To Be Frank - It's Not The Same Anymore (Shameless - Series 6 (DVD))

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Shameless - Series 6 (DVD)
Date:	25/07/09 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Frequently hilarious, longer series, some great characters

Disadvantages: It's got more serious, has darker content and feels more like a soap than a comedy

A review of just the show, the boxed set of season six was released on region 2 DVD in May and the four-disc set currently costs around £25.

Originally broadcast from January through to May 2009, the sixth series of Shameless was, in many ways, a familiar journey through territory explored in the previous five seasons, albeit with a host of new faces, some new situations and (crucially) new writers.

Created by Paul Abbott, Shameless is a comedy drama that depicts events in the life of the Gallagher family, a hopeless bunch of losers, liars and layabouts who live on a fictional estate in Manchester known as The Chatsworth. The central character, Frank, is the head of the family, but spends most of his time drinking, taking drugs or both and leaves the pastoral care to the children themselves, along with a varied supporting cast of miscreants and villains. The show's success has seen it run now for six consecutive years, its appeal and attraction growing with age as the Gallagher children themselves blossom and flower and anyone who has followed it from season one will almost certainly agree that the astounding development of the two youngest Gallagher children throughout is a constant reminder that none of us is getting any younger.

Abbott was brought up on a council estate in Burnley and it doesn't, therefore, appear to have been much of a stretch to develop the unruly community that graces every episode. Abbott wrote 50 of the episodes himself but in season six, has retired from writing duties, leaving three other writers to pick up the reins and carry on with the series. This has resulted in some notable changes in the formula, some of which work to the show's favour and some of which run the risk of alienating the series' ongoing fan base, who might find that their sixth foray into the Chatsworth Estate is not quite as enjoyable as the previous five.

To get some basic reassurances out of the way, season six contains as much sex and nudity as in previous years. Straight sex, gay sex, lesbian sex - all tastes and flavours are catered for here in the same irreverent and reasonably daring manner that we've become used to. The culmination of the series sees sixteen year-old Debbie getting her rocks off in front of the camera for the first time, which is something of a milestone given that when we first met her, she was a ten year-old school girl. Sex and sexuality are significant themes in Shameless and always have been, sometimes on a fairly superficial level (usually with Carl sowing his seeds whenever and wherever) but crucially more often on a more profound level as the writers demonstrate that they do appreciate the complexities of the human psyche. Despite the adult content, it's hard to be offended by a series that demonstrates such a lack of judgmental behaviour. Shameless's key message remains strong throughout; that life's shit, so you just have to do what you can to try and find happiness.

But that doesn't mean that this is all plain sailing. Series six seems, for the first time, to introduce a darker, more serious edge with some much more significant events and issues taking place amidst the usual mayhem and tomfoolery. One of the female characters starts to experience domestic bullying and abuse and a leading character becomes addicted to heroin. Very often, the superficial, comical edge has now worn off, as though the series has tried to grow up, recognising that sooner or later everybody does. It doesn't always make for very comfortable viewing and in a series that has previously nearly always been in it for the laughs, it now feels as though Shameless has moved a little away from its roots. Notably, the Gallagher family now seems to share the screen almost equally with the neighbours, the Maguire family, whose trials and tribulations are a very dominant part of the series. This feels like a considered move, as though the writers felt that the Gallagher family simply couldn't be the focal point of it all any more and that the scope needed to be broadened. In fairness, this has happened gradually - the Maguire family has maintained an increasing presence for several years now, but suddenly they seem to be very prominent. Indeed, it's a notable development that it's a picture of the Maguire family that occupies the inner sleeve of the DVD set rather than the Gallaghers.

Some of the characters have developed enormously, whilst others remain exactly where they were. David Threlfall's Frank Gallagher remains a key component of the series and Threlfall's portrayal is as inspired as ever. Frank is the character we should hate, but find ourselves loving simply because he is so, well, human. He doesn't pretend to be anything he's not, but when pushed or even shoved, he somehow manages to demonstrate that there's more to him than just the alcohol and drugs. Six years on, he hasn't really changed and the same remains largely true of his children. Debbie (Rebecca Ryan) still has to look after the baby, Ian (Gerard Kearns) still seems to be getting off with all the fit men despite his ferrety face, Liam is still a brain box and Carl (Elliott Tittensor) is still a shagging machine. It's in the Maguire household where the biggest changes are afoot.

Mandy has got herself a fella, who turns out to have a very dark side. Her mother, Mimi (Tina Malone, always brilliant) seems to have lost her comical edge and husband Paddy undergoes a dreadful transformation that dominates far too much of the series. Son Shane (Nicky Evans from Emmerdale) is made increasingly sensible, possibly due to his love for the local prostitute Kelly (Sally Carman on brilliant form) and is now barely recognisable. Brother Mickey (Ciaran Griffiths) has become the comedy star of the show and is now the best thing in it. At least Lilian is still consistently ridiculous (wait 'til you see her cavorting around in a gold cat suit.)

It's obvious that Shameless no longer sees itself as a comedy first and foremost. The narrative style has changed in series six, with recurring storylines developing throughout, culminating (predictably) in a bit of a climax for the series finale. This certainly adds some continuity and substance to the thing but also runs the risk of turning the whole thing into something more like a soap opera. Part of Shameless's appeal has always been that it was unlike anything else on TV, but there's an increasing possibility that it's turning into a post-Watershed Emmerdale. It's a shame, because very often it's still very funny. What is becoming increasingly unclear, however, is exactly how the audience is supposed to react. The thieves, liars and criminals of the Chatsworth Estate were still supposed to be our heroes and whilst this remains the case to an extent, it's no longer evident that the writers want us to think this is OK. Are we supposed to be enthralled or appalled? Either has always been likely, but for some reason, season six lends itself more closely to the latter, which brings into question just how much longer it can survive.

Still, all in, lots of laughs here and lots of entertainment and in the new sixteen-episode format we've had for the last two years, it's still pretty good value too.

Summary: Sixth outing for Paul Abbott's grotesque creations