Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 29, 2016

It probably goes without saying that it’s a good deal easier to believe in a rational universe and some kind of beneficent Divine Presence when things are going at least relatively well. The true test of faith comes when events take a turn for the worse, and that’s part of how Shameless begins its sixth season, as Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) attempts to come to grips with what was a willful if seemingly random tragedy which occurred in the series’ previous season. Frank is not exactly a well adjusted character to begin with, as fans of the series will no doubt be aware. Frank is kind of the poster child for everything certain corners of the American body politic claim is wrong with our nation: he’s a more or less unrepentant alcoholic, despite giving occasional lip service to so-called 12 step rubrics, and he has a gaggle of kids he’s fathered through the years, none of whom he’s parented very effectively, if at all. He is a serial philanderer, and he’s also a machinating schemer who has learned the ins and outs of the American welfare system, playing it like a well tuned violin. But as the sixth season of Shameless gets underway, Frank is actually experiencing something that comes awfully close to good old actual honest human emotion, and that causes this problematic character to finally give in to one of the prime concepts of 12 step philosophy, namely the recognition that there’s some kind of higher power one can appeal to in order to strengthen one’s resolve against the incursions of addictive behavior. What is an addict to do, though, when a recognition of a higher power comes hand in hand with an anxiety filled question of, “Why?” Frank is consumed with needing to find a reason for the tragedy which has visited his life, as if his years of bad behavior wouldn’t suggest some kind of karmic retribution giving him a little “hint” as to what such shenanigans can ultimately foster. It's a rather interesting philosophical conundrum that suggests even those in the throes of some kind of spiritual crisis can have at least brief moments of self reflection, even if those moments don't ultimately add up to actual behavioral changes.

For those wanting to catch up on the Shameless saga thus far, our reviews of the series' previous seasons can be found here:

Shameless: The Complete First Season Blu-ray review

Shameless: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray review

Shameless: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray review

Shameless: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray review

Shameless: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray review

Note: A couple of plot developments alluded to below might be considered "spoilers" by some. Those folks are encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.

It can be a little hard to know at times how to react to Shameless. Each episode begins with a pretty snarky “recap” which offers a character lambasting the audience for not being up to speed. OK—post modern irony mixed with a bit of meta fourth wall breaking is fine, but then the series never really actually exploits these elements itself. Whereas Shameless: The Complete Fifth Season struggled to find real traction with at least some of its dark humor due to the oppressive nature of so many characters experiencing such angst, the sixth season takes a surprisingly cheeky tone toward the tragedy that Frank is recovering from as the season opens. It may not be “laugh out loud” material, but it’s bleakly amusing, at least in dribs and drabs. (Once again Frank is introduced more or less comatose, this time in a graveyard.)

The series is never content to let characters experience the joys of everyday life, and instead Shameless repeatedly snatches anxiety from the jaws of happiness. Debbie (Emma Kenney) and Fiona (Emmy Rossum) each have their own encounter with either planned or unplanned pregnancies, and in this particular subplot, some actual touching emotions are on display. Back on the cheeky side of things, though, another sidebar involving Mickey (Noel Fisher), who’s in stir now, kind of goes the Orange Is the New Black route, suggesting that imprisonment can be played for “fun and profit” if one is so inclined. One of the funnier bits is an escalating series of horrors that visits Yanis (Will Sasso), whose tendency to rev his motorcycle engine too loudly leads to a number of unexpected consequences.

More soap operatic content tends to accrue around an ongoing struggle for the Gallagher clan to actually stay in their dilapidated house. This part of the sixth season seemed overly contrived to me, almost like one of those old vaudeville routines with the wax mustachioed bad guy demanding rent from the hysterical woman. Somewhat along the same lines, though arguably less manipulative feeling, are struggles experienced at Alibi. Meanwhile troubles of another kind rise up at Patsy's Pies, a situation which would seem to threaten Fiona on every front, but which is here played almost more for its impact on interrelationships between Fiona and Sean (Dermot Mulroney), or even Fiona and Carl (Ethan Cutkosky).

Part of the issue with Shameless is that it tends to wander from character to character, often without a ton of bridging material, which gives it a kind of feeling of vignettes being strung together rather than one organically evolving story. Still, this sixth season of Shameless actually resonated with me personally a bit more consistently than the fifth season did. It may simply be that the show’s odd combination of grim humor and gritty dysfunction has finally worn down whatever critical resistance I had last season, or perhaps the writing is in fact a bit sharper and better defined this season.

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This sixth at bat for the series follows in the same generally excellent if intentionally kind of drab and grimy footsteps of the show's previous seasons. This season perhaps indulges in a bit more color grading at times, offering a lot of blue tinted looks at the neighborhood surrounding the Gallagher home. Fine detail is still quite excellent, especially in close-ups where elements like Frank's stubbly beard are presented with clarity and precision. The series tends to exploit what look like natural lighting regimens, and that can lead to occasional deficits in shadow definition, especially in some dimly lit interior scenes. There are no issues with image instability.

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with previous seasons of the show, Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season offers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that attains its best surround activity when it details some of the ambient environmental sounds of the Gallagher neighborhood or in crowded sequences at the Alibi or Patsy's Pies. Otherwise, the series tends to feature dialogue scenes that frequently involve only two characters at a time, and as such audio immersion is typically at least relatively limited. Fidelity is excellent throughout the series and there is no damage or distortion of any kind to report.

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 20:30)

Disc Two

• Shamelessly Shanola (1080p; 8:55) is a behind the scenes tour hosted by Shanola Hampton.


• Running the Table: A Shameless Conversation (1080p; 11:38) features a kind of "forced casual" chat around a pool table.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 14:21)

Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If I found the drama a bit more convincing than the humor in the fifth season of Shameless, the reverse is probably true for my reaction to this sixth year. Some of the admittedly very black comedy actually hit its target pretty well for me this year, especially in relatively little throwaway moments like Yanis' ongoing traumas. The drama on the other hand seemed at least intermittently manipulative and overwrought, but through it all a slate of top tier performers offer characters who are lived in and at least relatively believable within the often hyperbolic context of the series. Technical merits continue to be strong, and Shameless: The Complete Sixth Season comes Recommended.