If You Loved 'Shameless', You'll Binge These 8 Dysfunctional Family Dramas, Ranked by IMDb
There are family dramas and dark comedies about survival in difficult circumstances, as well as stories about people who continue to fight despite everything.
In the early 2010s, Shameless unexpectedly evolved from just another adaptation of a British hit into a pop culture phenomenon. Viewers around the world were captivated by the Gallagher family's anarchy and unscrupulous dark humor.
While reproducing Shameless' wild energy is impossible, we've compiled a list of eight series that are sure to appeal to nostalgic viewers.
8. 'SMILF', 2017-2019
IMDb Score: 6.8/10
Bridgette is a single mother trying to build a personal life and a career while facing constant financial and time constraints. Any plans she makes are dashed by a gray reality that offers no room for stability.
The series has an almost autobiographical tone and candor, as if the creators were adapting the real-life diary of a single mother.
This results in an unexpected advantage: a rejection of conventional dramaturgy and an emphasis on a fragmented narrative of everyday vignettes and seemingly insignificant yet absurd events.
7. 'Single Drunk Female', 2022-2023
IMDb Score: 6.8/10
Following a public scandal and shameful dismissal, Samantha is forced to return to her hometown, where she must begin her journey to sobriety under the watchful eye of her strict mother.
Single Drunk Female offers a unique perspective on such stories, presenting not a chronicle of a fall but rather a slow attempt to rebuild a life.
The show honestly depicts how addiction distorts the heroine's self-esteem, social connections, and everyday decisions. At the same time, the creators don't shy away from humor – irony helps them avoid excessive moralizing and makes the story livelier.
6. 'Weeds', 2005-2012
IMDb Score: 7.9/10
After her husband's death, Nancy Botwin is left alone with two children and a mountain of financial problems. In order to maintain her standard of living in the countryside, she starts selling marijuana, first to neighbors and then to increasingly dangerous clients.
Weeds is a witty yet dark satire of the American dream. The series starts as a light comedy about an enterprising housewife but evolves into a chronicle of moral decay over time.
5. 'Nurse Jackie', 2009-2015
IMDb Score: 7.9/10
Jackie is an experienced nurse who excels at her job at a hospital in New York. She saves patients' lives effortlessly, but simultaneously ruins her own. Jackie is addicted to painkillers and will lie to get more.
With 24 Emmy nominations to back it up, Nurse Jackie is one of the most successful series in its genre. The show excels at a rare blend of genres – it's a medical drama, a dark comedy, and an exploration of addiction all at once.
The series neither romanticizes nor demonizes Jackie's destructive behavior. Instead, the creators consistently demonstrate how professional competence can coexist with personal degradation.
4. 'United States of Tara', 2009-2011
IMDb Score: 8.0/10
On the surface, Tara seems to be the perfect wife and mother of two, but she's actually going through a rough patch. She suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which means several different personalities coexist within her. These personas range from an aggressive rebel to a 1950s housewife.
These personas awaken at the most inopportune moments and regularly interfere with family life. Her loved ones try to be patient, but predicting her behavior is impossible.
United States of Tara transforms the domestic chaos of Shameless into a psychological force. The source of instability in this family's life is not poverty, but rather the main character's devastating diagnosis.
3. 'You're the Worst', 2014-2019
IMDb Score: 8.1/10
Jimmy and Gretchen are cynics who revel in self-destruction. Much to the surprise of many, especially themselves, they start dating.
However, due to their despicable personalities, their romance is replaced by toxicity, manipulation, and emotional immaturity. Their friends and acquaintances watch with interest, wondering if these two incorrigible people can make it work.
2. 'Brassic', 2019-2025
IMDb Score: 8.4/10
In the English countryside, Vinnie, a small-time con man, and his friends live from one adventure to the next – they scrape by on dubious scams and odd jobs.
Their world revolves around strong friendships, impulsive decisions, and a knack for escaping any situation, no matter how dire.
Brassic is a worthy successor to Shameless for fans of the Gallaghers and their diverse criminal adventures. The con games are presented in a comedic manner as the characters devise one idiotic scheme after another to get out of debt or evade surveillance by the authorities.
1. 'The Bear', 2022-2026
IMDb Score: 8.5/10
Following his brother Mikey's suicide, young chef Carmy must return to his hometown of Chicago and take the reins at his family's diner.
He must balance his culinary ambitions with making signature sandwiches and trying to keep the business afloat. Every day brings thoughts of debt, arguments with a toxic team, and the desire to quit.
The Bear and Shameless are similar in that they're both stories about how a dysfunctional family stifles a child's potential.
