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It around ten months ago that I started and finished watching Shameless on Showtime. After looking up the show, catching up on things I may have missed out on, I discovered that Shameless was actually an American adaptation. Since I enjoyed the American version so much, I decided that I would leave it be. Never even search for the British original. Unlucky for me, Netflix made it quite convenient to watch the original Shameless. What is a television lover to do? Do I keep on ignoring it, keeping my curious mind distant from the source materials of one of my favorite programs of 2011, or do I give into temptation and watch Shameless U.K.? I ignore it, that is what I did. Well for a couple of weeks anyway. 

Last month, I went ahead and dove into the first series of the original. No further. I was amazed to find that James McAvoy was part of the cast. But besides that  It turns out, the American remake has the same exact storylines as the original. You have the same characters, put into the same situations, with the same results. The only difference was that the British original felt to be more of an abridged version of the series. The American remake expands diligently on the scenarios, providing the characters more time to deal with one another and become more dynamic. While the original relies on a narrator to fill the viewer in on the going on of the characters, the American adaptation goes beyond that by eliminating the the episode’s speaker and actually display the action as it happens. This is the main reason why I enjoyed the American version of Shameless better than the original. It gives me a better chance to connect with the characters, feel excited or despair in the plot, and actually wonder what happens next.

It may be unpopular to say, but I really enjoy the American version of Shameless more than the British. And as the second season begins to a slow start, it retains the same feel. While the characters continue to be the ones we were introduced to, I can see evolution is coming. Both shows are fantastic in their own ways. The only problem I have with the British original is that I now realize, I have difficulties understanding drunk cockney. Now the big question is, should I continue on to series two of the original?