Meet Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy): proud, working-class patriarch to a motley brood of six smart, spirited and independent kids who, without him, would be... better off. In Frank's booze-addled view, parenting just eats into his hard-earned bar-crawling and carousing time around Chicago -- so he leaves it to eldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum) to hold down the fort. Bearing the de facto parent badge/burden, she's donned the proverbial apron and makes sure her younger siblings do their chores, keep a clean(ish) home and feed the kitty -- the Gallagher family fund jar -- because the gas bill is due, and everyone (no matter how small) works to keep the house lights on, as well as food on the table. Brothers Lip , Ian and Carl use their intellect to break every rule in the book to survive and make the bank, while younger sister Debbie would sooner steal her share. The Gallaghers are irreverent, endearing, resilient -- and they're absolutely, wildly and unapologetically SHAMELESS.