The best episodes of Shameless
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
The premiere of a series following the escapades of a hard-partying Chicago father who provides no guidance to his dysfunctional brood of six. First up: daughter Fiona has her purse snatched but manages to make the acquaintance of a handsome young man, and Lip discovers an unsettling secret about younger brother Ian.
- 02
Frank is in line for some settlement money, but there's a catch: he needs his ex-wife's signature on the paperwork. Elsewhere, Debbie discovers a secret about Steve; Monica turns up and announces she's taking baby Liam with her; and an angry Fiona moves out of the house and in with Steve.
- 03
Monica returns and the Gallagher clan are in a tizzy as they try to determine if Frank is their real father. And Fiona, who is thoroughly disgusted with Monica, decides to move in next door with Steve. Meanwhile, Eddie invites Karen to a Purity Ball; and Frank uses Carl in an effort to thwart a disability worker's attempt to pull the plug on the state funds he receives.
- 04
Fiona befriends an alluring young lady after Debbie talks her into joining a mothers' group. Elsewhere, Tony suspects he knows the truth behind Steve's car-stealing business; Lip and Ian try to learn which of their uncles is Ian's dad; and Frank sees his workman's compensation benefits come to an end, so he sends the kids on a mission to find him a job, preferably one that is highly dangerous.
- 05
Fiona contemplates romance with a policeman who has had a lifelong crush on her, but Steve isn't about to remove himself from the picture. Meanwhile, Ian spurns a girl's attentions and her brothers come looking for him; and elderly Aunt Ginger, who actually owns the Gallagher house, goes missing and the whole family joins in the search.
- 06
Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father
To come up with $6000 Frank owes to two thugs, he entertains the notion of a risky business that's going to require some big-time help from the family. Elsewhere, Ian stands up to a bully, and Fiona agrees to go away with Steve, leaving Liam with agoraphobe Sheila.
- 07
Jimmy gets back into Fiona's good graces and decides to have her meet his family; Frank plots to free Monica from the psychiatric institution; and Jody and Sheila attempt to hide Karen's newborn in the second-season finale. Later, Ian runs into the guy he slept with; and the late Eddie's long-awaited insurance check arrives.
- 08
As the Gallaghers decide what to do with a bedridden Frank, Fiona has to make a decision about her future; Carl and Debbie share their heartbreak together; Lip has to deal with a distressed Tami.
- 09
When Aunt Ginger takes her leave, little Debbie is left sad and lonely, so to ease the hurt she kidnaps a toddler from a birthday party, leaving the Gallaghers scrambling to come up with a plan to return the child before the Chicago Police Department fingers them for the crime. Meanwhile, Frank parries sexual advances from Karen, while Kevin's white lie involving his noninvolvement with an attractive young lady leads to a surprising conclusion.
- 10
Fiona scrambles to spruce up the house for an impending visit from Carl's teacher; Lip makes some extra cash by taking tests for his less-intelligent classmates; the Kash and Grab is repeatedly robbed by a local punk; and Frank's lack of business acumen costs him.
- 11
Just Like the Pilgrims Intended
Fiona's Thanksgiving plans get put on the back burner when Frank tries to get Monica out of bed and help her out of her depression. Meanwhile, Estefania and Marco's rocky reunion takes a turn for the better when Steve offers to surrender his identity so Marco can stay in the country and marry. Later, Karen goes into labor; and Debbie worries that depression may run in the Gallagher family.
- 12
Frank's injury gets in the way of everyone's plans as Fiona attempts to get her life back on track and Lip grows frustrated with his relationship with Tami. Carl gets some bad news about his future, and Debbie finally makes a move on Kelly. Kevin and Veronica get in trouble at the twins' preschool.
- 13
Liam out-Gallaghers Frank, Lip works to convince Tami to stay in Chicago with their baby, Debbie turns over a new romantic leaf and Kev's new business takes off, but V wonders where the money is going.
- 14
Ian and Mickey shop for furniture for their new place and Kev and V look for a buyer for the Alibi. While Lip settles for a new job, Carl finally finds his calling in a new role on the police force. Debbie plunges into a treacherous world when she meets someone new. Frank comes to terms with his own mortality. Series finale.
- 15
Frank goes on the wagon, which pleases Carl and Debbie, but a skeptical Lip doesn't believe their father's newfound temperance will keep him from the bottle for long. Elsewhere, Fiona scrambles to find a better-paying job, which leads her to overlook some suspicious behavior of Steve's; Kev and Veronica open their house to a foster child and get quite a surprise when they learn her family history; Ian pursues Mickey; and Sheila worries Frank has lost interest in her.
- 16
In the Season 1 finale, Steve's actual occupation is revealed and he tries to persuade Fiona to leave town with him. Meanwhile, Frank goes into hiding when his and Karen's secret is spilled; and car thieves Lip and Ian get caught and locked up, and it's up to Fiona to figure out how to spring them.
- 17
Frank has a major problem on his hands when the city announces it will be doing work on the main sewer and they'll be digging up his yard, where Aunt Ginger's remains are located. Meanwhile, Fiona's boss finds her work unsatisfactory; Molly uncovers a startling secret; and Ned wants Ian to break into his wife's house.
- 18
The Department of Family Services takes away the Gallagher children, and Fiona is desperate to get them back, so much so that she must round up Frank, get him to act responsibly and make a court appearance. Meanwhile, Kev and Veronica decide to use her mother as a surrogate; and Terry catches Mickey and Ian in flagrante.
- 19
Fiona makes a fateful decision about the future of her and her siblings, and recruits Lip for a plan to forge Aunt Ginger's will, but first they need a dead body. Meanwhile, Carl and Debbie deal with life in their foster homes; Frank sobers up in preparation for a court date; and Timmy Wong and his mother come to Sheila's for Hymie.
- 20
A manhunt goes out for Frank after he heads off on a Friday bender and uncharacteristically fails to show up to cash his disability check. Later, he turns up in Toronto with no memory of how he got there.
- 21
Frank works a scam on a cancer foundation; and Fiona is shocked to learn what she must do for a job as a grocery-store cashier and teams with Veronica to get back at the manager. Meanwhile, crusader Lip hunts down sex offenders in the neighborhood.
- 22
Carl heads to cancer camp, where the facility's activities leave a lot to be desired, while Frank goes on babysitting duty and Sheila plans to introduce Jody to "toy time." Later, Fiona rallies coworkers against the boss; Lip and Mandy rescue her half sister from foster care; and Jimmy gets bad news about his parents.
- 23
Fiona goes wild and violates multiple terms of her probation by partying with Robbie's degenerate friends. A search for her gets underway when she fails to contact anyone.
- 24
The Fickle Lady is Calling it Quits
Kev and V announce their big news. Lip has some promising leads on selling the house, forcing Debbie to reevaluate her future and her history of regrettable love interests. Ian and Mickey try to adjust to a vastly different life on the West Side. Carl's commitment to the force is challenged when he's reassigned to an unglamorous police unit. Liam reminds Frank of everything that makes Frank, Frank.
- 25
The family attempts to pull off a fake wedding when it is revealed that Veronica comes from a wealthy family; Frank is given bad medical news and doesn't do such a good job of handling it; and Steve goes cruising for a new car, with Fiona along for the ride.
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