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None
Changed line(s) 216 (click to see context) from:
* RapeByProxy: In Season Three, [[spoiler: Terry catches Mickey and Ian having sex. He then forces a Russian prostitute to have sex with Mickey while Ian watches.]]
to:
* RapeByProxy: In Season Three, [[spoiler: Terry catches Mickey and Ian having sex. He then forces Mickey by gunpoint to have sex with a Russian prostitute to have sex with Mickey while Ian watches.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 214 (click to see context) from:
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed. Then , at the end of Season 3, she once again leaves, though this time with Hymie and Jody, as Jody is taking her to Arizona where he knows people who he believes can try and heal her.]].
to:
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed. Then , Then, at the end of Season 3, she once again leaves, though this time with Hymie and Jody, as Jody is taking her to Arizona where he knows people who he believes can try and heal her.]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 214 (click to see context) from:
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed]].
to:
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed]].reformed. Then , at the end of Season 3, she once again leaves, though this time with Hymie and Jody, as Jody is taking her to Arizona where he knows people who he believes can try and heal her.]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic calm]] BrokenBird, yet [[TranquilFury still angry]], who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}. Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
to:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic calm]] BrokenBird, yet [[TranquilFury still angry]], who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Karen ends up w permanent brain damage. Karma payback enough for most people.
Changed line(s) 1,3 (click to see context) from:
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_kyixfiwOSZ1qzdduoo1_500_5657.jpg
[[caption-width:453: The main cast of the first two series]]
[[caption-width:453: The main cast of the first two series]]
to:
[[caption-width:453:
[[caption-width-right:350: The main cast of the first two series]]
Changed line(s) 23,24 (click to see context) from:
* AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks: After losing her shop to a fire and a flood, Yvonne has trouble raising funds to rebuild her shattered empire and seeks help from Paddy Maguire. His aggressive actions cause her to sell the shop to Joe and flee to Spain.
** And one of Paddy's first appearances has him and two [[{{Mooks}} goons]] violently beating someone who owes him money. And laughing like a lunatic.
** And one of Paddy's first appearances has him and two [[{{Mooks}} goons]] violently beating someone who owes him money. And laughing like a lunatic.
to:
* AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks: After losing her shop to a fire and a flood, Yvonne has trouble raising funds to rebuild her shattered empire and seeks help from Paddy Maguire. His aggressive actions cause her to sell the shop to Joe and flee to Spain.
** And oneOne of Paddy's first appearances has him and two [[{{Mooks}} goons]] violently beating someone who owes him money. And laughing like a lunatic. His aggressive actions cause her to sell the shop to Joe and flee to Spain.
** And one
Changed line(s) 38,41 (click to see context) from:
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Donny and Joey Maguire. OK, all they ever did was hang around looking menacing, but you still can't help but notice that they just vanished into thin air half way through series 4.
** Dialogue in earlier seasons reveals that the Maguires had seven children in all, however, by the later seasons, this is suddenly changed to them having had five children with no explanation given whatsoever as to having forgotten the birth of two of their children.
*** Retconned back to seven ([[spoiler:eight including Mimi and Billy's daughter]]) children as of episode eight of season nine.
** Which is all the more confusing when you wonder how the Maguires can effectively control the estate after Paddy leaves - with only Mimi and 3 brothers (Jamie, Shane and Mickey), rather than the large crime family we're meant to believe they are.
** Dialogue in earlier seasons reveals that the Maguires had seven children in all, however, by the later seasons, this is suddenly changed to them having had five children with no explanation given whatsoever as to having forgotten the birth of two of their children.
*** Retconned back to seven ([[spoiler:eight including Mimi and Billy's daughter]]) children as of episode eight of season nine.
** Which is all the more confusing when you wonder how the Maguires can effectively control the estate after Paddy leaves - with only Mimi and 3 brothers (Jamie, Shane and Mickey), rather than the large crime family we're meant to believe they are.
to:
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Donny and Joey Maguire. OK, all they ever did was hang around looking menacing, but you still can't help but notice that they just vanished into thin air half way through series 4. \n** Dialogue in earlier seasons reveals that the Maguires had seven children in all, however, by the later seasons, this is suddenly changed to them having had five children with no explanation given whatsoever as to having forgotten the birth of two of their children.
***children. Retconned back to seven ([[spoiler:eight including Mimi and Billy's daughter]]) children as of episode eight of season nine.
**nine. Which is all the more confusing when you wonder how the Maguires can effectively control the estate after Paddy leaves - with only Mimi and 3 brothers (Jamie, Shane and Mickey), rather than the large crime family we're meant to believe they are.
***
**
Changed line(s) 55,56 (click to see context) from:
* {{Gayngster}}: Mickey Maguire.
** From the more recent series, Paddy's gangland rival Roscoe.
** From the more recent series, Paddy's gangland rival Roscoe.
to:
* {{Gayngster}}: {{Gayngster}}:
** Mickey Maguire.
**From the more recent series, Paddy's gangland rival Roscoe.
** Mickey Maguire.
**
Changed line(s) 63,64 (click to see context) from:
* InsuranceFraud: In the first series Lip earns extra money by filing out fake insurance claims for people. Also in series 6 after the Kash & Karry burns down Yvonne deliberately floods the stock room so she can claim extra insurance.
** And then there was Steve and Fiona setting fire to their own house in the series 1 finale.
** And then there was Steve and Fiona setting fire to their own house in the series 1 finale.
to:
* InsuranceFraud: InsuranceFraud:
** In the first series Lip earns extra money by filing out fake insurance claims forpeople. Also in people.
** In series 6 after the Kash & Karry burns down Yvonne deliberately floods the stock room so she can claim extra insurance.
**And then there was Steve and Fiona setting fire to their own house in the series 1 finale.
** In the first series Lip earns extra money by filing out fake insurance claims for
** In series 6 after the Kash & Karry burns down Yvonne deliberately floods the stock room so she can claim extra insurance.
**
Changed line(s) 72 (click to see context) from:
* NamesTheSame: Liam Gallagher. Named after the Oasis frontman, who demanded who know why.
to:
* NamesTheSame: Liam Gallagher. Named after the Oasis frontman, who demanded who know why. There were also two very, very minor characters in the early series called Paddy and Mickey, before the Maguires became prominent.
Deleted line(s) 74 (click to see context) :
** There were also two very, very minor characters in the early series called Paddy and Mickey, before the Maguires became prominent.
Changed line(s) 78,79 (click to see context) from:
* NoSmoking: From 2007 smoking is enclosed public places and workplaces.The first episode of the series started with everyone partying outside The Jockey (with their own beer) until they decided to flout the ban.
** A good proportion of the shows adults are seen smoking. TruthInTelevision, as smoking is still very common in urban communities, despite the efforts of governments across the world to outlaw it.
** A good proportion of the shows adults are seen smoking. TruthInTelevision, as smoking is still very common in urban communities, despite the efforts of governments across the world to outlaw it.
to:
* NoSmoking: From 2007 smoking is in enclosed public places and workplaces.workplaces. The first episode of the series started with everyone partying outside The Jockey (with their own beer) until they decided to flout the ban.
**ban. A good proportion of the shows adults are seen smoking. TruthInTelevision, as smoking is still very common in urban communities, despite the efforts of governments across the world to outlaw it.
**
Changed line(s) 92 (click to see context) from:
* PutOnABus: Carol leaving for Megaluf with a couple months of the Jockey's takings somewhere after series 4 and before series 5.
to:
* PutOnABus: PutOnABus:
** Carol leaving for Megaluf with a couple months of the Jockey's takings somewhere after series 4 and before series 5.
** Carol leaving for Megaluf with a couple months of the Jockey's takings somewhere after series 4 and before series 5.
Changed line(s) 94 (click to see context) from:
*** Interestingly, Kev and Veronica would be out of prison by the end of series 8 so they could potentially be brought back in series 9, if only for an episode or two. It would be a brilliant call back and a great chance to see how much things have changed.
to:
Changed line(s) 96 (click to see context) from:
* PyroManiac: Marty, who burns down part of the pub, a car, a hearse (complete with coffin and body), his mums house, and probably other stuff I can't remember right now.
to:
* PyroManiac: PyroManiac:
** Marty, who burns down part of the pub, a car, a hearse (complete with coffin and body), his mums house, and probably otherstuff I can't remember right now.stuff.
** Marty, who burns down part of the pub, a car, a hearse (complete with coffin and body), his mums house, and probably other
Changed line(s) 98 (click to see context) from:
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, at least in the earlier series, in which she gave Blow Jobs to practically anybody for no real reason, and cheated on her boyfriend with his Father (who was also her Mother's partner). She calmed down a lot as she got older though, and eventually got married.
to:
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, at least in the earlier series, in which she gave Blow Jobs blow jobs to practically anybody for no real reason, and cheated on her boyfriend with his Father father (who was also her Mother's mother's partner). She calmed down a lot as she got older though, and eventually got married.
Changed line(s) 101 (click to see context) from:
* RousingSpeech: Frank's 'data not information' speech in Series 2, during which he convinces the social workers that him being recorded as dead is a computer error and that Liam is being properly taken care of by Fiona, preventing him from being taken into care.
to:
* RousingSpeech: RousingSpeech:
** Frank's 'data not information' speech in Series 2, during which he convinces the social workers that him being recorded as dead is a computer error and that Liam is being properly taken care of by Fiona, preventing him from being taken into care.
** Frank's 'data not information' speech in Series 2, during which he convinces the social workers that him being recorded as dead is a computer error and that Liam is being properly taken care of by Fiona, preventing him from being taken into care.
Changed line(s) 111 (click to see context) from:
* TheBusCameBack: Shameless enjoys [[KilledOffForReal killing off]], [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forgetting the existence of]], or [[PutOnABus otherwise disappearing]] much of its ensemble, but several old characters have returned at points, such as [[spoiler: Kash returning from his faked suicide as a completely unlikeable dickwad ready to destroy Yvonne's life out of spite, only to apparently be allowed to burn/choke to death in a shop fire rather coldly by Chesney later in the episode]] and [[spoiler: Kev and Marty, who will apparently be returning for an episode in the 2011 series.]]
to:
* TheBusCameBack: Shameless enjoys [[KilledOffForReal killing off]], [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forgetting the existence of]], or [[PutOnABus otherwise disappearing]] much of its ensemble, but several old characters have returned at points, such points:
** Such as [[spoiler: Kash returning from his faked suicide as a completely unlikeable dickwad ready to destroy Yvonne's life out of spite, only to apparently be allowed to burn/choke to death in a shop fire rather coldly by Chesney later in the episode]] and [[spoiler: Kev and Marty, who will apparently be returning for an episode in the 2011 series.]]
** Such as [[spoiler: Kash returning from his faked suicide as a completely unlikeable dickwad ready to destroy Yvonne's life out of spite, only to apparently be allowed to burn/choke to death in a shop fire rather coldly by Chesney later in the episode]] and [[spoiler: Kev and Marty, who will apparently be returning for an episode in the 2011 series.]]
Changed line(s) 121 (click to see context) from:
* AbusiveParents: Frank's mother. And FRANK - headbutting Ian, general neglect...
to:
* AbusiveParents: AbusiveParents:
** Frank's mother. And FRANK - headbutting Ian, general neglect...
** Frank's mother. And FRANK - headbutting Ian, general neglect...
Changed line(s) 124 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler: ActingForTwo: William H. Macy plays ''both'' Frank and Jerry Gallagher, identical twins]].
to:
* [[spoiler: ActingForTwo: [[spoiler: William H. Macy plays ''both'' Frank and Jerry Gallagher, identical twins]].
Changed line(s) 133 (click to see context) from:
* BettyAndVeronica: Fiona had to choose between bad boy car thief Steve and nice guy police officer Tony. For some time, she choose neither but [[spoiler:choose Steve/Jimmy at the end of Season 2.]]
to:
* BettyAndVeronica: BettyAndVeronica:
** Fiona had to choose between bad boy car thief Steve and nice guy police officer Tony. For some time, she choose neither but [[spoiler:choose Steve/Jimmy at the end of Season 2.]]
** Fiona had to choose between bad boy car thief Steve and nice guy police officer Tony. For some time, she choose neither but [[spoiler:choose Steve/Jimmy at the end of Season 2.]]
Changed line(s) 139 (click to see context) from:
* BrokenBird: Holy '''hell''', Karen Jackson. Less so during the majority of season 1, but it was during the stuff between her and her Dad that messed her up royally.
to:
* BrokenBird: BrokenBird:
** Holy '''hell''', Karen Jackson. Less so during the majority of season 1, but it was during the stuff between her and her Dad that messed her up royally.
** Holy '''hell''', Karen Jackson. Less so during the majority of season 1, but it was during the stuff between her and her Dad that messed her up royally.
Deleted line(s) 141,142 (click to see context) :
* ButNotTooGay: For a show ''this'' hedonistic, Ian has yet to be seen having sex with another man onscreen. But since Cameron Monaghan didn't turn 18 until the middle of shooting season two, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense.]]
** As of season three, averted. Apparently, they really were just waiting on Cameron to be legal.
** As of season three, averted. Apparently, they really were just waiting on Cameron to be legal.
Changed line(s) 144,145 (click to see context) from:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic calm]] BrokenBird, yet [[TranquilFury still angry]], who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
to:
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic calm]] BrokenBird, yet [[TranquilFury still angry]], who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.
**{{Kuudere}}. Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
**
Changed line(s) 155 (click to see context) from:
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
to:
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale:
** The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
** The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
Changed line(s) 157,159 (click to see context) from:
*** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
**** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
**** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
to:
**** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
Changed line(s) 161,162 (click to see context) from:
** Happens again with Lip and Mandy, [[spoiler:after he had learnt she had ran Karen down and crippled her]]. He objects and Mandy doesn't listen because they had done it in a week.
* DownerEnding: Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
* DownerEnding: Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
to:
** Happens again with Lip and Mandy, [[spoiler:after he had learnt she had ran Karen down and crippled her]]. He objects and Mandy doesn't listen because they had hadn't done it in a week.
*DownerEnding: DownerEnding:
** Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
*
** Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
Changed line(s) 164 (click to see context) from:
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: Eddie in the Season One finale]].
to:
* DrivenToSuicide:
** [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide: Eddie in the Season One finale]].
** [[spoiler:
Changed line(s) 177 (click to see context) from:
* GoneHorriblyRight: Kevin usually grows a few marijuana plants in the basement, mostly for his own consumption. In season two he has a great growing season and ends up with a basement full of high quality weed worth thousands of dollars. However, if caught, he now faces some serious prison time for trafficking. [[spoiler: Veronica makes him destroy most of it]]
to:
* GoneHorriblyRight: GoneHorriblyRight:
** Kevin usually grows a few marijuana plants in the basement, mostly for his own consumption. In season two he has a great growing season and ends up with a basement full of high quality weed worth thousands of dollars. However, if caught, he now faces some serious prison time for trafficking. [[spoiler: Veronica makes him destroy most of it]]
** Kevin usually grows a few marijuana plants in the basement, mostly for his own consumption. In season two he has a great growing season and ends up with a basement full of high quality weed worth thousands of dollars. However, if caught, he now faces some serious prison time for trafficking. [[spoiler: Veronica makes him destroy most of it]]
Deleted line(s) 181 (click to see context) :
** Then again, Ian beats the living crap out of his brother, proving he does show these fighting abilities but just chooses not to.
Deleted line(s) 186 (click to see context) :
** Karen can count for this as well. After the horrible way she's treated Sheila, Jody, Lip, and even her own baby she's not been held accountable for ''anything'' bad she's done.
Changed line(s) 189,193 (click to see context) from:
* LawOfInverseFertility: Karen and Mandy both end up pregnant as teens when they have no interest in being parents, but Veronica very much wants to have a baby and can't get pregnant.
** RealityEnsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures.
*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reproductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.]]
** Likewise, [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
** RealityEnsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures.
*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reproductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.]]
** Likewise, [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
to:
* LawOfInverseFertility: Karen and Mandy both end up pregnant as teens when they have no interest in being parents, but Veronica very much wants to have a baby and can't get pregnant.
**pregnant. RealityEnsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures. \n*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reproductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.]]
**]] Likewise, [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
**
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.
**
Changed line(s) 202 (click to see context) from:
* OutOfFocus: Ian in season two for sure, ''especially'' in comparison to the rest of the Gallaghers.
to:
* OutOfFocus: OutOfFocus:
** Ian in season two for sure, ''especially'' in comparison to the rest of the Gallaghers.
** Ian in season two for sure, ''especially'' in comparison to the rest of the Gallaghers.
Changed line(s) 207 (click to see context) from:
* PairTheSpares: [[spoiler:Shelia and Jody, after Karen ends her relationship with Jody and Frank goes back to Monica]].
to:
* PairTheSpares: PairTheSpares:
** [[spoiler:Shelia and Jody, after Karen ends her relationship with Jody and Frank goes back to Monica]].
** [[spoiler:Shelia and Jody, after Karen ends her relationship with Jody and Frank goes back to Monica]].
Changed line(s) 211 (click to see context) from:
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Ethel, Malik, and their children. They literally did leave on a bus.]]
to:
* PutOnABus: PutOnABus:
** [[spoiler: Ethel, Malik, and their children. They literally did leave on a bus.]]
** [[spoiler: Ethel, Malik, and their children. They literally did leave on a bus.]]
Changed line(s) 216,217 (click to see context) from:
* RealityEnsues: And how.
** [[spoiler:When child protective services obtain the kids after a drunken Frank called them. Fiona basically does her damnest in getting her siblings back.]]
** [[spoiler:When child protective services obtain the kids after a drunken Frank called them. Fiona basically does her damnest in getting her siblings back.]]
to:
* RealityEnsues: And how.
**how. [[spoiler:When child protective services obtain the kids after a drunken Frank called them. Fiona basically does her damnest in getting her siblings back.]]
**
Changed line(s) 222,223 (click to see context) from:
* SiblingRivalry: One begins between Lip and Ian in season 2; Lip has an inside for Ian to get into [[MilitaryAcademy Westpoint]], but his plan backfires, and ''Lip'' is the one who is offered recruitment instead. Ian becomes so furious because of this that he even refuses to speak to him afterward, not after a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown between the two.
** Though they did have a round two and Ian did win, and they're back on speaking terms.
** Though they did have a round two and Ian did win, and they're back on speaking terms.
to:
* SiblingRivalry: One begins between Lip and Ian in season 2; Lip has an inside for Ian to get into [[MilitaryAcademy Westpoint]], but his plan backfires, and ''Lip'' is the one who is offered recruitment instead. Ian becomes so furious because of this that he even refuses to speak to him afterward, not after until a second NoHoldsBarredBeatdown between the two.
** Though they did have a round two andwon by Ian did win, and they're get the two back on speaking terms.
** Though they did have a round two and
Changed line(s) 240,244 (click to see context) from:
*** Then with "Frank The Plumber", [[spoiler:Karen is hit by a speeding car driven by Mandy and being left for dead, after being lured out by a false text message sent by Mandy. And also Mickey and Ian break-up.]]
**** The drama continues in the penultimate episode of season 3. [[spoiler:Mickey gets married to a woman, Mandy finally figures out that her brother and Ian are sleeping together, Karen has brain damage, and Jimmy is most likely killed by Estefania's father.]]
* WhosYourDaddy: Monica Gallagher did a lot of drugs while married to Frank and does not really remember what she did during those times. There is a fair chance that some of her kids might not be Frank's. Turns out [[spoiler:Lip and Liam were Frank's sons but Ian is actually the son of one of Frank's brothers]].
** Now played with Karen's child, as it could be [[spoiler:Lip's]] or someone else's. Though in her own words, its [[ParentalSubstitute Jody's]] because [[BumblingDad real dads are overrated]].
*** It turns out that [[spoiler: neither Lip nor Jody is the father of her baby, but rather an Asian guy Karen was having sex with on the side]].
**** The drama continues in the penultimate episode of season 3. [[spoiler:Mickey gets married to a woman, Mandy finally figures out that her brother and Ian are sleeping together, Karen has brain damage, and Jimmy is most likely killed by Estefania's father.]]
* WhosYourDaddy: Monica Gallagher did a lot of drugs while married to Frank and does not really remember what she did during those times. There is a fair chance that some of her kids might not be Frank's. Turns out [[spoiler:Lip and Liam were Frank's sons but Ian is actually the son of one of Frank's brothers]].
** Now played with Karen's child, as it could be [[spoiler:Lip's]] or someone else's. Though in her own words, its [[ParentalSubstitute Jody's]] because [[BumblingDad real dads are overrated]].
*** It turns out that [[spoiler: neither Lip nor Jody is the father of her baby, but rather an Asian guy Karen was having sex with on the side]].
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*
** Monica Gallagher did a lot of drugs while married to Frank and does not really remember what she did during those times. There is a fair chance that some of her kids might not be Frank's. Turns out [[spoiler:Lip and Liam were Frank's sons but Ian is actually the son of one of Frank's brothers]].
**
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic stoic]] BrokenBird who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic stoic]] BrokenBird calm]] BrokenBird, yet [[TranquilFury still angry]], who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.{{Kuudere}}.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
** Karen Jackson was originally much more sympathetic, showing some shades of questioning her promiscuity. But then she TookALevelInJerkAss and was revealed to be TheSociopath.
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* RapeByProxy: In Season Three, [[spoiler: Terry catches Mickey and Ian having sex. He then forces a Russian prostitute to have sex with Mickey while Ian watches.]]
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* BlackComedyRape: Sheila raping Frank with a dildo in the 2nd episode. Though that seemed to be the show's general treatment of their sex life.
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
*** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
*** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
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* BlackComedyRape: Sheila raping Frank with a dildo in the 2nd episode. Though that seemed to be the show's general treatment of their sex life.
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* {{Cliffhanger}}: The season finales tend to end with huge cliffhangers that would into lead into the next season. The endings are very [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] to some degree.
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* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
*** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
**** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
** Happens again with Lip and Mandy, [[spoiler:after he had learnt she had ran Karen down and crippled her]]. He objects and Mandy doesn't listen because they had done it in a week.
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
*** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
**** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
** Happens again with Lip and Mandy, [[spoiler:after he had learnt she had ran Karen down and crippled her]]. He objects and Mandy doesn't listen because they had done it in a week.
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*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reporductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
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*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reporductive reproductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
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*** While that is true, Veronica tells Kevin in one Season 3 episode that an STD (most likely chlamydia, which doesn't present symptoms in women until serveral weeks later. By that time, significant damage to the reporductive system has been done) she got from a rapper when she was a teenager is the culprit behind her infertility.
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typo and confirming trope
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** "Frank The Plumper" hits more of a downer note. [[spoiler:Mickey and Ian break up, and Karen is ran over by Mandy (who was intending to kill her).]]
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** "Frank The Plumper" Plumber" hits more of a downer note. [[spoiler:Mickey and Ian break up, and Karen is ran over by Mandy (who was intending to kill her).]]
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** [[spoiler:Karen]] seems to be falling under this route.
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** [[spoiler:Karen]] seems to be falling under this route. Confirmed as of the penultimate episode of season 3. [[spoiler:A brain-damaged Karen admits to Lip that she can't "feel things inside".]]
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** RealityInsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures.
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** RealityInsues: RealityEnsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures.
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** RealityInsues: Veronica quips that she's "had so many abortions, the next one's free." Complications during abortion can cause infertility, and the risk goes up with multiple procedures.
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** Shelia grows bored with her and Jody's sex life, what with being a dominatrix with a pegging fetish and Jody being a recovering sex addict who can only have sex missionary style without losing control. Shelia enlists Frank's help in convincing Jody to be more adventurous in bed. Jody warns them both that should he start, he won't be able to stop, and they won't like what happens. Eventually they wear him down, and it takes all of a week for his fetishes to blow passed Shelia's comfort zones.
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**** The drama continues in the penultimate episode of season 3. [[spoiler:Mickey gets married to a woman, Mandy finally figures out that her brother and Ian are sleeping together, Karen has brain damage, and Jimmy is most likely killed by Estefania's father.]]
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** [[spoiler: Kev and Marty both return in separate episodes in the later series. Marty returns to drive a wedge between Kelly and Shane and Kelly falls for him despite them barely speaking to each other when they were both together in the early seasons. Kev returns for the 100th episode as a one-off; his time in prison, Veronica's whereabouts, and how he could afford to move to Nottingham and start a new life, or even why exactly he's brought back, are explained.]]
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** [[spoiler: Kev and Marty both return in separate episodes in the later series. Marty returns to drive a wedge between Kelly and Shane and Kelly falls for him despite them barely speaking to each other when they were both together in the early seasons. Kev returns for the 100th episode as a one-off; his time in prison, Veronica's whereabouts, and how he could afford to move to Nottingham and start a new life, or even why exactly he's brought back, are not explained.]]
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* LawOfInverseFertility: Karen and Mandy both end up pregnant as teens when they have no interest in being parents, but Veronica very much wants to have a baby and can't get pregnant.
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* DeadMan'sChest: When Aunt Ginger died (before the start of the series) Frank buried her in the backyard, and began collecting and cashing her social security checks for years after. However, in Season 3 when the city has to dig up the yard to fix the water pipes, the kids have to dig up Ginger's body before the city does lest they face charges.
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* DeadMan'sChest: DeadMansChest: When Aunt Ginger died (before the start of the series) Frank buried her in the backyard, and began collecting and cashing her social security checks for years after. However, in Season 3 when the city has to dig up the yard to fix the water pipes, the kids have to dig up Ginger's body before the city does lest they face charges.
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** Likewise, as much as [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
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** Likewise, as much as [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
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** Likewise, as much as [[spoiler:Lip wanted badly to be the father of Karen's baby, despite Karen explicitly stating at least twice that it may not be his. He continues being involved with Karen's pregnancy, even going so far as to help her look for potential parents to adopt her baby after it is born, and making a videotape for the parents to give it when it's older. However, when Karen gives birth, he realizes it is not his when the baby turns out to be Asian.]]
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* DeadMan'sChest: When Aunt Ginger died (before the start of the series) Frank buried her in the backyard, and began collecting and cashing her social security checks for years after. However, in Season 3 when the city has to dig up the yard to fix the water pipes, the kids have to dig up Ginger's body before the city does lest they face charges.
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*ADayInTheLimelight: Carl gets his own day in the limelight when he goes to cancer camp, as part of another one of Frank's schemes. Carl's time there goes about as well as you'd expect.
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** Lip also had Karen and Mandy in the later half of Season 3, [[spoiler:and in Frank The Plumber he tells Karen that he chooses Mandy, saying that she's good for him and that Karen is not, officially breaking it off with Karen. Although, seeing that in the next scene of the same episode Mandy hits Karen with her car and leaves her for dead, it's left in the air for now on whether Lip will stick with his decision.]]
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** Lip also had Karen and Mandy in the later half of Season 3, [[spoiler:and in Frank ''Frank The Plumber Plumber'' he tells Karen that he chooses Mandy, saying that she's good for him and that Karen is not, officially breaking it off with Karen. Although, seeing that in the next scene of the same episode Mandy hits Karen with her car and leaves her for dead, it's left in the air for now on whether Lip will stick with his decision.]]
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** Lip also had Karen and Mandy in the later half of Season 3, [[spoiler:and in Frank The Plumber he tells Karen that he chooses Mandy, saying that she's good for him and that Karen is not, officially breaking it off with Karen. Although, seeing that in the next scene of the same episode Mandy hits Karen with her car and leaves her for dead, it's left in the air for now on whether Lip will stick with his decision.]]
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: When Karen calls the cops because Sheila and Jody [[spoiler:took the baby from the hospital]], the officers who arrive listen to the story, realize what a jerkass Karen is and then decide that [[spoiler: the baby is going to be much better off with her loving grandmother than being left in the hospital and ultimately ending up in the foster care system]]. They refuse to arrest Sheila, ignore Karen's protests and decide to go get some Thai food.
** YMMV: Some people, women especially, were offended by the fact that the cops refused to honor the mother's wishes because they disliked her attitude.
** YMMV: Some people, women especially, were offended by the fact that the cops refused to honor the mother's wishes because they disliked her attitude.
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** When Karen calls the cops because Sheila and Jody [[spoiler:took the baby from the hospital]], the officers who arrive listen to the story, realize what a jerkass Karen is and then decide that [[spoiler: the baby is going to be much better off with her loving grandmother than being left in the hospital and ultimately ending up in the foster care system]]. They refuse to arrest Sheila, ignore Karen's protests and decide to go get some Thai food.
**YMMV: Some people, women especially, were offended by The judge presiding over the fact legal guardianship hearing quickly recognized Frank's bullshit for what it is and concludes that the cops refused to honor children would be much better off with Fiona as their legal guardian. His main concern is that the mother's wishes because they disliked strain of assuming guardianship might be too much for Fiona who would be committed to spending the next 15 years of her attitude.life taking care of the kids.
** When Karen calls the cops because Sheila and Jody [[spoiler:took the baby from the hospital]], the officers who arrive listen to the story, realize what a jerkass Karen is and then decide that [[spoiler: the baby is going to be much better off with her loving grandmother than being left in the hospital and ultimately ending up in the foster care system]]. They refuse to arrest Sheila, ignore Karen's protests and decide to go get some Thai food.
**
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* ButNotTooGay: For a show ''this'' hedonistic, Ian has yet to be seen having sex with another man onscreen. But since Cameron Monaghan didn't turn 18 until the middle of shooting season two, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense.]]
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* ButNotTooGay: For a show ''this'' hedonistic, Ian has yet to be seen having sex with another man onscreen. But since Cameron Monaghan didn't turn 18 until the middle of shooting season two, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense.]] ]]
** As of season three, averted. Apparently, they really were just waiting on Cameron to be legal.
** As of season three, averted. Apparently, they really were just waiting on Cameron to be legal.
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* ArmoredClosetGay: Micky Milkovich.
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** Also Mandy Milkovich; see AbusiveParents.
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* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In combination with TheOtherDarrin; Mandy was originally portrayed as a PerkyGoth, but when she was recasted she became more of a [[TheStoic stoic]] BrokenBird who ends up being a {{Kuudere}}.
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* {{Kuudere}}: Mandy. The only people who ever see her soft side are Lip and Ian.
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** "Frank The Plumper" hits more of a downer note. [[spoiler:Mickey and Ian break up, and Karen is ran over by Mandy (who was intending to kill her).]]
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*** Then with "Frank The Plumber", [[spoiler:Karen is hit by a speeding car driven by Mandy and being left for dead, after being lured out by a false text message sent by Mandy. And also Mickey and Ian break-up.]]
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_kyixfiwOSZ1qzdduoo1_500_5657.jpg
[[caption-width:453: The main cast of the first two series]]
->''"Tickets this way to the Chatsworth Express! Come and watch pikeys making a mess of the lives they were given by Him upstairs! And kids, they're convinced, aren't actually theirs... What sounds on earth could EVER replace kids needing money? Or wives in yer face... 'cause this, people reckon - and me included - is why pubs and drugs were kindly invented to calm us all down and stop us going mental! These are Chatsworth estate's BASIC essentials! We're worth every penny for grinding your axes... You shit on our heads, but, you pay the taxes! Imagine Britain without Chatsworth buccaneers, who'll cum on your face for the price of a beer... [[NoPoverty Make poverty history!]] Cheaper drugs now! Make poverty history! Cheaper drugs now! Heh heh heh heh... scatter! Partay!"''\\
-- '''Frank Gallagher''', ''Shameless opening monologue''
Currently airing its [[LongRunner eleventh and final series]], ''Shameless'' is a British TV series produced for {{Channel 4}}.
Imagine the ultimate CrapsackWorld. No one has a job, kids have lost their parents, or the parents simply just don't care. The [[PoliceAreUseless police are corrupt and incompetent]], crime is rife, people barely have enough money for food and each day is a struggle. Sounds grim? Well, in 2004, write Paul Abbott and others at Channel Four planned to create a very dark show about [[FootballPopMusicAndFlatCaps life]] in one of the 'sink estates' in [[FootballPopMusicAndFlatCaps Manchester]].
However... at some point in the gestation process, the team realised that what they had been planning could ALSO work as a comedy. And the rest is history.
''Shameless'' tells the story of a family of brothers and sisters, [[ParentalAbandonment abandoned by their mother]], having not only to [[ParentalNeglect bring themselves up]], but also effectively keep tabs on their [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], drug-addled father Frank. It introduces the viewer to a whole world of people living in a place many people would think was incompatible with any type of humour other than GallowsHumour. And yet it remains one of the funniest things on British television in the last thirty years. This is due to a combination of scripts, acting and direction that has you laughing with these people, rather than pitying them or laughing at them.
Early seasons focus more closely on the Gallagher clan; later on, existing characters role have expanded, such as the notorious [[IrishMob Maguire family]], the local shopowning Karib family, and seamstress turned pimp [[EnsembleDarkhorse Lillian Tyler]], and new ones added. Over time, many characters have come and gone, with oldest child Fiona leaving to be with boyfriend Steve, Frank's second wife Sheila going off to work on a cruise liner and the kids mother Monica returning for two years before leaving again. And then coming back. And then leaving again.
It has been given a ForeignRemake by the American cable network {{Showtime}}, starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, which premiered in January 2011.
----
!! The original show provides examples of:
* AesopAmnesia: Frank, after wallowing in self-pity just after Stella and Liam are taken into care, promptly mans up and puts much effort into changing his ways to appear a good parent and get them back. A couple of episodes later he's back to normal because, well, he [[StatusQuoIsGod just wouldn't be Frank Gallagher]] if he'd stayed sober.
* AlcoholicParent: Frank.
* AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks: After losing her shop to a fire and a flood, Yvonne has trouble raising funds to rebuild her shattered empire and seeks help from Paddy Maguire. His aggressive actions cause her to sell the shop to Joe and flee to Spain.
** And one of Paddy's first appearances has him and two [[{{Mooks}} goons]] violently beating someone who owes him money. And laughing like a lunatic.
* AloneWithThePsycho: [[spoiler: This is how Mandy Maguire meets her end]]
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Averted, possibly even inverted, with Jamie; easily the toughest and most masculine member of the Maguire boys, but due to being in jail most of his life and his dad threatening any potential prison admirers, was a virgin until he met Karen.
* AmbulanceChaser: A pair of them get Frank to sue Yvonne, and when he drops the case he gets a bill for a thousand pounds.
* AscendedExtra: Kelly Ball, Norma (to an extent), the entire Maguire family.
* BadAss: Yvonne Karib - uses her baseball bat to threaten or attack [[BerserkButton anyone who messes with her shop]] including debt collectors and armed soldiers.
* BadHumorTruck: The Maguires use an ice cream van as a front for dealing drugs and give Frank a job on it. ("If someone asks for a smartie...give them a pill. If someone asks for a polo...give them a pill.") Backfires somewhat when Frank takes some himself and ends up giving pills to an old woman who wanted some actual smarties.
* BlackComedyRape: Sheila raping Frank with a dildo in the 2nd episode. Though that seemed to be the show's general treatment of their sex life.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: A very surreal moment towards the end of the series 6 finales has Frank address the audience by knocking on the camera lens and talking about fairytales beginning and ending. Its set in black and white and is a very strange and out there moment. It's repeated [[spoiler: with Mandy's...ghost or angel I guess during her funeral.]]
* BribeBackfire: In one episode a cop is accusing Lip of assault, so they try to bribe him. He takes the bribe to drop the charge[[spoiler: of bribing a police officer.]]
* BritishBrevity: Completely [[AvertedTrope averted]] - not only has ''Shameless'' run for eleven series (that's the equivalent of around twenty seasons for a US show), many of those have had more than the six episodes that are typical of English television shows. Most notably the eighth series, which had a whopping 22 episodes.
* ButchLesbian: Norma - a big, black Geordie trucker who lives in a caravan on the Gallagher's front garden in series 4-6.
* BusCrash: Subverted. Debbie leaves to join the army at the end of series 6, and later sent a letter saying she was in Afghanistan. In the first episode of series 8 an army officer tells Frank that Debbie was killed in action, but it turns out to be a malicious prank by ex wife Monica.
* ChainedToABed: The main feature of Frank and Sheila's sex life, played for comedy. Used much more chillingly when [[spoiler:Paddy is chained to a bed and forcibly injected with heroin by psychotic Maureen]]
* ChristmasSpecial: but a very weird one - Lip and Kev steal a load of meat to sell on the cheap, then [[spoiler: it turns out the meat is a biohazard, so the Military quarantine the area]]
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Donny and Joey Maguire. OK, all they ever did was hang around looking menacing, but you still can't help but notice that they just vanished into thin air half way through series 4.
** Dialogue in earlier seasons reveals that the Maguires had seven children in all, however, by the later seasons, this is suddenly changed to them having had five children with no explanation given whatsoever as to having forgotten the birth of two of their children.
*** Retconned back to seven ([[spoiler:eight including Mimi and Billy's daughter]]) children as of episode eight of season nine.
** Which is all the more confusing when you wonder how the Maguires can effectively control the estate after Paddy leaves - with only Mimi and 3 brothers (Jamie, Shane and Mickey), rather than the large crime family we're meant to believe they are.
* CloudCuckooLander: Sheila - a pill-popping, agoraphobic sex-maniac.
* CountryMatters: Especially when Frank is around.
* CrapsackWorld: Virtually everyone in the Shameless universe is corrupt or just nasty in general, particularly in the later series; police, priests, soldiers, doctors, the Women's Institute... Families like the Gallaghers and Maguires seem normal in comparison.
* CulturalTranslation: The U.S. version.
* DancePartyEnding: Most series end with a party in the Jockey. [[spoiler: With arguably the best one being the post-funeral I'm Shipping Up to Boston number by Dropkick Murphys]]
* DawsonCasting: Played straight in several cases and interestingly used in another. An adult plays a 14/15 yr-old boy, but the audience, like a certain character, is led to believe he is a young adult, with his true age being a shock. In-universe, he's YoungerThanHeLooks.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Tough matriarch Patty starts thinking about how badly she treated her estranged daughter Libby, and while wondering where Libby is now she begins to shed tears. The trope is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Frank.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
*** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
* EverybodySmokes: see NoSmoking below
* CuteKitten: When Debbie goes on strike, Lip tries to win back her favor with a box of cute kittens. Debbie's response? "What am I? Six?"
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Frank]] and [[spoiler: Kash]] both fake their deaths to avoid debts, in unrelated incidents.
* FatBastard: Played straight with drug dealer Mimi Maguire in the early series, but after the Maguires became 3-dimensional main characters as opposed to just nasty antagonists (resulting in more sides to Mimi's character being shown), this trope didn't apply as well.
* ForeignRemake: The American version.
* ForgotToPayTheBill: A frequent occurrence. It is set on a CouncilEstate after all.
* {{Gayngster}}: Mickey Maguire.
** From the more recent series, Paddy's gangland rival Roscoe.
* GentlemanThief: Steve is a middle-class car thief who prides himself on stealing from people who deserve it, as well as never having committed a violent crime.
* GreatEscape: Marty breaks out for his sisters wedding, and gets sent back shortly afterwards.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Kelly Ball. People's hearts melts every time she shares a scene with Liam.
* IncestIsRelative:
** [[spoiler: Poor Ian. He finally finds Mister Right, and then, he finds out that they're half-brothers. Oh, and this was after they'd had sex.]]
** [[spoiler: Dom and Gloria. The tragedy is, the chemistry between the two is perfect but the odd nature of their relationship means they have to keep it hidden.]]
* InsuranceFraud: In the first series Lip earns extra money by filing out fake insurance claims for people. Also in series 6 after the Kash & Karry burns down Yvonne deliberately floods the stock room so she can claim extra insurance.
** And then there was Steve and Fiona setting fire to their own house in the series 1 finale.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Everyone's a little selfish to some degree, but this is Monica's defining trait. She abandoned her children and didn't even so much as send a birthday card, then when she returns she whines repeatedly because they don't want her there (with good reason, she did leave them after all), and then begs for sympathy when they forget her birthday (despite the fact that she never cared about their's and had been gone for so long they didn't know when her birthday was), then during the 'love triangle' between her, Noorma, and Frank, she basically just goes with whichever one buys her things. When Noorma mistook (or at least she claimed) Frank's attempt to steal from her as rape, Monica ignores and brushes off Noorma's trauma, telling her to go make her some food and let her watch the rest of her show, then when Frank is clearly distressed at the possibility of going to jail for a crime he didn't commit, she tells him off for whining about his troubles and acting as if its all about him. One has to wonder what Noorma sees in her, or why she was so determined to win her back.
* KavorkaMan: Frank, despite being a scruffy, selfish alcoholic with a violent streak, manages to be a bigamist (almost a trigamist), as well as pulling countless other women. Granted, nearly everyone he's with realises his personality traits after spending awhile with him, but maybe this is one occasion where the book should definitely be judged by its cover.
* LastSupperSteal: The dinner scene at the end of the first series Christmas special.
* LikesOlderWomen: Billy Tutton
* LongRunners: Eleven series, that's an awful lot for a British TV show and puts it closer to LastOfTheSummerWine than most (although of course [[{{Understatement}} that is a very different kind of show]].
* LowerClassLout: The entire premise of the show, although most of the main characters are portrayed fairly sympathetically.
* MyLocal: The Jockey, where most of the main characters hang out or work.
* NamesTheSame: Liam Gallagher. Named after the Oasis frontman, who demanded who know why.
--->'''Wilson''': ''Really? Liam Gallagher?.''
** There were also two very, very minor characters in the early series called Paddy and Mickey, before the Maguires became prominent.
* NaughtybyNight: Sheila. By day she's a sweet agoraphobic and germaphobic housewife. But at night she is very very into pegging filthy alcoholic Frank.
* NoodleImplements:
---> Paddy to Mimi: "Remember those blokes who came round with the salmon?"
* NoSmoking: From 2007 smoking is enclosed public places and workplaces.The first episode of the series started with everyone partying outside The Jockey (with their own beer) until they decided to flout the ban.
** A good proportion of the shows adults are seen smoking. TruthInTelevision, as smoking is still very common in urban communities, despite the efforts of governments across the world to outlaw it.
* NotQuiteDead: Frank's Father Neville has one of these moments, surviving a heart attack that had been previously implied to be fatal.
* NotSoDifferent: In universe, Frank's opening monologue from series 11 reveals he thinks beneath the class and wealth differences he situation isn't a million miles away from... [[HMTheQueen Her Royal Highness]].
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Social services, school inspectors, some of the less understanding police...
* OlderThanTheyLook: Lip discovers on his 18th birthday that he's actually ''19'', because Frank et al forgot to register his birth for an entire year. When Lip angrily asks what they were doing that was so important they could have forgotten;
--> '''Frank''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint We went down Ladbrokes instead? Big win!]]
* OopNorth: The series is set in Manchester.
* OopsIForgotIWasMarried: Kev proposes to Veronica while drunk. It takes a while for him to confess to her that he never divorced his first wife, Roxy, who was a violent alcoholic who is in prison for GBH but still very much in love with him. Veronica is actually fine with this and they have a fake wedding just so they don't disappoint Veronica's mother and more importantly get wedding gifts, particularly Veronica's dad's money which would help them pay off most of their house in a right-to-buy scheme.
* PaedoHunt: Frank rouses one up after [[spoiler: Debbie]] steals someones' baby.
* PaperThinDisguise: In series two, Veronica gets a temporary bar from the Jockey and tries to sneak back in in disguise on two separate occasions. The first time, she wears a wig. The second, she dons a flat cap, moustache and big coat and masquerades as an old man. On both occasions she gets caught, but not as quickly as she would have done in real life. Frank also escapes some debt collectors by dressing ''very'' unconvincingly as a woman.
* ParentsAsPeople: Most all caregivers in the show, but Frank, Monica, and Sheila might as well be the poster children for this trope.
* PerpetualPoverty: The Gallaghers - in one episode Frank steals paint from a road crew putting down yellow lines.
* PromotionToParent: First Fiona, followed by Debbie and most recently Liam.
* PutOnABus: Carol leaving for Megaluf with a couple months of the Jockey's takings somewhere after series 4 and before series 5.
** Shameless is actually pretty bad for this. Kev, Veronica and Sheila's departures were all explained and depicted on screen, but they happened suddenly, had no real fanfare leading up to them and after the characters had gone, they were seldom mentioned again. Debbie also left suddenly in the recent series.
*** Interestingly, Kev and Veronica would be out of prison by the end of series 8 so they could potentially be brought back in series 9, if only for an episode or two. It would be a brilliant call back and a great chance to see how much things have changed.
** Ian left the show [[spoiler: driving off to dump a body]] at the end of Series 7 and has not been seen since. It seems unlikely that he'll get real closure as Gerard Kearns has shown no intention of returning to the show.
* PyroManiac: Marty, who burns down part of the pub, a car, a hearse (complete with coffin and body), his mums house, and probably other stuff I can't remember right now.
** Liam has shown frequent hints of this behaviour after Marty left the cast, with boxes of matches and lighter fluid been found regularly in his bed.
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, at least in the earlier series, in which she gave Blow Jobs to practically anybody for no real reason, and cheated on her boyfriend with his Father (who was also her Mother's partner). She calmed down a lot as she got older though, and eventually got married.
* ReformedCriminal: Jamie Maguire - spent ten years in prison for murder, now runs The Jockey and refuses to have anything to do with the family business
* RogueJuror: Frank becomes one when he discovers he can claim extra benefits as long as he is on jury service. From that point onward, he tries to drag the deliberation for as long as possible, continually reversing his opinion whenever he cleverly convinces everyone to see things his way.
* RousingSpeech: Frank's 'data not information' speech in Series 2, during which he convinces the social workers that him being recorded as dead is a computer error and that Liam is being properly taken care of by Fiona, preventing him from being taken into care.
** Frank's opening monologues from series 5 onwards also count.
* SpotOfTea: The only thing anyone drinks that isn't booze.
* StarMakingRole: For James [[McAvoy]].
* StickyFingers: Most of the characters shoplift whenever they get a chance - at one point Frank steals (among other things) a charity collection tin. Or when the barstaff get trapped in the cellar by a broken door by the time they get out the stools and tables are gone.
* TakeThat:
-->'''Frank''': You hit me in the face with a pan of porridge. I went to casualty looking like [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets Ann fucking Widdecombe.]]
* Music/TakeThat: Never Forget played at Karen and Jamie's wedding.
* TalkingToHimself: In one episode of Series 5, Sean Gilder played not only Paddy but also his estranged gay twin brother Noel, the characters often conversing in the same scene.
* TheAlcoholic: Frank Gallagher
* TheBusCameBack: Shameless enjoys [[KilledOffForReal killing off]], [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forgetting the existence of]], or [[PutOnABus otherwise disappearing]] much of its ensemble, but several old characters have returned at points, such as [[spoiler: Kash returning from his faked suicide as a completely unlikeable dickwad ready to destroy Yvonne's life out of spite, only to apparently be allowed to burn/choke to death in a shop fire rather coldly by Chesney later in the episode]] and [[spoiler: Kev and Marty, who will apparently be returning for an episode in the 2011 series.]]
** [[spoiler: Kev and Marty both return in separate episodes in the later series. Marty returns to drive a wedge between Kelly and Shane and Kelly falls for him despite them barely speaking to each other when they were both together in the early seasons. Kev returns for the 100th episode as a one-off; his time in prison, Veronica's whereabouts, and how he could afford to move to Nottingham and start a new life, or even why exactly he's brought back, are explained.]]
* TheClan: The Maguires, who have a long history of being a crime family.
* TheIrishMob: The Maguires
* TookALevelInJerkass: Debbie during her storyline with Tom. After breaking up with him she constantly assumes the worse of everything he does, accuses him of being a stalker (though in fairness, he may very well have been stalking her), and in general becomes far more easily annoyed and selfish then previously.
* TourettesShitcockSyndrome: Marty, but later learns to say things like spongecake and buttermilk instead of swearing.
* WhosYourDaddy: Ian's parentage is come into question when Debbie looks at the blood types of the family, leading him on a hunt for his real father and possibly an escape from the Chatsworth Estate. Turns out [[spoiler: his dad is exactly like Frank, only he also owns the pub he constantly gets wasted at]].
* ZanyScheme: All the time. Fake Deaths, car chases, terrible disguises, random robberies. You name it, somebody's tried to do it in order to avoid attention from the Authorities.
!!The American series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Frank's mother. And FRANK - headbutting Ian, general neglect...
** Both of them pale in comparison to Mickey and Mandy Milkovich's father Terry, who [[spoiler: raped and impregnated Mandy in season 2. In season 3 after walking in on Mickey and Ian having sex he gives both boys a severe beating and then by gunpoint he forces Mickey to have sex with a prostitute in front of Ian.]]
** [[spoiler:Debbie's temporary foster guardian. Runs a sweatshop that forces child labor, and "sees all". Holy crap. No wonder Debbie superglues her eyes shut for all the shit she and the other kids there went through.]]
* [[spoiler: ActingForTwo: William H. Macy plays ''both'' Frank and Jerry Gallagher, identical twins]].
* AdvertisedExtra: Liam Gallagher is always present in advertisements due to being a member of the Gallagher despite not having a role outside being a toddler.
* AnythingThatMoves: [[spoiler:Lloyd, the father of Steve/Jimmy]].
* ArmorPiercingSlap: Happens to Lip from Karen in ''Can I Have A Mother''.
* ArtisticTitle: The opening (which chronicles a day in the Gallagher's bathroom) really does nail the tone of the show.
* AxCrazy: ''Carl''.
* TheBeard: Mandy for Ian
* BettyAndVeronica: Fiona had to choose between bad boy car thief Steve and nice guy police officer Tony. For some time, she choose neither but [[spoiler:choose Steve/Jimmy at the end of Season 2.]]
* BigNo: Frank has one of these in Episode 11 of the first season
* BlackBestFriend: Veronica
* BlatantLies: Everything Debbie tells the police after she returns the little boy she kidnapped. However, the Gallagher family seems to run on this a lot, ''especially'' Lip.
* BrokenBird: Holy '''hell''', Karen Jackson. Less so during the majority of season 1, but it was during the stuff between her and her Dad that messed her up royally.
* ButNotTooGay: For a show ''this'' hedonistic, Ian has yet to be seen having sex with another man onscreen. But since Cameron Monaghan didn't turn 18 until the middle of shooting season two, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: Happens from time to time with Fiona yelling at her mom for trying [[spoiler: to take Liam away from them]], but Frank does this to his own mom in ''Can I Have A Mother'', yelling at her that he was sick of the way she was treating him. She doesn't care.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Implied by Steve, when talking about Estafania's father.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Frank quits drinking he becomes a great Dad to Debbie and Carl. Lip tries to warn them that he won't always be like this by relating their situation to a pet turtle the kids forgot about and accidentally killed. Carl takes it to mean that Frank is buying them a new turtle.
* ContrivedCoincidence: A lot of the show's DarkComedy is derived from highly unlikely events happening to the characters.
** Shelia has almost conquered her agoraphobia when [[spoiler: a wheel falls of a plane and lands right in front of her]].
** Carl wants an air-rifle so [[spoiler: a criminal tosses a machine pistol out of a car and it lands in front of Carl. Carl uses it to kill a BALD EAGLE]].
** Ian spends the night with some random older guy he met at a nightclub. [[spoiler: Who turns out to be Steve/Jimmy's father.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: Season 3 is already shaping up to be more darker then the previous seasons, including a sub-plot with Estafania's brutal Cartel FauxAffablyEvil father coming to America, Frank becoming even ''[[UpToEleven worse]]'', and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Jimmy being forced to find a job]] by Estafania's father [[TheDragon right hand]].
* DownerEnding: Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: Eddie in the Season One finale]].
** [[spoiler: Monica at the end of Season Two, but her attempt is unsuccessful.]]
* DumbBlonde: Monica, Jasmine, Holly Hickemer.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Peggy Gallagher genuinely cared about her children and grandchildren. Except for [[TheUnfavorite Frank]].
* EvolvingCredits: In the third season after [[spoiler: Karen leaves]], the portion in the intro sequence featuring her and Lip is cut in favor of showing Lip and Ian rough housing.
* {{Expy}}: AmySmart is basically playing the same character she plays in ''Film/{{Crank}}'' UpToEleven.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Frank, though it seemed to bite him on the ass]].
* {{Fanservice}}: Fiona, big time. And there has to be some reason Ian is shirtless all the time. Lip, Steve, Kevin, Veronica, and Estafania apply to this too occasionally. Even Debbie gets in on it with her pool scenes in season three.
* FilleFatale: Karen and Mandy. Holly Hickemer thinks she's this but she's still too young to actually be sexual.
* GenerationXerox: Fiona and Lip are beginning to show similarities to their dear old dad, particuarly some shades of selfishness. Fiona [[spoiler: slept with a married man even though she knew she would regret it]]. Lip is especially showing signs with [[spoiler: attempting to break Karen and Jodie up by sending Mandy to their house so Mandy would sleep with Jodie]]. This trope is even lampshaded in "A Beautiful Mess."
-->'''Frank''': Why do you have to be such an asshole?
-->'''Lip''': The apple fell where you left it.
* GenkiGirl: Though she may be a a bit older than most examples, Sheila Jackson when she's not in a [[HeroicBSOD rough patch]].
* GoneHorriblyRight: Kevin usually grows a few marijuana plants in the basement, mostly for his own consumption. In season two he has a great growing season and ends up with a basement full of high quality weed worth thousands of dollars. However, if caught, he now faces some serious prison time for trafficking. [[spoiler: Veronica makes him destroy most of it]]
** At the midpoint of the season, [[spoiler: Kevin reveals that he didn't destroy all of the weed but rather, buried it; Ethel and Malik later dig up the buried weed and sell it to leave town together]].
* InformedAbility: Ian supposedly knows how to kill people in a hundred different ways, is a good marksman and trains karate, but even armed with a tire iron, Mickey managed to get the upper hand of him easily and most of Ian's problems have been solved by either diplomacy or sex, so there's no much support for his alleged skills.
** Then again, Ian beats the living crap out of his brother, proving he does show these fighting abilities but just chooses not to.
* InsuranceFraud: Frank is supposed to have a car torched for the insurance money but stops for a drink first and it is stolen instead. Since the car was not insured against theft, he owed some gangsters a lot of money... until [[spoiler: he faked his death]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Frank and his mother and also Karen is getting into this territory.
* {{Jerkass}}: Normally its Frank, but as of Season 2, Lip.
* KarmaHoudini: '''''Frank'''''. Though its subverted to hell and back in Frank's case. One moment he's in deep shit, then the next he's off the hook somehow.
** Karen can count for this as well. After the horrible way she's treated Sheila, Jody, Lip, and even her own baby she's not been held accountable for ''anything'' bad she's done.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:The two characters that are closest to being considered as their season's respective main antagonists, Eddie Jackson and Peggy Gallagher, have both been killed off.]]
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.]]
* MistakenForCheating: Veronica thinks that Kevin is cheating on her with another woman and follows him to her apartment. After Kevin leaves she confronts the woman but [[spoiler: realizes that the woman is just teaching Kevin to read]]
* MistakenForMurderer: When [[spoiler: Eddie]] is found dead, people assume that Frank did it.
* MafiaPrincess: Estafania, though she isn't exactly part of the mob as her father is a high ranking Cartel leader.
* MoodWhiplash: Heavily used and ''how''. One moment the show is all dramatic, then the next moment something greatly funny happens.
* NeverLearnedToRead: Kevin has severe dyslexia and since he spent his childhood being shuffled from foster home to foster home, it was never addressed. He can read enough to get by in his job as a bartender but has problems with more complicated writing. He's been attending special tutoring sessions so he can finally learn to read and write properly.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Frank's mother, big time.
* NiceGuy: Jody does not seem to have a selfish bone in his body. He puts up with Karen's tantrums and her rampant cheating. He takes care of a sick Peggy Gallagher even though she threatened him with a gun during his wedding. He wants to take care of Karen's baby even after Karen dumps him and it is clear the baby is not his. However, by the end of season 2 even he can not be nice to Karen anymore.
* OhCanada: After his usual drinking session, Frank wakes up the next morning in Toronto. The scene features a gratuitous use of a Mounty on a horse wearing full ceremonial uniform in downtown Toronto.
* OutOfFocus: Ian in season two for sure, ''especially'' in comparison to the rest of the Gallaghers.
** Carl, in general, compared to the other Gallaghers. He usually shows up to cause antics for a [[RunningGag CARL!]] and rarely gets a storyline.
* MrFanservice: Steve/Jimmy, Lip, and Ian.
* MsFanservice: Fiona, Karen, Veronica, Mandy, and Estafania.
* TheOtherDarrin: Emma Greenwell replaced Jane Levy as Mandy after the latter was cast in ''{{Suburgatory}}''.
* PairTheSpares: [[spoiler:Shelia and Jody, after Karen ends her relationship with Jody and Frank goes back to Monica]].
** [[spoiler:Lip and Mandy, at the end of Season 2]].
* ParentalAbandonment: Monica Gallagher [[MissingMom left her husband and six children]] almost two years ago. Frank stuck around but has been completely useless most of the time. When he actually moves out, it actually makes things easier for the kids.
* PerpetualPoverty: Frank gets his money by abusing the worker compensation system but he spends it all on alcohol and paying for the damage he causes while drunk. As Lip points out they could easily pay their bills with that money. Instead Fiona, Lip and Ian have to work and steal enough to cover the bills and pay for food. Whenever the kids manage to save up money for the future, Frank finds it, steals it and spends it on booze.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Ethel, Malik, and their children. They literally did leave on a bus.]]
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed]].
* PromotionToParent: Fiona, without a doubt. [[spoiler:It gets heavier when she is legally promoted to her Gallagher siblings legal guardian in Season 3's "A Long Way From Home".]]
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, Lip. Fiona in the first half of season 2.
* RealityEnsues: And how.
** [[spoiler:When child protective services obtain the kids after a drunken Frank called them. Fiona basically does her damnest in getting her siblings back.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: When Karen calls the cops because Sheila and Jody [[spoiler:took the baby from the hospital]], the officers who arrive listen to the story, realize what a jerkass Karen is and then decide that [[spoiler: the baby is going to be much better off with her loving grandmother than being left in the hospital and ultimately ending up in the foster care system]]. They refuse to arrest Sheila, ignore Karen's protests and decide to go get some Thai food.
** YMMV: Some people, women especially, were offended by the fact that the cops refused to honor the mother's wishes because they disliked her attitude.
* RunningGag: '''"CARL!!!"''' Or rather Carl's antics.
* SiblingRivalry: One begins between Lip and Ian in season 2; Lip has an inside for Ian to get into [[MilitaryAcademy Westpoint]], but his plan backfires, and ''Lip'' is the one who is offered recruitment instead. Ian becomes so furious because of this that he even refuses to speak to him afterward, not after a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown between the two.
** Though they did have a round two and Ian did win, and they're back on speaking terms.
* TangledFamilyTree: The Gallaghers, especially with the reveal that Ian is one of Frank's brother's sons.
* TheSociopath:
** Frank's mother definitely, she really didn't care at all about those 2 college kids that died in the meth lab explosion that got her jailtime.
** [[spoiler:Karen]] seems to be falling under this route.
* TheAlcoholic: Frank Gallagher (yep, still a drunk). [[spoiler:Lip]] also seems to be following this route during season 2. Like father, like son.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Lip and Karen in season 2.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Lip had a soft spot for call centre worker Nadia- until Ian informed him that 'she' was in fact a male transvestite.
* VillainousBreakdown: Frank is not a nice person, but when shit goes down that has him in it, he starts to really lose it.
* WeWantOurJerkBack: When Frank signs up for a medical study and has to stay sober for two weeks in order to get paid he becomes much nicer. However, he also becomes hyperactive and his attention span starts getting shorter. This starts out as endearing, then becomes disruptive and ends up as destructive. When he starts to break down walls with a sledgehammer and wants to cut a hole in the roof for a skylight, the kids have enough and [[spoiler: knock him out with a stun gun and pour liquor into him]]. They don't actually want their abusive father back but know that he is not actually serious about staying sober and prefer to end this before he causes a disaster.
* TheWindyCity: Takes place in the south side of Chicago.
* WhamEpisode:
** Season 1 ended with [[spoiler:Eddie Jackson's suicide and the fact that Fiona wasn't going to run away with Steve]].
** Season 2's ''A Beautiful Mess'' ends with Karen telling Lip off by staying away from her, Jody (her fiance), [[spoiler:[[WhamLine and their unborn baby]]]].
** Season 2's ''Parenthood'' ends with [[spoiler:Frank going back to [[MissingMom Monica]] after his mother died]].
** Season 2's "A Good Cause" featured [[spoiler:the savings that Fiona had been building up for her entire life being wasted by the unstable Monica.]] Then, in "Just Like the Pilgrims Intended," [[spoiler:Karen gives birth, but the child doesn't belong to Lip or the RedHerring that she visited earlier in the season, and Monica attempts suicide.]]
** In season 3, a trio of Whams come back to back of each other, [[spoiler:"The Sins of My Caretaker" has child protective services coming in during a chaotic night at the Gallagher homestead, with "Cascading Failures" picking off with the siblings off to different homes while Fiona tries to get them back, even learning that it was Frank was the one who called child protective services. Finally, "A Long Way From Home" ends with Fiona not only becoming the other legal guardian to her siblings, but Karen returns after her son had been taken away by his father's mother.]]
* WhosYourDaddy: Monica Gallagher did a lot of drugs while married to Frank and does not really remember what she did during those times. There is a fair chance that some of her kids might not be Frank's. Turns out [[spoiler:Lip and Liam were Frank's sons but Ian is actually the son of one of Frank's brothers]].
** Now played with Karen's child, as it could be [[spoiler:Lip's]] or someone else's. Though in her own words, its [[ParentalSubstitute Jody's]] because [[BumblingDad real dads are overrated]].
*** It turns out that [[spoiler: neither Lip nor Jody is the father of her baby, but rather an Asian guy Karen was having sex with on the side]].
[[caption-width:453: The main cast of the first two series]]
->''"Tickets this way to the Chatsworth Express! Come and watch pikeys making a mess of the lives they were given by Him upstairs! And kids, they're convinced, aren't actually theirs... What sounds on earth could EVER replace kids needing money? Or wives in yer face... 'cause this, people reckon - and me included - is why pubs and drugs were kindly invented to calm us all down and stop us going mental! These are Chatsworth estate's BASIC essentials! We're worth every penny for grinding your axes... You shit on our heads, but, you pay the taxes! Imagine Britain without Chatsworth buccaneers, who'll cum on your face for the price of a beer... [[NoPoverty Make poverty history!]] Cheaper drugs now! Make poverty history! Cheaper drugs now! Heh heh heh heh... scatter! Partay!"''\\
-- '''Frank Gallagher''', ''Shameless opening monologue''
Currently airing its [[LongRunner eleventh and final series]], ''Shameless'' is a British TV series produced for {{Channel 4}}.
Imagine the ultimate CrapsackWorld. No one has a job, kids have lost their parents, or the parents simply just don't care. The [[PoliceAreUseless police are corrupt and incompetent]], crime is rife, people barely have enough money for food and each day is a struggle. Sounds grim? Well, in 2004, write Paul Abbott and others at Channel Four planned to create a very dark show about [[FootballPopMusicAndFlatCaps life]] in one of the 'sink estates' in [[FootballPopMusicAndFlatCaps Manchester]].
However... at some point in the gestation process, the team realised that what they had been planning could ALSO work as a comedy. And the rest is history.
''Shameless'' tells the story of a family of brothers and sisters, [[ParentalAbandonment abandoned by their mother]], having not only to [[ParentalNeglect bring themselves up]], but also effectively keep tabs on their [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], drug-addled father Frank. It introduces the viewer to a whole world of people living in a place many people would think was incompatible with any type of humour other than GallowsHumour. And yet it remains one of the funniest things on British television in the last thirty years. This is due to a combination of scripts, acting and direction that has you laughing with these people, rather than pitying them or laughing at them.
Early seasons focus more closely on the Gallagher clan; later on, existing characters role have expanded, such as the notorious [[IrishMob Maguire family]], the local shopowning Karib family, and seamstress turned pimp [[EnsembleDarkhorse Lillian Tyler]], and new ones added. Over time, many characters have come and gone, with oldest child Fiona leaving to be with boyfriend Steve, Frank's second wife Sheila going off to work on a cruise liner and the kids mother Monica returning for two years before leaving again. And then coming back. And then leaving again.
It has been given a ForeignRemake by the American cable network {{Showtime}}, starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, which premiered in January 2011.
----
!! The original show provides examples of:
* AesopAmnesia: Frank, after wallowing in self-pity just after Stella and Liam are taken into care, promptly mans up and puts much effort into changing his ways to appear a good parent and get them back. A couple of episodes later he's back to normal because, well, he [[StatusQuoIsGod just wouldn't be Frank Gallagher]] if he'd stayed sober.
* AlcoholicParent: Frank.
* AllDevouringBlackHoleLoanSharks: After losing her shop to a fire and a flood, Yvonne has trouble raising funds to rebuild her shattered empire and seeks help from Paddy Maguire. His aggressive actions cause her to sell the shop to Joe and flee to Spain.
** And one of Paddy's first appearances has him and two [[{{Mooks}} goons]] violently beating someone who owes him money. And laughing like a lunatic.
* AloneWithThePsycho: [[spoiler: This is how Mandy Maguire meets her end]]
* AManIsNotAVirgin: Averted, possibly even inverted, with Jamie; easily the toughest and most masculine member of the Maguire boys, but due to being in jail most of his life and his dad threatening any potential prison admirers, was a virgin until he met Karen.
* AmbulanceChaser: A pair of them get Frank to sue Yvonne, and when he drops the case he gets a bill for a thousand pounds.
* AscendedExtra: Kelly Ball, Norma (to an extent), the entire Maguire family.
* BadAss: Yvonne Karib - uses her baseball bat to threaten or attack [[BerserkButton anyone who messes with her shop]] including debt collectors and armed soldiers.
* BadHumorTruck: The Maguires use an ice cream van as a front for dealing drugs and give Frank a job on it. ("If someone asks for a smartie...give them a pill. If someone asks for a polo...give them a pill.") Backfires somewhat when Frank takes some himself and ends up giving pills to an old woman who wanted some actual smarties.
* BlackComedyRape: Sheila raping Frank with a dildo in the 2nd episode. Though that seemed to be the show's general treatment of their sex life.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: A very surreal moment towards the end of the series 6 finales has Frank address the audience by knocking on the camera lens and talking about fairytales beginning and ending. Its set in black and white and is a very strange and out there moment. It's repeated [[spoiler: with Mandy's...ghost or angel I guess during her funeral.]]
* BribeBackfire: In one episode a cop is accusing Lip of assault, so they try to bribe him. He takes the bribe to drop the charge[[spoiler: of bribing a police officer.]]
* BritishBrevity: Completely [[AvertedTrope averted]] - not only has ''Shameless'' run for eleven series (that's the equivalent of around twenty seasons for a US show), many of those have had more than the six episodes that are typical of English television shows. Most notably the eighth series, which had a whopping 22 episodes.
* ButchLesbian: Norma - a big, black Geordie trucker who lives in a caravan on the Gallagher's front garden in series 4-6.
* BusCrash: Subverted. Debbie leaves to join the army at the end of series 6, and later sent a letter saying she was in Afghanistan. In the first episode of series 8 an army officer tells Frank that Debbie was killed in action, but it turns out to be a malicious prank by ex wife Monica.
* ChainedToABed: The main feature of Frank and Sheila's sex life, played for comedy. Used much more chillingly when [[spoiler:Paddy is chained to a bed and forcibly injected with heroin by psychotic Maureen]]
* ChristmasSpecial: but a very weird one - Lip and Kev steal a load of meat to sell on the cheap, then [[spoiler: it turns out the meat is a biohazard, so the Military quarantine the area]]
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Donny and Joey Maguire. OK, all they ever did was hang around looking menacing, but you still can't help but notice that they just vanished into thin air half way through series 4.
** Dialogue in earlier seasons reveals that the Maguires had seven children in all, however, by the later seasons, this is suddenly changed to them having had five children with no explanation given whatsoever as to having forgotten the birth of two of their children.
*** Retconned back to seven ([[spoiler:eight including Mimi and Billy's daughter]]) children as of episode eight of season nine.
** Which is all the more confusing when you wonder how the Maguires can effectively control the estate after Paddy leaves - with only Mimi and 3 brothers (Jamie, Shane and Mickey), rather than the large crime family we're meant to believe they are.
* CloudCuckooLander: Sheila - a pill-popping, agoraphobic sex-maniac.
* CountryMatters: Especially when Frank is around.
* CrapsackWorld: Virtually everyone in the Shameless universe is corrupt or just nasty in general, particularly in the later series; police, priests, soldiers, doctors, the Women's Institute... Families like the Gallaghers and Maguires seem normal in comparison.
* CulturalTranslation: The U.S. version.
* DancePartyEnding: Most series end with a party in the Jockey. [[spoiler: With arguably the best one being the post-funeral I'm Shipping Up to Boston number by Dropkick Murphys]]
* DawsonCasting: Played straight in several cases and interestingly used in another. An adult plays a 14/15 yr-old boy, but the audience, like a certain character, is led to believe he is a young adult, with his true age being a shock. In-universe, he's YoungerThanHeLooks.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Tough matriarch Patty starts thinking about how badly she treated her estranged daughter Libby, and while wondering where Libby is now she begins to shed tears. The trope is even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Frank.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: The first time Sheila and Frank have sex, he tells her repeatedly to stop, then ends up limping for the rest of the day, which is supposed to be hilarious.
** The show's treatment of Karen raping Frank. It even comes back in Season 2's ''Father's Day'', when Sheila had found out and consoled Frank after Karen told the "truth" to a detective who was [[spoiler:looking into Eddie's death and found the video of Karen and Frank online, wanting to arrest him for having sex with a minor]].
** However, it's averted as [[spoiler: Sheila is upset and apologizes to Frank for what Karen did.]]
*** Though zigzagged since [[spoiler: Sheila is the only one who considers it rape]].
** Then, again, with Jimmy and his in-name-only wife. She puts his hand under her skirt, despite his repeated objections. Then, when her father's dragon scolds him for cheating on Fiona, he insists he never moved his hand while it was underneath. The dragon doesn't care and continues to act as if Jimmy's a cheating jerk rather a person who was just sexually assaulted.
** Averted when [[spoiler:Mickey's father comes in and sees that Mickey and Ian are having sex, beats them up and basically forces Mickey to have sex with a Russian hooker. The next day, ''both'' Ian and Mickey are too shell-shocked.]]
* EverybodySmokes: see NoSmoking below
* CuteKitten: When Debbie goes on strike, Lip tries to win back her favor with a box of cute kittens. Debbie's response? "What am I? Six?"
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Frank]] and [[spoiler: Kash]] both fake their deaths to avoid debts, in unrelated incidents.
* FatBastard: Played straight with drug dealer Mimi Maguire in the early series, but after the Maguires became 3-dimensional main characters as opposed to just nasty antagonists (resulting in more sides to Mimi's character being shown), this trope didn't apply as well.
* ForeignRemake: The American version.
* ForgotToPayTheBill: A frequent occurrence. It is set on a CouncilEstate after all.
* {{Gayngster}}: Mickey Maguire.
** From the more recent series, Paddy's gangland rival Roscoe.
* GentlemanThief: Steve is a middle-class car thief who prides himself on stealing from people who deserve it, as well as never having committed a violent crime.
* GreatEscape: Marty breaks out for his sisters wedding, and gets sent back shortly afterwards.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Kelly Ball. People's hearts melts every time she shares a scene with Liam.
* IncestIsRelative:
** [[spoiler: Poor Ian. He finally finds Mister Right, and then, he finds out that they're half-brothers. Oh, and this was after they'd had sex.]]
** [[spoiler: Dom and Gloria. The tragedy is, the chemistry between the two is perfect but the odd nature of their relationship means they have to keep it hidden.]]
* InsuranceFraud: In the first series Lip earns extra money by filing out fake insurance claims for people. Also in series 6 after the Kash & Karry burns down Yvonne deliberately floods the stock room so she can claim extra insurance.
** And then there was Steve and Fiona setting fire to their own house in the series 1 finale.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Everyone's a little selfish to some degree, but this is Monica's defining trait. She abandoned her children and didn't even so much as send a birthday card, then when she returns she whines repeatedly because they don't want her there (with good reason, she did leave them after all), and then begs for sympathy when they forget her birthday (despite the fact that she never cared about their's and had been gone for so long they didn't know when her birthday was), then during the 'love triangle' between her, Noorma, and Frank, she basically just goes with whichever one buys her things. When Noorma mistook (or at least she claimed) Frank's attempt to steal from her as rape, Monica ignores and brushes off Noorma's trauma, telling her to go make her some food and let her watch the rest of her show, then when Frank is clearly distressed at the possibility of going to jail for a crime he didn't commit, she tells him off for whining about his troubles and acting as if its all about him. One has to wonder what Noorma sees in her, or why she was so determined to win her back.
* KavorkaMan: Frank, despite being a scruffy, selfish alcoholic with a violent streak, manages to be a bigamist (almost a trigamist), as well as pulling countless other women. Granted, nearly everyone he's with realises his personality traits after spending awhile with him, but maybe this is one occasion where the book should definitely be judged by its cover.
* LastSupperSteal: The dinner scene at the end of the first series Christmas special.
* LikesOlderWomen: Billy Tutton
* LongRunners: Eleven series, that's an awful lot for a British TV show and puts it closer to LastOfTheSummerWine than most (although of course [[{{Understatement}} that is a very different kind of show]].
* LowerClassLout: The entire premise of the show, although most of the main characters are portrayed fairly sympathetically.
* MyLocal: The Jockey, where most of the main characters hang out or work.
* NamesTheSame: Liam Gallagher. Named after the Oasis frontman, who demanded who know why.
--->'''Wilson''': ''Really? Liam Gallagher?.''
** There were also two very, very minor characters in the early series called Paddy and Mickey, before the Maguires became prominent.
* NaughtybyNight: Sheila. By day she's a sweet agoraphobic and germaphobic housewife. But at night she is very very into pegging filthy alcoholic Frank.
* NoodleImplements:
---> Paddy to Mimi: "Remember those blokes who came round with the salmon?"
* NoSmoking: From 2007 smoking is enclosed public places and workplaces.The first episode of the series started with everyone partying outside The Jockey (with their own beer) until they decided to flout the ban.
** A good proportion of the shows adults are seen smoking. TruthInTelevision, as smoking is still very common in urban communities, despite the efforts of governments across the world to outlaw it.
* NotQuiteDead: Frank's Father Neville has one of these moments, surviving a heart attack that had been previously implied to be fatal.
* NotSoDifferent: In universe, Frank's opening monologue from series 11 reveals he thinks beneath the class and wealth differences he situation isn't a million miles away from... [[HMTheQueen Her Royal Highness]].
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Social services, school inspectors, some of the less understanding police...
* OlderThanTheyLook: Lip discovers on his 18th birthday that he's actually ''19'', because Frank et al forgot to register his birth for an entire year. When Lip angrily asks what they were doing that was so important they could have forgotten;
--> '''Frank''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint We went down Ladbrokes instead? Big win!]]
* OopNorth: The series is set in Manchester.
* OopsIForgotIWasMarried: Kev proposes to Veronica while drunk. It takes a while for him to confess to her that he never divorced his first wife, Roxy, who was a violent alcoholic who is in prison for GBH but still very much in love with him. Veronica is actually fine with this and they have a fake wedding just so they don't disappoint Veronica's mother and more importantly get wedding gifts, particularly Veronica's dad's money which would help them pay off most of their house in a right-to-buy scheme.
* PaedoHunt: Frank rouses one up after [[spoiler: Debbie]] steals someones' baby.
* PaperThinDisguise: In series two, Veronica gets a temporary bar from the Jockey and tries to sneak back in in disguise on two separate occasions. The first time, she wears a wig. The second, she dons a flat cap, moustache and big coat and masquerades as an old man. On both occasions she gets caught, but not as quickly as she would have done in real life. Frank also escapes some debt collectors by dressing ''very'' unconvincingly as a woman.
* ParentsAsPeople: Most all caregivers in the show, but Frank, Monica, and Sheila might as well be the poster children for this trope.
* PerpetualPoverty: The Gallaghers - in one episode Frank steals paint from a road crew putting down yellow lines.
* PromotionToParent: First Fiona, followed by Debbie and most recently Liam.
* PutOnABus: Carol leaving for Megaluf with a couple months of the Jockey's takings somewhere after series 4 and before series 5.
** Shameless is actually pretty bad for this. Kev, Veronica and Sheila's departures were all explained and depicted on screen, but they happened suddenly, had no real fanfare leading up to them and after the characters had gone, they were seldom mentioned again. Debbie also left suddenly in the recent series.
*** Interestingly, Kev and Veronica would be out of prison by the end of series 8 so they could potentially be brought back in series 9, if only for an episode or two. It would be a brilliant call back and a great chance to see how much things have changed.
** Ian left the show [[spoiler: driving off to dump a body]] at the end of Series 7 and has not been seen since. It seems unlikely that he'll get real closure as Gerard Kearns has shown no intention of returning to the show.
* PyroManiac: Marty, who burns down part of the pub, a car, a hearse (complete with coffin and body), his mums house, and probably other stuff I can't remember right now.
** Liam has shown frequent hints of this behaviour after Marty left the cast, with boxes of matches and lighter fluid been found regularly in his bed.
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, at least in the earlier series, in which she gave Blow Jobs to practically anybody for no real reason, and cheated on her boyfriend with his Father (who was also her Mother's partner). She calmed down a lot as she got older though, and eventually got married.
* ReformedCriminal: Jamie Maguire - spent ten years in prison for murder, now runs The Jockey and refuses to have anything to do with the family business
* RogueJuror: Frank becomes one when he discovers he can claim extra benefits as long as he is on jury service. From that point onward, he tries to drag the deliberation for as long as possible, continually reversing his opinion whenever he cleverly convinces everyone to see things his way.
* RousingSpeech: Frank's 'data not information' speech in Series 2, during which he convinces the social workers that him being recorded as dead is a computer error and that Liam is being properly taken care of by Fiona, preventing him from being taken into care.
** Frank's opening monologues from series 5 onwards also count.
* SpotOfTea: The only thing anyone drinks that isn't booze.
* StarMakingRole: For James [[McAvoy]].
* StickyFingers: Most of the characters shoplift whenever they get a chance - at one point Frank steals (among other things) a charity collection tin. Or when the barstaff get trapped in the cellar by a broken door by the time they get out the stools and tables are gone.
* TakeThat:
-->'''Frank''': You hit me in the face with a pan of porridge. I went to casualty looking like [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets Ann fucking Widdecombe.]]
* Music/TakeThat: Never Forget played at Karen and Jamie's wedding.
* TalkingToHimself: In one episode of Series 5, Sean Gilder played not only Paddy but also his estranged gay twin brother Noel, the characters often conversing in the same scene.
* TheAlcoholic: Frank Gallagher
* TheBusCameBack: Shameless enjoys [[KilledOffForReal killing off]], [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome forgetting the existence of]], or [[PutOnABus otherwise disappearing]] much of its ensemble, but several old characters have returned at points, such as [[spoiler: Kash returning from his faked suicide as a completely unlikeable dickwad ready to destroy Yvonne's life out of spite, only to apparently be allowed to burn/choke to death in a shop fire rather coldly by Chesney later in the episode]] and [[spoiler: Kev and Marty, who will apparently be returning for an episode in the 2011 series.]]
** [[spoiler: Kev and Marty both return in separate episodes in the later series. Marty returns to drive a wedge between Kelly and Shane and Kelly falls for him despite them barely speaking to each other when they were both together in the early seasons. Kev returns for the 100th episode as a one-off; his time in prison, Veronica's whereabouts, and how he could afford to move to Nottingham and start a new life, or even why exactly he's brought back, are explained.]]
* TheClan: The Maguires, who have a long history of being a crime family.
* TheIrishMob: The Maguires
* TookALevelInJerkass: Debbie during her storyline with Tom. After breaking up with him she constantly assumes the worse of everything he does, accuses him of being a stalker (though in fairness, he may very well have been stalking her), and in general becomes far more easily annoyed and selfish then previously.
* TourettesShitcockSyndrome: Marty, but later learns to say things like spongecake and buttermilk instead of swearing.
* WhosYourDaddy: Ian's parentage is come into question when Debbie looks at the blood types of the family, leading him on a hunt for his real father and possibly an escape from the Chatsworth Estate. Turns out [[spoiler: his dad is exactly like Frank, only he also owns the pub he constantly gets wasted at]].
* ZanyScheme: All the time. Fake Deaths, car chases, terrible disguises, random robberies. You name it, somebody's tried to do it in order to avoid attention from the Authorities.
!!The American series provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Frank's mother. And FRANK - headbutting Ian, general neglect...
** Both of them pale in comparison to Mickey and Mandy Milkovich's father Terry, who [[spoiler: raped and impregnated Mandy in season 2. In season 3 after walking in on Mickey and Ian having sex he gives both boys a severe beating and then by gunpoint he forces Mickey to have sex with a prostitute in front of Ian.]]
** [[spoiler:Debbie's temporary foster guardian. Runs a sweatshop that forces child labor, and "sees all". Holy crap. No wonder Debbie superglues her eyes shut for all the shit she and the other kids there went through.]]
* [[spoiler: ActingForTwo: William H. Macy plays ''both'' Frank and Jerry Gallagher, identical twins]].
* AdvertisedExtra: Liam Gallagher is always present in advertisements due to being a member of the Gallagher despite not having a role outside being a toddler.
* AnythingThatMoves: [[spoiler:Lloyd, the father of Steve/Jimmy]].
* ArmorPiercingSlap: Happens to Lip from Karen in ''Can I Have A Mother''.
* ArtisticTitle: The opening (which chronicles a day in the Gallagher's bathroom) really does nail the tone of the show.
* AxCrazy: ''Carl''.
* TheBeard: Mandy for Ian
* BettyAndVeronica: Fiona had to choose between bad boy car thief Steve and nice guy police officer Tony. For some time, she choose neither but [[spoiler:choose Steve/Jimmy at the end of Season 2.]]
* BigNo: Frank has one of these in Episode 11 of the first season
* BlackBestFriend: Veronica
* BlatantLies: Everything Debbie tells the police after she returns the little boy she kidnapped. However, the Gallagher family seems to run on this a lot, ''especially'' Lip.
* BrokenBird: Holy '''hell''', Karen Jackson. Less so during the majority of season 1, but it was during the stuff between her and her Dad that messed her up royally.
* ButNotTooGay: For a show ''this'' hedonistic, Ian has yet to be seen having sex with another man onscreen. But since Cameron Monaghan didn't turn 18 until the middle of shooting season two, [[JustifiedTrope it makes sense.]]
* CallingTheOldManOut: Happens from time to time with Fiona yelling at her mom for trying [[spoiler: to take Liam away from them]], but Frank does this to his own mom in ''Can I Have A Mother'', yelling at her that he was sick of the way she was treating him. She doesn't care.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Implied by Steve, when talking about Estafania's father.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Frank quits drinking he becomes a great Dad to Debbie and Carl. Lip tries to warn them that he won't always be like this by relating their situation to a pet turtle the kids forgot about and accidentally killed. Carl takes it to mean that Frank is buying them a new turtle.
* ContrivedCoincidence: A lot of the show's DarkComedy is derived from highly unlikely events happening to the characters.
** Shelia has almost conquered her agoraphobia when [[spoiler: a wheel falls of a plane and lands right in front of her]].
** Carl wants an air-rifle so [[spoiler: a criminal tosses a machine pistol out of a car and it lands in front of Carl. Carl uses it to kill a BALD EAGLE]].
** Ian spends the night with some random older guy he met at a nightclub. [[spoiler: Who turns out to be Steve/Jimmy's father.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: Season 3 is already shaping up to be more darker then the previous seasons, including a sub-plot with Estafania's brutal Cartel FauxAffablyEvil father coming to America, Frank becoming even ''[[UpToEleven worse]]'', and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Jimmy being forced to find a job]] by Estafania's father [[TheDragon right hand]].
* DownerEnding: Rarely if used, but ''Just Like The Pilgrims Intended'' ended with a very high downer note.
* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: Eddie in the Season One finale]].
** [[spoiler: Monica at the end of Season Two, but her attempt is unsuccessful.]]
* DumbBlonde: Monica, Jasmine, Holly Hickemer.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Peggy Gallagher genuinely cared about her children and grandchildren. Except for [[TheUnfavorite Frank]].
* EvolvingCredits: In the third season after [[spoiler: Karen leaves]], the portion in the intro sequence featuring her and Lip is cut in favor of showing Lip and Ian rough housing.
* {{Expy}}: AmySmart is basically playing the same character she plays in ''Film/{{Crank}}'' UpToEleven.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler: Frank, though it seemed to bite him on the ass]].
* {{Fanservice}}: Fiona, big time. And there has to be some reason Ian is shirtless all the time. Lip, Steve, Kevin, Veronica, and Estafania apply to this too occasionally. Even Debbie gets in on it with her pool scenes in season three.
* FilleFatale: Karen and Mandy. Holly Hickemer thinks she's this but she's still too young to actually be sexual.
* GenerationXerox: Fiona and Lip are beginning to show similarities to their dear old dad, particuarly some shades of selfishness. Fiona [[spoiler: slept with a married man even though she knew she would regret it]]. Lip is especially showing signs with [[spoiler: attempting to break Karen and Jodie up by sending Mandy to their house so Mandy would sleep with Jodie]]. This trope is even lampshaded in "A Beautiful Mess."
-->'''Frank''': Why do you have to be such an asshole?
-->'''Lip''': The apple fell where you left it.
* GenkiGirl: Though she may be a a bit older than most examples, Sheila Jackson when she's not in a [[HeroicBSOD rough patch]].
* GoneHorriblyRight: Kevin usually grows a few marijuana plants in the basement, mostly for his own consumption. In season two he has a great growing season and ends up with a basement full of high quality weed worth thousands of dollars. However, if caught, he now faces some serious prison time for trafficking. [[spoiler: Veronica makes him destroy most of it]]
** At the midpoint of the season, [[spoiler: Kevin reveals that he didn't destroy all of the weed but rather, buried it; Ethel and Malik later dig up the buried weed and sell it to leave town together]].
* InformedAbility: Ian supposedly knows how to kill people in a hundred different ways, is a good marksman and trains karate, but even armed with a tire iron, Mickey managed to get the upper hand of him easily and most of Ian's problems have been solved by either diplomacy or sex, so there's no much support for his alleged skills.
** Then again, Ian beats the living crap out of his brother, proving he does show these fighting abilities but just chooses not to.
* InsuranceFraud: Frank is supposed to have a car torched for the insurance money but stops for a drink first and it is stolen instead. Since the car was not insured against theft, he owed some gangsters a lot of money... until [[spoiler: he faked his death]].
* ItsAllAboutMe: Frank and his mother and also Karen is getting into this territory.
* {{Jerkass}}: Normally its Frank, but as of Season 2, Lip.
* KarmaHoudini: '''''Frank'''''. Though its subverted to hell and back in Frank's case. One moment he's in deep shit, then the next he's off the hook somehow.
** Karen can count for this as well. After the horrible way she's treated Sheila, Jody, Lip, and even her own baby she's not been held accountable for ''anything'' bad she's done.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:The two characters that are closest to being considered as their season's respective main antagonists, Eddie Jackson and Peggy Gallagher, have both been killed off.]]
* LawOfInversePaternity: [[spoiler: Liam]] turns out to be Frank's son even though everyone assumed that he was not. Similarly [[spoiler: Lip]] hoped that he was not Frank's son but turned out to be his. However, [[spoiler: Ian is not actually Frank's son but his nephew.]]
* MistakenForCheating: Veronica thinks that Kevin is cheating on her with another woman and follows him to her apartment. After Kevin leaves she confronts the woman but [[spoiler: realizes that the woman is just teaching Kevin to read]]
* MistakenForMurderer: When [[spoiler: Eddie]] is found dead, people assume that Frank did it.
* MafiaPrincess: Estafania, though she isn't exactly part of the mob as her father is a high ranking Cartel leader.
* MoodWhiplash: Heavily used and ''how''. One moment the show is all dramatic, then the next moment something greatly funny happens.
* NeverLearnedToRead: Kevin has severe dyslexia and since he spent his childhood being shuffled from foster home to foster home, it was never addressed. He can read enough to get by in his job as a bartender but has problems with more complicated writing. He's been attending special tutoring sessions so he can finally learn to read and write properly.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Frank's mother, big time.
* NiceGuy: Jody does not seem to have a selfish bone in his body. He puts up with Karen's tantrums and her rampant cheating. He takes care of a sick Peggy Gallagher even though she threatened him with a gun during his wedding. He wants to take care of Karen's baby even after Karen dumps him and it is clear the baby is not his. However, by the end of season 2 even he can not be nice to Karen anymore.
* OhCanada: After his usual drinking session, Frank wakes up the next morning in Toronto. The scene features a gratuitous use of a Mounty on a horse wearing full ceremonial uniform in downtown Toronto.
* OutOfFocus: Ian in season two for sure, ''especially'' in comparison to the rest of the Gallaghers.
** Carl, in general, compared to the other Gallaghers. He usually shows up to cause antics for a [[RunningGag CARL!]] and rarely gets a storyline.
* MrFanservice: Steve/Jimmy, Lip, and Ian.
* MsFanservice: Fiona, Karen, Veronica, Mandy, and Estafania.
* TheOtherDarrin: Emma Greenwell replaced Jane Levy as Mandy after the latter was cast in ''{{Suburgatory}}''.
* PairTheSpares: [[spoiler:Shelia and Jody, after Karen ends her relationship with Jody and Frank goes back to Monica]].
** [[spoiler:Lip and Mandy, at the end of Season 2]].
* ParentalAbandonment: Monica Gallagher [[MissingMom left her husband and six children]] almost two years ago. Frank stuck around but has been completely useless most of the time. When he actually moves out, it actually makes things easier for the kids.
* PerpetualPoverty: Frank gets his money by abusing the worker compensation system but he spends it all on alcohol and paying for the damage he causes while drunk. As Lip points out they could easily pay their bills with that money. Instead Fiona, Lip and Ian have to work and steal enough to cover the bills and pay for food. Whenever the kids manage to save up money for the future, Frank finds it, steals it and spends it on booze.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Ethel, Malik, and their children. They literally did leave on a bus.]]
** [[spoiler: Karen leaves the Jackson household at the end of Season 2, and comes back mid-way Season 3, apparently reformed]].
* PromotionToParent: Fiona, without a doubt. [[spoiler:It gets heavier when she is legally promoted to her Gallagher siblings legal guardian in Season 3's "A Long Way From Home".]]
* ReallyGetsAround: Karen, Lip. Fiona in the first half of season 2.
* RealityEnsues: And how.
** [[spoiler:When child protective services obtain the kids after a drunken Frank called them. Fiona basically does her damnest in getting her siblings back.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: When Karen calls the cops because Sheila and Jody [[spoiler:took the baby from the hospital]], the officers who arrive listen to the story, realize what a jerkass Karen is and then decide that [[spoiler: the baby is going to be much better off with her loving grandmother than being left in the hospital and ultimately ending up in the foster care system]]. They refuse to arrest Sheila, ignore Karen's protests and decide to go get some Thai food.
** YMMV: Some people, women especially, were offended by the fact that the cops refused to honor the mother's wishes because they disliked her attitude.
* RunningGag: '''"CARL!!!"''' Or rather Carl's antics.
* SiblingRivalry: One begins between Lip and Ian in season 2; Lip has an inside for Ian to get into [[MilitaryAcademy Westpoint]], but his plan backfires, and ''Lip'' is the one who is offered recruitment instead. Ian becomes so furious because of this that he even refuses to speak to him afterward, not after a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown between the two.
** Though they did have a round two and Ian did win, and they're back on speaking terms.
* TangledFamilyTree: The Gallaghers, especially with the reveal that Ian is one of Frank's brother's sons.
* TheSociopath:
** Frank's mother definitely, she really didn't care at all about those 2 college kids that died in the meth lab explosion that got her jailtime.
** [[spoiler:Karen]] seems to be falling under this route.
* TheAlcoholic: Frank Gallagher (yep, still a drunk). [[spoiler:Lip]] also seems to be following this route during season 2. Like father, like son.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Lip and Karen in season 2.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Lip had a soft spot for call centre worker Nadia- until Ian informed him that 'she' was in fact a male transvestite.
* VillainousBreakdown: Frank is not a nice person, but when shit goes down that has him in it, he starts to really lose it.
* WeWantOurJerkBack: When Frank signs up for a medical study and has to stay sober for two weeks in order to get paid he becomes much nicer. However, he also becomes hyperactive and his attention span starts getting shorter. This starts out as endearing, then becomes disruptive and ends up as destructive. When he starts to break down walls with a sledgehammer and wants to cut a hole in the roof for a skylight, the kids have enough and [[spoiler: knock him out with a stun gun and pour liquor into him]]. They don't actually want their abusive father back but know that he is not actually serious about staying sober and prefer to end this before he causes a disaster.
* TheWindyCity: Takes place in the south side of Chicago.
* WhamEpisode:
** Season 1 ended with [[spoiler:Eddie Jackson's suicide and the fact that Fiona wasn't going to run away with Steve]].
** Season 2's ''A Beautiful Mess'' ends with Karen telling Lip off by staying away from her, Jody (her fiance), [[spoiler:[[WhamLine and their unborn baby]]]].
** Season 2's ''Parenthood'' ends with [[spoiler:Frank going back to [[MissingMom Monica]] after his mother died]].
** Season 2's "A Good Cause" featured [[spoiler:the savings that Fiona had been building up for her entire life being wasted by the unstable Monica.]] Then, in "Just Like the Pilgrims Intended," [[spoiler:Karen gives birth, but the child doesn't belong to Lip or the RedHerring that she visited earlier in the season, and Monica attempts suicide.]]
** In season 3, a trio of Whams come back to back of each other, [[spoiler:"The Sins of My Caretaker" has child protective services coming in during a chaotic night at the Gallagher homestead, with "Cascading Failures" picking off with the siblings off to different homes while Fiona tries to get them back, even learning that it was Frank was the one who called child protective services. Finally, "A Long Way From Home" ends with Fiona not only becoming the other legal guardian to her siblings, but Karen returns after her son had been taken away by his father's mother.]]
* WhosYourDaddy: Monica Gallagher did a lot of drugs while married to Frank and does not really remember what she did during those times. There is a fair chance that some of her kids might not be Frank's. Turns out [[spoiler:Lip and Liam were Frank's sons but Ian is actually the son of one of Frank's brothers]].
** Now played with Karen's child, as it could be [[spoiler:Lip's]] or someone else's. Though in her own words, its [[ParentalSubstitute Jody's]] because [[BumblingDad real dads are overrated]].
*** It turns out that [[spoiler: neither Lip nor Jody is the father of her baby, but rather an Asian guy Karen was having sex with on the side]].
