I have not watched its American counterpart, but the original Shamless, now on Netflix, is really an excellent show. While quite often far-fetched and zany, it really does manage to depict a nuanced and rich portrait of an “estate” family…
Can anyone weigh in on the American version? Any good?
I was about to start watching this, but hadn’t realized there was a UK version - I’ll probably watch that first.
I’ve been a big fan of the original UK series for years. Which series (season in American terms) are you watching?
Season 1. At first I had a very tough time deciphering the accents and slang. Now, I think I probably understand about 85% 
Is “massive” really a popular adjective/term in common Brit English? It seems to be all over the show…
The first season is great, as is the second season. To be honest, though, the show has quite a few cast changes over the years and losing those cast members hurts. (FYI, they just concluded the eighth season.) And one of my favorite things about the show are the little scenes at the end of each episode, right after the credits end. So I recommend watching through the end.
Yeah the first few are awesome but you’d be totally lost in the 8th season! Hell you’d be lost in like the 4th I bet.
I still watch but not with the same excitement as before. It’s just a soap opera now.
Yeah the original UK series is great, but I was very impressed with the US version too. I’ve only seen a few episodes. Is it still being made?
I can’t bring myself to watch the American version, because the original UK Shameless was so, *so *good.
I walked around for months shouting in a really really bad English accent “But they know how to throw a good party!” after watching the first series.
The UK version started great, second season was fine, then it fell away, and I think I left it a third way through the 4th season.
Its the reason why I won’t touch the US version. If people speak well of the 4th season of that, I’ll watch that…