40 binge-worthy TV shows: Watch them all right now because who needs sleep

Photo: Showtime

Shameless – Showtime Anytime

Much like Good Times, Shameless is one of the few shows on television about poor people. It doesn’t pull any punches in its presentation of life on the South Side of Chicago, and certainly doesn’t flinch when taking on the hard issues.

Shameless is about the Gallagher family, one of the most dysfunctional and maladjusted families in TV history. Their alcoholic father, Frank, is completely absent and awful, and floats in and out of his kids’ lives in a really destructive way. The oldest, Fiona, was left to raise her younger five siblings, even though she is only in her 20s. The other Gallaghers include Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and baby Liam.

As the Gallaghers try to survive their terrible pasts, and work to exist in the present, they get into all sorts of antics. They grapple with things like addiction, teenage pregnancy, eviction, and prison, making it a raw story of the working class that isn’t afraid to talk about hard things. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its fair share of hilarity and inappropriate jokes. They poke fun at all the hard stuff, and it makes it even more fun to watch.

Starring: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Allen White, Joan Cusack, and Steve Howey