Netflix fans are just finding out the US version of this hit UK show is so much better
Netflix viewers are just finding out about this hit American show, which was inspired by an early 2000's Channel 4 show - and they can't get enough of it.
Shameless UK was adapted by American producer John Wells, who brought to life a US version of the show. The show has been on Netflix since 2018 and has been a hit with viewers ever since.
The UK edition of the show started in 2004 and ran for 11 series before ending in 2013. Although the US version started much later in 2011, running for the same amount of seasons before ending in 2021.
If you haven't watched either the US or UK versions of Shameless, it tells the story of a poor, dysfunctional family who have Frank Gallagher as their father. Frank is a neglectful, narcissistic, substance dependent, single dad of six - Fiona, Philip, Ian, Debbie, Carl and Liam - who spends his days getting high or drunk. To survive, the family gets involved in crime, drugs and affairs to make money.
The UK version is written and produced by Paul Abbott and set in a fictional estate called Chatsworth in Manchester. While the US version was adapted from Paul's version by John Wells and is set in the South Side neighbourhood in Chicago.
Although the two versions have the same characters and character development, it is a completely different show altogether. After the first two seasons the US version veered off in its own directions - meaning there is little in common between the two other than some basic personality traits and background.
Shameless US boasts an all-star cast that includes William H. Macy, Jeremy Allen White, Joan Cusack, Steve Howey, Emmy Rossum, and Cameron Monaghan. The show draws attention to American social issues such as healthcare, addiction and the welfare system, while sticking to lighthearted humour.
Fans have taken to Reddit to discuss what version of the series is better, with the US version coming out as a clear winner.
One user wrote: "Being from the UK, I initially fell in love with the original shameless. As much as I still like it, US shameless will always be one of my favourites. Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 have a special place in my heart."
While one fan simply stated: "The UK version is awful." Another user commented on the lack of depth in the UK version, stating: "US by far tried the UK first episode and just couldn't get into it and no flavour what so ever."
A fourth chimed in, favouring the US cast, saying: "The cast of the UK version alone is enough to make me not want to watch it. None of them are appealing in any ways at all."
The show has been on Netflix since 2018, but it has just been revealed the series will be leaving the streaming platform in September 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Beyonce is now halfway to earning EGOT status after surprise award win
Beyonce is now halfway to coveted EGOT status after earning a milestone win this week. Over the course of her nearly 30-year career, the superstar, 43, has won a historic 35 Grammy Awards — the most ever for a recording artist or group. And on Tuesday, it was revealed that Beyonce has finally earned her first-ever Emmy Award after 12 nominations. The mother-of-three and the team behind Netflix 's Beyonce Bowl special, which aired in December 2024, won in the Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming category, according to E! Online. Also sharing in the Emmy glory is Beyonce Bowl costume designer, Shiona Turini, as well as the show's costume supervisor, Chelsea Staebell, head of workroom, Timothy White, and assistant costume designers, Erica Rice and Molly Peters. The honor will be awarded to Beyonce and her team during the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys, which will occur one week prior to the Primetime Emmy Awards, on Sunday, September 7 in Los Angeles. Beyonce still has a chance to take home two more Emmys as Beyonce Bowl is also up for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, which will be announced at the Creative Arts Emmys, and Outstanding Variety Special, which is a Primetime Emmy Awards category. Beyonce Bowl — officially advertised as the NFL 2024 Christmas Day Halftime Show — premiered live on Netflix on December 25, 2024 during the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. It was held at NRG Stadium in Beyonce's hometown of Houston, Texas. Produced by Beyonce's Parkwood Entertainment, the 13-minute show saw Beyonce perform numerous hits off her controversial, Grammy Award-winning country album, Cowboy Carter, which was released in April 2024. The star was accompanied by 500 performers, including rappers Shaboozey, Post Malone and Beyonce's eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, 13. According to Netflix, Beyonce Bowl drew in over 27 million viewers in the United States. Beyonce's costume for the show reflected her Cowboy Carter aesthetic, which is an homage to her Texas roots as well as Black Southern history and rodeo culture. She modeled a custom white cowboy hat, which was styled with a matching glitzy white bodysuit and chaps. Beyonce Bowl premiered live on Netflix on December 25, 2024 during the game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans; Beyonce seen during the 2024 halftime concert Beyonce's look was just one of 'over 400 carefully curated costumes' made for the Netflix special, according to costume designer Shiona Turini. Turini called Beyonce Bowl a 'historic moment' in an Instagram post shared last year and added that she was 'forever grateful to be a part of this iconic performance.' Since 2013 Beyonce has earned 12 Emmy nominations for her acclaimed forays into visual media. She first was nominated for her Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards before earning nods for On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Lemonade and Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé in the years that followed. In 2022, she receoved a Dayime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Song for a Series for her mother Tina Knowles' show, Talks with Mama Tina. Earlier this year, Beyonce earned her first Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding Opening/Tease for Beyoncé: Meet Team USA. Despite being an experienced actress — having starred in the Austin Powers franchise and in the acclaimed 2006 musical Dreamgirls — Beyonce didn't earn an Oscar nomination until 2022. She was nominated in the Best Original Song category for 'Be Alive' from the Will Smith-led biopic King Richard. As of 2025, Beyonce has yet to make her mark in the Broadway world despite having both singing and acting talent. However, her Destiny's Child bandmate Michelle Williams recently made a splash on Broadway in the stage adaptation of Death Becomes Her. News of Beyonce's Emmy win comes just weeks after she wrapped her record-breaking Cowboy Carter tour. The star's final show was held at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on July 26 and featured a surprise appearance from her longtime husband, Jay-Z. She brought him out to perform his rap verse in their classic 2003 hit Crazy in Love. Beyonce stepped aside during the hit song for Jay-Z to perform, before strutting up to him to share a sweet kiss in front of 90,000 fans. Elsewhere during the final Vegas gig, Beyonce reunited with her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for a medley of 2000s hits, Bootylicious and Lose My Breath. The performance sent die-hard fans into a frenzy, with many declaring it the 'perfect ending' to Beyonce's tour. However, the 32-date stadium tour was plagued with a string of incidents from poor ticket sales, on-stage tech malfunctions to choreography issues. Fans feared for Beyonce's safety during her hometown show in Houston, Texas on June 29 when the red convertible she rides high above the crowd on during her performance of 16 Carriages tilted dangerously, threatening to throw the Cowboy Carter singer off the car and into the audience. Despite the scare, Beyonce returned to the main stage and finished the performance like the consummate professional she is. After the show, the superstar's team released a statement addressing the incident. 'Tonight in Houston, at NRG Stadium, a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyoncé uses to circle the stadium, and see her fans up close, to tilt. 'She was quickly lowered and no one was injured. The show continued without incident,' Parkwood Entertainment said.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
'I hate modern dating after hosting one of Netflix's biggest ever shows'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In a world of reality TV showmances, wannabe influencers and frustratingly toxic men, Love Is Blind UK hosts Emma and Matt Willis are a breath of fresh air amid the deluge of dating shows. I was completely charmed by the celebrity couple last year when I interviewed them for the first season of the long-awaited UK spin-off of one of Netflix's most popular reality shows. They were endearingly nervous about their debut as a married couple helming a show about finding love, shared playful quips about what to order for lunch and had a quiet confidence that proved their real-life and on-screen chemistry. When I met up with them again this year for Metro to discuss season 2, which launches today, the nerves had evaporated, but all the charm had, happily, stayed. For those not in the know, the premise of the hit reality show is all about proving that lasting love is so much more than skin deep. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So, 30 people ready for marriage date each other in 'pods' for a week, getting to know each other from behind a wall without seeing each other, and the lucky couples who make a connection get engaged. By the end of the experiment, after meeting one another in the flesh and spending time together in the outside world, they must decide whether they will say 'I do' at the altar. Throughout the process, our trusty co-hosts jet in and out to guide them through from one stage to the next. As we kick off our chat about their return, the 17 years of marriage between the Big Brother presenter and Busted star shines through when I point out their matching blue clothes. 'Last year, we were quite nervous. This year, we were much more relaxed,' Emma says about returning to the show. They were well aware of the tough task ahead of them when launching the latest spin-off (there are currently eight international versions). 'We really wanted the UK one to be as good as all of the others and I think it surpassed our expectations, because it had everything. 'It had heart, it had a very British sense of humour,' the TV host adds, with hopes that season two meets the high standard season one set for fans. The British power couple, who share three children, have had their ups and downs over the years, but if hosting Love Is Blind has made them 'grateful' for one thing, it is that they met in the early 2000s before online dating took off. 'The one thing I've taken [from hosting the show] – and it's not so much a reflection on our relationship, but a reflection on the world of dating generally – is, I'm really glad I'm not single,' Emma says. 'I wouldn't want to be on dating apps. I know a lot of people on them, and they just moan about them all the time. I think I'd get so frustrated with doing everything on a device.' The idea of meeting organically (a more and more foreign concept for Gen Z) is what attracted them to this show in the first place. 'I think that is a whole world better than trying to navigate [the] beginning of a relationship through a phone, which must be so difficult,' Emma adds. Matt agrees: 'Absolutely, I think messages can get so misconstrued.' When I ask them about their dating app green and red flags, we briefly go on a side tangent about the turn-off factor of posting a photo of yourself holding a fish (it's a whole thing) to a completely baffled Emma. As such, Matt decides a fish picture 'doesn't sound cool' while Emma ponders hers would 'probably be an overly posed picture'. 'I think if it were someone in a pair of shorts and nothing else… I'm getting the ick just thinking about it,' she jokes. So, naturally, I ask if the show had been around when they were single, would they have gone on it – and their answers explained a lot about why they are such a perfect fit. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Emma called the process 'fantastic' but had one caveat. 'I don't know if I could get married after six weeks because I'm a chronic overthinker and I like to know everything,' she admits with a wry smile. Matt, on the other hand, is ready to leap headfirst, joking, 'I could. I'd be like, 'Let's do it.'' He shares: 'I think it'd be really fun to see what that experience is like, talking to someone and doing the experiment. I think it'd be such an exciting thing to do.' Lucky for them, neither has to worry about getting hitched to a near-stranger in six weeks or navigating the treacherous world of Tinder. They'll happily watch on, however. Season one saw plenty of highs and lows, with fan-favourite couple Bobby and Jasmine recently announcing they're expecting their first child. It's clear both Emma and Matt are delighted, with the former recalling that the loved-up pair were 'hook, line and sinker from the beginning', and she could tell they were 'totally smitten' right up to the reunion. Matt adds he's 'so stoked for them'. Of course, the premiere season also included some controversial characters, not least Sam, who was briefly engaged to Nicole (now married to Benaiah), who became the latest 'toxic' reality TV man to spark concerned fan discourse. Viewers can expect different things from the new episodes, Emma teases. 'I think they're a really likeable cast. There's not really any divisive characters, I don't think. Obviously, Sam last year was quite a divisive character. I don't think we have a Sam,' she says. Love Is Blind marks the latest show the pair have jointly tackled in recent years, in addition to their candid therapy docuseries, Change Your Mind, Change Your Life. While working together might be out of the question for some couples, that's not the case for these two. Matt explains: '[I love] everything about [my] job, but then I always have to be away from Emma, away from the family. So the chance to work with her is brilliant. 'I've always been jealous of her job. I've been in a sweaty tour bus with stinky boys. This is way more fun, got a glam squad now, love it.' As for what's next, Emma is clearly enthusiastic about the future of their professional partnership, saying they're ready to do 'eight more seasons' of Love Is Blind. But they have other ideas brewing as well. 'I'd like to do something adventurous. I don't know if it's a travel show – just some kind of adventure. I love shows like Race Across the World. I think that's so much fun, but there's a point to it,' Emma says. More Trending As in sync as ever, Matt agrees. Who knows what's next for this dynamic duo, who are proving themselves to be a formidable force on British reality TV. For now, however, they have a brand new cohort of unlucky-in-love singles to welcome to the pods. So, let the blush-inducing courtship commence. The first four episodes of Love Is Blind UK season two are out now. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Season 2 of Netflix's 'ghoulish delight' lands 50,000,000 views in just days MORE: Netflix fans rush to binge 'funniest British TV comedy ever made' MORE: Cate Blanchett reveals how her Squid Game cameo was kept secret – and teases spin-off
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Snail face serum, anyone? How K-beauty took over the high street
W hen I started writing about beauty the most sought-after appointments on Harley Street were with French doctors. Whether Botox, lasers or peels, everyone wanted them with a touch of Gallic je ne sais quoi. Some 25 years on, it's all about the Korean doctors — or at the very least Korean technology. K-pop fever may be sweeping the nation — the girl band Blackpink will be taking over Wembley this weekend and KPop Demon Hunters is No 1 on Netflix — but this other, quieter Korean revolution has been taking over the beauty industry, and now, your make-up bag. That 'salmon sperm facial' everyone's raving about? Korea started it. Exosomes, the hot new ingredient popping up everywhere? Big in Korea ten years ago. Lasers that create tiny holes in the skin then squirt skin-boosting ingredients straight in? Korean. You get the picture.
