The word "Shameless" implies there is no such thing as a second thought when it comes to action, and there's nary a consequence in sight.
For nine full seasons, the Gallagher family have lived a life without a second thought on Shameless, a show which takes the traditional definition of "family" and completely spins it on its head! Patriarch Frank Gallagher has never read a page in a metaphorical "dad handbook", and his daughter Fiona must make up for Frank's misgivings by raising her five siblings and wearing the Mom hat within the Gallagher household. Each Gallagher sibling is faced with their own respective trials and tribulations and describing their lives as being "chaotic" would be putting it mildly!
With nine seasons' worth of the Gallagher's extreme existence, there's inevitably a plotline (or two) Shameless fans would rather forget, or at least figure out more answers! Here are twenty examples!
20 Fiona's Relationship With Jimmy
Fiona's relationship with Jimmy "Steve" Lishman has some strong "Ross and Rachel" vibes attached to it throughout the series! Yes, Fiona's heart always seemed to be stuck on Jimmy, but what about the lack of authenticity and trust within their relationship? Jimmy hides several aspects of his life from Fiona, most glaringly, his true identity!
Relationships are based on love, trust, and true identity, girl!
19 Frank's Treatment Of Aunt Ginger
Pretty much right off the bat when Shameless begins, fans are introduced to the Gallagher's tendency to live life based off of rather colorful practices.
We understand money is hard for the family to come by and even harder to keep, so one of the Gallaghers' earliest attempts to get rich quick is to scheme on the legacy of their late aunt Ginger rather unethically!
18 Sheila's Journey With Agoraphobia
True Shameless fans know Sheila Jackson is one character who undergoes many positive changes through the series; true, many situations she experiences may be unconventional, but Sheila absolutely grows for the better!
One extremely overlooked aspect of Sheila's personality? The near disappearance of her agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is a serious struggle for many, and to see Sheila's struggle with the disorder phased out doesn't add up!
17 Fiona's Relationships With Married Men
'Til death do us part? Not so much if you're Fiona Gallagher!
Fi's track record with married men is quite faulty. Her presumed soul mate Jimmy found himself in a tricky situation when he tied the knot for legal purposes, and later on catches up with an old high school acquaintance, who had already committed to his high school sweetheart, but Fi paid no mind!
16 Sheila And Jody's Relationship
Family ties bind family members together, but wait until you hear about the Jackson family!
Sheila's daughter Karen had several relationships throughout Shameless' run, most notably her marriage to grunge teddy bear, Jody. After their union fell apart, Jody didn't just find himself in the arms of any woman: that woman was his ex-wife's mother!
Could you imagine your mother dating your ex? No!
15 Jimmy's Relationship With His Family
Judging by Jimmy's relationship with Fiona, it isn't a huge surprise to learn other relationships in his life aren't much healthier.
One of Jimmy's central conflicts centered around his parents' wealth. Over the course of the show, he tries to run away from their status, and he chooses to neglect his relationship with them. For someone who treated the Gallagher clan so dearly, what gives?
14 Debbie's Total Personality Makeover
Becoming a teenager isn't easy for anyone, but the onslaught of puberty really hit Debbie Gallagher hard!
The sweet Gallagher gal was known for being there for absolutely anyone, but seemingly overnight Debbie became a teenager, and she becomes a completely different person. She's suddenly rude to everyone around and becomes consumed with situations far beyond her maturity level. Oh, where did sweet Debs go?
13 The Total Lack Of Conscience
Narrowing down a specific plotline where the Gallagher family fails to display proof of conscience can be difficult for a nine-season series!
One of the most binge-worthy qualities of Shameless is keeping tabs on the extreme plots of the Gallaghers' lives due to the absurd nature of their never-ending shenanigans. Sometimes a reality check is needed, though; how could so many characters have no conscience?
12 Lip And Mandy's Relationship
If one family were to ever give the Gallaghers a run for their money, it would be the Milkoviches! Mandy and Lip's relationship is just one of the turbulent relationships in the Milkovich and Gallagher camp, and it's absolutely gasp-worthy!
Mandy and Lip may inspire a head scratch or two; the pair were on and off for a long time and inspired some complex feelings.
11 Kevin Keeping His Wife A Secret
Kevin and Veronica's relationship is one of the most solid relationships within the Shameless world; it can be hard for fans to grasp any imperfections in their relationship!
Kev is known for his loyalty so being reminded he once had a wife he'd never told anyone about, makes us bonkers. He was once married to a woman who already had a child. Seriously, dude?
10 Jimmy's Marriage To Estefania
Fiona and Jimmy's relationship was on the "outs" when Jimmy made a life-altering decision; he married a woman named Estefania so she would be eligible to avoid deportation. The majority of their story revolves around his obligation to Estefania when his heart belonged in the Gallagher household!
The heart wants what it wants, but Jimmy was still married and determined to overlook this important detail.
9 The Whole Cancer Camp Situation
Of course, Frank Gallagher was known for his loyalty being strictly committed to the bottle, but out of his large clan, he had moments of closeness with Carl, arguably the most mischievous Gallagher kid! Even though Carl understood his dad could get into some questionable situations, he was often up for Frank's challenges.
Frank once convinced Carl to fake having cancer for the cash. Gross!
8 Karen Surviving Her Car Accident
Matters of the heart can be complicated. Oftentimes, we find ourselves acting in scenarios we would never believe we were capable of, but none could measure up to Mandy's heat of the moment crime of passion over Lip!
Lip and Karen had been on and off for a while before Mandy purposefully ran over Karen. Judging by the accident aftermath, it's a wonder she survived!
7 Fiona And Frank's Relationship
Understandably Frank Gallagher's track record proves he's not one for change, so it makes sense for Fiona to feel the way she does about her pops!
Fi's family loyalty is rarely broken through the years, especially as the caretaker for her siblings, so it doesn't add up how she would completely deny Frank's request when he needs a liver transplant. Frank IS family after all!
6 Kevin And Veronica's Road To Parenthood
No couple's path to parenthood is identical, but Veronica and Kevin's path is definitely among the most unconventional storylines in television history!
Veronica's mother agrees to carry their child after "V" learns she isn't able to have children. After a difficult pregnancy, Veronica's mom falls in love with the baby and wants to keep it despite their agreement, in one of the series' sadder moments.
5 Frank's Missing Daughter
Frank is known just as much for his paternal status as he is for his loyalty to the Alibi!
After many-a-season featuring the occasional joke about the number of children Frank has fathered, a "mystery" Gallagher comes on the scene at during the fourth season. When Frank is in need of a transplant, he consults his "other" daughter Samantha to help after no prior mention!
4 Mickey's Relationship With His Father
No matter how progressive society becomes, there are parents who refuse to accept their children's authentic selves, even in fiction.
Mickey Milkovich's father is among these troubled parents who choose to force their internalized misunderstandings on their children when he forced Mickey to marry a woman after he catches Mickey spending time with Ian, which has an effect on Mickey's acceptance of his true self!
3 Mickey's Marriage
Mickey's marriage is built entirely on an inauthentic nature in the first place. Not only is it arranged, but there's also hardly any affection between the two!
Believe it or not, the Milkovich marriage lasts much longer than most Shameless fans would've figured, especially considering the amount of trouble the two endure together. Svetlana is possessive of Mickey at times, so what's the deal?
2 Fiona's Total Character Transformation
Fiona Gallagher's superwoman status as the Gallagher's caretaker is super admirable, so once a Shameless fan gets to the fourth season storyline where Fiona neglects to watch Liam while partying and puts him in great danger, it is hard to watch.
Even though Fiona struggles with the aftermath of her actions, she is sent to jail. Seeing Fi behind bars can feel jarring!
1 Frank's Survival Rate
One central storyline on Shameless which is more of a head-scratcher than a situation worthy of an angry face emoji is Frank Gallagher's seemingly eternal existence.
How in the world has Frank realistically survived any of his run-ins with the law or struggles with substance abuse? We're glad the Gallagher family always had their father around through thick and thin, but seriously, what gives?
References: YouTube, Ms. Mojo, Gazette Review, ScreenRant, AV Club