The American adaptation of Shameless was highly beloved during its 10-year run on Showtime, and the best Shameless episodes feature a little bit of everything. With over 100 episodes to choose from, Shameless has cranked out some major audience favorites over its 11 seasons. Some episodes are praised over others for particularly poignant moments of character development, others are chock-full of hilarious quotes, and a few of them simply have outrageous plots that need to be seen to be believed. What makes Shameless such an incredible show is its characters, and everyone has a favorite Gallagher family member whose progress is closely tracked with each progressive season.

Based on a UK show of the same name, Shameless followed the down-on-their-luck Gallagher clan as they lived and schemed in Chicago. Since patriarch Frank decided to take on the role of an absent father, eldest daughter Fiona ran the Gallagher household prior to actress Emmy Rossum’s season 9 exit. Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam faced a lot of challenges and intriguing arcs as the series went on, each of them being the subject of the best Shameless episodes at one time or another. While the Shameless series finale saw unsatisfying endings for certain characters, audiences can’t help but look back fondly at some of the show’s greatest installments.

15

“Summertime”

Season 2, Episode 1

Season 2’s “Summertime” kicked off the second chapter of Shameless with a bang. After the explosive first season, the debut episode of the second had the hefty task of setting the characters in new directions. Thankfully, the season 2 premiere turned out to be one of the best Shameless episodes, bringing a nostalgic summertime feel and providing a strong opening.

Not pulling any punches, the episode opens with a bang that sees one of Frank’s most shameless moments as he offers up baby Liam as collateral on a bad bet. Though the characters would all do more shocking things as the series progressed, the first episode let the viewer know exactly what to expect from the sophomore season of Shameless. The episode also featured an incredibly strong side-plot involving Veronica and Kevin when Veronic discovered Kevin and their adopted daughter, Ethel, had been growing Cannabis together.

14

“Pilot”

Season 1, Episode 1

Pilot episodes have the biggest job of all in a TV series, and they are usually what makes or breaks a show going forward. When it comes to Shameless, the pilot remains one of the best episodes in the show overall, and was a sign of just how great the story of the Gallagher family would go on to be. The series had an extremely strong start, and it’s no surprise at all that the pilot is still considered one of the best Shameless episodes.

Audiences immediately loved it for its crass and unflinching humor, and the pilot episode had that in spades. The reason it is considered an all-time great pilot episode is that it never sacrifices its tone in favor of exposition. The series has a lot of characters, but the pilot finds a balance between the necessary introductions and inciting incidents, and the usual jokes that viewers would come to love.

13

“A Yurt Of One’s Own”

Season 6, Episode 9

“A Yurt Of One’s Own” came as the ninth episode of Shameless season 6, and was considered by many to be a return to form after something of a dip for the show. Though viewers were less enthused with Shameless after its halfway point, that wasn’t to say that the show couldn’t deliver a great one-off now and then.

This season 6 installment is one of the best episodes of Shameless because it provides nonstop laughs from start to finish as Frank attempts to navigate life in a commune. The Gallagher family was funny enough when they interacted with each other, but their journeys out into the world were usually comedy gold. While the episode did little to move the story along, it offered fans some memorable and funny moments that reminded many of the humor of the earlier seasons.

12

“Just Like The Pilgrims Intended”

Season 2, Episode 11

Holiday episodes are a staple of the small screen, and Shameless didn’t shy away from this when it delivered an incredibly memorable episode based around Thanksgiving in season 2. Thanksgiving with the Gallagher family turned out to be an increasingly wild affair in one of the best Shameless episodes, with plenty of moments that showcase why the show is so popular.

The installment “Just Like the Pilgrims Intended” took one unexpected turn after another as Fiona tried her best to give the family a traditional Thanksgiving, but life simply kept getting in the way. The clan was taken through the wringer as Monica, unfortunately, had a suicide attempt, Carl managed to shoot a bald eagle, and Karen went into labor. A lot of plot threads came to a head in this installment, with Steve allowing Marco to take his identity and Lip realizing Karen’s baby isn’t his.

11

“A Night To Remem… Wait, What?”

Season 5, Episode 4

The entire point of the show is that the Gallagher family isn’t afraid to do terrible things, but some of the best Shameless episodes made it clearer than others. However, one of the best showcases of just how low the Gallagher family members will sink came in the episode “A Night To Remem… Wait, What?”.

In this Shameless installment, the fourth episode of season 4, Frank demonstrates his true depravity and blows his entire insurance settlement in one evening. The episode showed in hilariously tragic detail why the Gallagher family can’t get ahead in life. Though the story had viewers squirming in their seats from second-hand embarrassment, it also offered an interesting insight into the ineffectual patriarch of the family and cemented Frank as one of Shameless‘ most hated characters.

10

“Survival Of The Fittest”

Season 3, Episode 12

The earlier season finales were often some of the best Shameless episodes, and the season 3 ending — “Survival Of The Fittest” — stands out as one of the best Shameless season finales of the series’ entire run. Most of all, this was one of the very select few Shameless installments that saw triumph and good times ahead for the Gallaghers.

Lip had made a series of poor choices, but he finally graduated from high school in the season 3 finale. Lip’s success prompted a well-deserved party from Fiona and co, and the installment was tinged with joy as Lip prepared to be the first Gallagher to go off to college. Of course, this arc doesn’t see a happy ending for Lip, but audiences didn’t have to know that yet. The episode also featured memorable appearances from several recurring characters, such as Veronica’s mother Carol (Vanessa Bell Calloway), and there’s also an emotional moment when Sheila says her farewells to Karen and baby Hymie.

9

“The Sins Of My Caretaker”

Season 3, Episode 5

Bad actions have consequences, and many of the best Shameless episodes featured the Gallagher clan repenting for a previous sin. The season 3 episode “The Sins of My Caretaker” saw a lot of consequences for the Gallaghers, and many conflicting stories were artfully woven together by the writing team. The plot of the episode are top-tier levels of the kind of bombastic narratives Shameless is beloved for. The plot is incredibly centered on Frank, who is desperately trying to find the bones of his Aunt Ginger who died of a cocaine overdose before she’s discovered by city worker’s doing essential maintenance on the Chicago sewer system.

TV has the unique challenge of telling an overarching story while also presenting enclosed stories within each episode. “The Sins of My Caretaker” was a perfect example of the Shameless writer’s ability to turn a borderline-ridiculous premise into an incredibly cohesive story. On top of that, it pays off an older set-up by having the family literally dig into their past to avoid getting into trouble with the law.

8

“Found”

Season 9, Episode 14

Season 9 was Emmy Rossum’s final one before leaving Shameless, and showrunners tried to up the ante while setting up the other characters’ arcs to fill her spot. The 14th episode of season 9, “Found”, gave Fiona a sentimental sendoff and was subsequently one of the best episodes of Shameless. Given that it was Emmy Rossum’s last appearance, “Found” is understandably filled with plenty of emotional moments, and it’s these that make the episode so memorable.

The most poignant moment of the installment was the expression on Frank’s face when he saw Fiona with a suitcase, now realizing that the true head of the household was going off on her own. The episode did a great job of seeing Fiona off while setting up large-scope plots for the rest of the characters, and there was nary a dry eye in the house.

7

“Iron City”

Season 4, Episode 6

Though viewers have some unpopular opinions about Fiona on Shameless, the fourth season of the show went a long way to flesh her out and had one of the best Shameless episodes, “Iron City”. This episode of Shameless was memorable for several reasons, but a key one is that it saw Fiona Gallagher at her lowest moment.

Continuing the story from the previous episode, which saw Liam in an incredibly serious accident and Fiona behind bars in the county jail, “Iron City” eschews most of the over-the-top humor in favor of a darker turn. Fiona’s bad decisions come back to harm the people she cares for, and she is put in a difficult spot among all the other bad news in the episode. While it may not be the funniest installment, “Iron City” showed off the drama that fans of Shameless had come to expect.

6

“Requiem For A Slut”

Season 7, Episode 12

The season 7 finale, “Requiem For A Slut”, also went on to be considered one of the best episodes of Shameless, as Monica’s death brings about something rarely experienced by the Gallagher clan — peace. This installment saw the Gallaghers plan Monica’s funeral in the midst of their complex feelings toward their mother, ranging from rage to indifference.

“Requiem for a Slut” was truly an exploration into each Gallagher’s siblings psyche as they experienced endings and new beginnings. Debbie starts welding, Lip continues AA, Carl comes back from military school, and Fiona finds herself as the owner of an apartment building. Of course, the emotional premise of the episode didn’t diminish from the comedic moments, with Frank cooking up a new scam that he wants the Gallagher kids to be part of. It was also the time that Monica’s father, Bill (John Aylward) appeared in Shameless.

5

“There’s The Rub”

Season 4, Episode 5

Season 4 included many of the best Shameless episodes, and not just because they were among the funniest. The fourth season contained some of the best emotional storytelling throughout the show’s run, as evidenced by season 4, episode 5, “There’s The Rub”. If “Iron City” was the brilliant pay-off, “There’s the Rub” was the crucial setup. The episode saw one of Fiona’s worst moments on Shameless when she accidentally left cocaine out and Liam got into it.

As with other great installments of the show, the strongest aspect of “There’s the Rub” is its ability to balance different narrative threads without detracting from any of them. Fiona is the central focus of the episode, but her story never takes away from anyone else’s. In the end, the threads all come together in a memorable pay-off that had implications for future episodes.

4

“Happily Ever After”

Season 7, Episode 11

Just like season 4, season 7 was a high-point for Shameless, and contained several of the strongest episodes in the series. The penultimate installment in season 7, “Happily Ever After”, is probably the most bittersweet of the show and, subsequently, one of the best Shameless episodes. Before Monica passes one installment later, she and Frank decide to renew their vows. The episode was the final episode to feature Monica, and also seemed to suggest that Frank had fixed his relationship with Fiona, Lip and Debbie (though this peace was, of course, short-lived).

While Lip and Fiona feel that this gesture is something akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, the episode highlights their subtle hopes as they explore what they really needed from their parents, and what they got instead. Fiona and Lip know full well what little their folks are capable of giving, but still hold out hope and think about all the things that could’ve been.

3

“Crazy Love”

Season 5, Episode 6

Featuring most of the best characters on Shameless, the fifth season is seen by many fans as the strongest of the series and contains many of the best Shameless episodes as a result, though none can top episode 6, “Crazy Love”. Though it is a regular-length installment, “Crazy Love” had the feeling of an extra-long special.

“Crazy Love” contained a phenomenal number of shocking and memorable moments, and showcased just how much of a rollercoaster for viewers Shameless could be when it was at its best. Between Steve’s shocking return, Ian’s strange road trip, and Sammi’s hostile takeover of the Gallagher house, there is so much going on in one contained story. The true strength of the episode is that each thread gets its own satisfying conclusion but still left plenty of implications for events later on in the show.

2

“Emily”

Season 4, Episode 11

The penultimate episode of Shameless season 4 — episode 11, “Emily” — had massive implications on the ongoing narrative and set up what season 5 would eventually pay off. “Emily” turned out to be one of the best Shameless episodes, and saw a rare moment of remorse from Frank when he realizes what he’s done to Fiona.

“Emily” is one of several episodes of Shameless that truly showed the power of the series and finds the Gallaghers once again paying for past transgressions. The episode is packed with building tension as everything seems to get worse and worse, and viewers often found themselves gasping as much as they laughed. The season 4 episode had many integral moments, such as Mickey finally coming out the closet to his family and Fiona landing in a correctional facility.

1

“Lazarus”

Season 4, Episode 12

After setting up a tremendous amount in “Emily”, the last episode of Shameless season 4 was tasked with paying it all off — and it did so in spades, becoming one of the very best Shameless episodes. The season 4 finale brought all of the plot-threads established in the previous 11 episodes to a head in a masterful fashion, and to this day is widely regarded as the strongest episode of Shameless in the show’s run.

The brilliance of “Lazarus” is that it seems, like its name implies, to bring some characters back to life. “Emily” left the story in a bleak place, while “Lazarus” walked back some of the things that seemed most dour about the previous installment, creating many intricate and unexpected twists and turns. Despite that, the episode isn’t all fun and games and helps to set up what the characters are doing moving forward in future seasons of Shameless.