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Showtime's "Shameless" (1 Viewer)

mattCR

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The UK import makes it's way to Showtime January 9. But for those interested, they will show the first 20 minutes after "Dexter " this week. This is a great British show, though I will admit: the first two series of this in the UK: Great. I really didn't care for the later series of it as much as others, I felt it really fell off. But there is hope this can be a different take on the same concept :)


Here goes





Long link that won't embed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2nAnpNouEM
 

Kevin Hewell

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The first couple of seasons of the UK show was fantastic. After the Maguires took over it seemed to change character.


This seems to have a great cast. Here's hoping it's going to be good.
 

Walter C

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Just letting everyone know, this weekend is Showtime Free Preview, from Friday 6 AM to Monday midnight, for those who don't have Showtime. So a chance to catch the Pilot of this show (and Episodes) for free.


Never watched the British version, but plan to check this one out, since it has William H Macy.
 

mattCR

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Very true to the brittish version, some minor changes, but the storyline is basically identical. The british version did suffer (as I said) after Season 2, so here's hoping they can hold onto the cast and make this work.
 

ScottH

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Liked the pilot a lot. Wasn't crazy about making the boyfriend a car thief, but we'll see where they go with that.
 

mattCR

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Originally Posted by ScottH

Liked the pilot a lot. Wasn't crazy about making the boyfriend a car thief, but we'll see where they go with that.


Pilot was identical to the UK edition. If they follow that, then you won't like at all where the boyfriend's plot goes, though it is/was amusing. I'm just hoping they totally ditch the S2 elements there, and that this show sticks with Fiona, etc.
 

Hanson

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Little on the fence on whether or not to stick with it. I liked the performances and some of the writing, but it didn't have the same hook that the pilots for Nurse Jackie and Weeds had. I guess I like my bleak with a side of gallows humor, and considering Shameless ran for an actual hour (making it a 90 minute show if it had commercials) the funny and witty stuff was a bit sparse. And compared to the 30 minute runtimes of Jackie and Weeds (which left me wanting more and seemed over all too quickly), Shameless was a bit on the draggy side.


I think at this point, continuing to watch is wholly dependent on whether or not my wife wants to keep watching.
 

ScottH

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Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo


This show didn't drag at all for me. Seemed over in no time. I thought there was a good enough amount of humor for this type of show. Almost everything Macy did or said was mildly humorous. I just hope they find a way to keep his character fresh.
 

Hanson

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Originally Posted by ScottH


Since "hour-long" shows on network TV are really 40 minutes and I totally skip commercials all the time, my brain is accustomed to "1 hour = 40 minutes". So an actual hour long show seems longer than 1 hour. Same thing with Boardwalk Empire -- I frequently felt like the show would be over soon, but there was actually 20+ minutes to go.
 

Walter C

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I have to say, I laughed more watching this than I did with Episodes. Mainly when that father went nuts after finding out what his daughter was doing under the table.


I think it will take me a while to figure out who is who in that family.
 

Adam Lenhardt

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Poor Debbie. She's still hoping Frank will be the kind of father he'll never be. Part of the joy of this show is that Frank and his five kids (not counting the youngest, who isn't really his and isn't old enough to be judged in this way) are all smart people. The introspection gives the hijinks a really bitter edge.


Loved the final shot of the blow job girl looking across the breakfast table and realizing who she traded in her father for, and how screwed she is now.
 

JonZ

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I missed the first episode but caught the last one. I thought it was funny so I added it to my shows to record.
 

Jeremiah

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Is the show more about the kids lives while dealing with their drunk father or is Macy's character a big part of the story? I have seen part of the "tutoring" episode and I liked it but only because Macy's character wasn't in it that much and it was mostly about the kids.
 

mattCR

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The UK show washed back and forth; the kids are really the center of the show, specifically Fiona, but Frank's storyline gets a lot of play.. and in later seasons in the UK, he did become more the focus. I will stand by what I have thought: the first two seasons of the UK are great.. after that, and the loss of Fiona, it really struggled for a while, around S6 it got goofy but fun, and it's just a romp now. But 1-2 are the best, and if the US version can hold onto Fiona and go a different direction, it'll have a chance to be different from the UK version and very good. :)
 

ChadMcCallum

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Funniest sex scene ever.


Joan Cusack pulls out a giant dildo and points it at Frank.

Frank: "Stop."


The guy who didn't quite finish while watching the friend's cam show was great too.


This show is really, really funny. What a nice surprise.
 

mattCR

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Originally Posted by James_Kiang

Matt, maybe you can spoiler your answer, but what happens to Fiona in the UK version?


Spoiler



In the UK version, her boyfriend, played by James Macavoy (think protagonist in "Wanted" w/Angelina Jolie a few summers ago) gets caught up in a car deal that goes sideways, and owes a lot of money to basically drug lords.. my memory may be vague.. anyway, he gets popped by the cop, who really wants Fiona, and the cop offers her a chance, and she decides this is her time to change her life, and her and the boyfriend Steve go on the lamb and run off at the end of Season2, rather then get trapped into testifying or face prison, where he thinks he'll be dead either way. The exit of Fiona at the end of S2 really cramped the show (IMHO) and it was a hard road back. The last few seasons have been good, but S1/2 are by far and away my favorite, with 4 being the Buffy esque low spot (IMHO, YMMV)



But the first season, which the US version is almost dead on of, with a few good changes, is pretty damn funny shit.
 

Spero D

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Just watched the first 2 eps and am pretty impressed with it. Will keep watching the show.
 

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