There is a quality at the show's core that pulls you in and makes you care very much about this weird, tight-knit, problem-filled family just enough to see where they'll go next.
Once you get past the shock value of seeing an elementary-schooler swilling a beer in plain sight of his family, who only seem mildly annoyed that he's drinking it: You find yourself rooting for the Gallagher kids.
If Shameless lives up to its pilot, it could fit nicely among cable's many have-it-both-ways dramas, the ones that wink at rock bottom while making you crave a drink.
Shameless may be a near-miss to start but it features such a strong cast along with one of the best TV showrunners out there in Wells that it could rise to the ranks of the Showtime greats before the end of the season.
