Showtime’s longest-running scripted original drama, Shameless, was an American remake of Paul Abbott’s British series of the same name. The US version became a major success in its own right, running for 11 seasons and 134 episodes, while gradually moving beyond close early adaptations to develop its own characters, stories and themes.

The original Shameless premiered on Channel 4 in 2004, following Frank Gallagher and his six children on a fictional Manchester council estate; it drew on Abbott’s working-class upbringing. It won the 2005 BAFTA for Best Drama Series and ran for 139 episodes until 2013. HBO initially considered the American adaptation but passed, after which producer John Wells took it to Showtime; from its second season onwards, the US series increasingly diverged from its source.