Shameless US Episode 1

I am really putting this out in order to gain a perspective on what the US thought of this show, it premiered here in the UK last night 23rd June 2011 and is of course a remake of the highly popular Channel 4 show Shameless.  I will have to admit that I was not the biggest fan of the UK show as I didn't see it from the start but, I got into the last few series of it and laughed my ass off for weeks on end.

The US version of the show has now aired on UK TV, like I mentioned above and stars William H Macy as Frank Gallagher a single father who is drunk most of the time whilst dragging up his six kids.  I thought this show would have to be worth a watch especially as I run this blog, how did it do?  Well for now I feel like it was not the best one hour 30 minutes I have spent in front of the TV, it did have it's funny moments but for me it just lacked that bit edge that the British show has.

The show went out in America back in January and also stars Emmy Rossum, Cameron Monaghan, Justin Chatwin, Joan Cusak and Steve Howey.  I'm guessing that the US audience have already seen the show and would like to know does it get any better, I know like the UK version it's not based purely on comedy but I don't think it pulled off the comedy element quite as well.

The US version seems as if it's going to be based more centrally on the Gallagher family, where as the UK version was based on a fictional Chatswoth Estate in the suberbs of Manchester following more than one family.  Frank Gallagher and his family where very central to the story in the first series and it was based mainly on them but, as the show progressed more and more characthers and familys were introduced.  I suppose that sort of Happaned here with Ian Gallagher working in the local store and also Fiona's boyfriend Steve bringing in the element of the Mcguire family. 

I can't really say to much on Macy's part as Frank Gallagher as he spent most of the first episode asleep, only waking up in maybe the last 25 to 30 minutes.  For me he is a strange choice for this role and I don't know why, maybe it's just the times I have seen him before he plays a more serious sort of character, or maybe it's just that David Threlfall plays the part on the UK version so well.  Whatever it is I don't know but I would like an opinion as to weather the show will be worth watching every week.

I will watch again next week just out of curiosity, you can't really base a show on it's first episode anyway.  I think between this and new show Falling Skies the latter will be my new favourite.