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William H. Macy, Joan Cusack light up Shameless, special preview

By April MacIntyre Dec 8, 2010, 18:42 GMT

01/17/2010 - Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy - 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals - The Beverly Hilton Hotel - Beverly Hills, CA, USA © Bob Charlotte / PR Photos

"Shameless" is set to preview the first 20 minutes for a nationwide audience immediately following the season five finale of "Dexter."

The show will air Sunday December 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The Shameless preview will be available to Showtime subscribers on-air and on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, and to a nationwide audience online on SHO.com. Due to mature content, the online preview will require age verification.

"Shameless" will premiere on Showtime on January 9, 2011 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The new drama series from Emmy Award winners John Wells and Paul Abbott is based on the long-running hit UK series and stars Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum.  Joan Cusack is the series' special guest star.

Macy plays Frank Gallagher, a far-from-stellar working-class patriarch of an unconventional Chicago brood of six motley kids whose eldest daughter (Rossum) keeps the home afloat while he’s out drinking and carousing. Cusack plays the role of Sheila, an agoraphobic Chicago housewife who strikes up a special friendship with Frank.

The series also stars Justin Chatwin, Ethan Cutkosky, Shanola Hampton,  Steve Howey,  Emma Kenney, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White and Laura Slade Wiggins.