Smallscreen News

William H. Macy in 'Shameless' on Showtime

By April MacIntyre Apr 9, 2010, 5:46 GMT

Felicity Huffman and husband William H. Macy Fame Pictures, Inc - Santa Monica, CA, USA

William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum with guest star Allison Janney highlight the cast for John Wells' "Shameless" on Showtime.

The network is bringing the adaptation of Shameless, the long-running British series, to American premium television starring Emmy Award winner William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum and guest starring Emmy Award winner Allison Janney in a recurring role. 

The cabler has ordered 12 episodes of the hour-long drama tracing the lives of a very unconventional family which will be executive produced by Wells and the series’ original creator Paul Abbott. 

Courtesy of Showtime

The series will start production at the end of summer 2010.

“We’re so happy to be bringing this richly textured drama about a dysfunctional blue-collar family to Showtime with two of the greatest television producers working today, John Wells and Paul Abbott,” said Showtime executive Robert Greenblatt. “And to have William H. Macy and this incredible cast bringing these original characters to life is an embarrassment of riches.”

"Paul Abbott and I have been plotting to bring Shameless to American audiences for several years now and we're delighted that Bob Greenblatt and Showtime have given us this wonderful opportunity,” said John Wells.   “We're remarkably fortunate to get to work with this exceptional cast led by Bill Macy and Emmy Rossum. We can't wait to get started bringing the raucous humor, ribald characters and political incorrectness of Paul's Shameless to Showtime."

Shameless is Abbott's roman à clef based on his own complicated life growing up in a working-class family with ten children.  For the U.S. version, the sprawling Gallagher family has been transplanted to working-class Chicago during the challenging times of today's recession. 

Making ends meet is always difficult especially with a mother who is AWOL and an alcoholic patriarch -- played by Macy -- who usually ends up passed out on the living room floor. Oldest daughter Fiona (Rossum) is left to the task of keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on track, a task that usually proves impossible.  The series also stars Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton, Steve Howey, Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy White and Laura Slade Wiggins Mark Mylod directed the pilot episode.