over dumb things. We’ve had fights, and we’ve made mistakes. But we still care about each other, and we still show up. That’s what matters.
The show also made me laugh — a lot. Even during serious moments, there’s always something funny or unexpected happening. It reminds you that life can be hard but also funny at the same time.
So if your family feels like a bit of a mess sometimes, don’t worry. It happens. You’re not alone. The Gallaghers have been there, burned that, probably sold it for beer money and they’re still kicking.
That’s not just shameless. That’s love.
