Shameless (season 4)


The fourth season of Shameless, an American comedy-drama television series based on the British series of the same name by Paul Abbott, premiered on January 12, 2014, at Sunday 9:00 p.m. EST on the Showtime television network. Executive producers are John Wells, Abbott and Andrew Stearn, with producer Michael Hissrich. The season concluded after 12 episodes on April 6, 2014. The show’s season premiere brought in 1.69 million viewers, while the episode airing February 2, "Strangers on a Train", received 1.22 million total viewers, its lowest rated episode of the season. The season finale scored 1.93 million viewers, becoming the show’s highest rated episode for the season.

Plot

Unlike previous seasons, the fourth season begins to shift into a darker tone, with the season's core stories mainly revolving around Fiona's sudden trouble with the law, and Frank's possible death. The beginning of the season is majorly different in comparison, revolving around Fiona getting past the disappearance of Jimmy and adjusting to her new job at Worldwide Cup. Keeping the family afloat, Fiona has begun dating her boss, Mike.
The lives of other characters have shifted: Lip no longer lives at the house, struggling to adjust to new life at college. Sheila finds solace in online dating, meeting a Native American cowboy with five children. Veronica is pregnant with triplets, though her initial surrogate mother is also pregnant. Stan unexpectedly dies, leaving Kevin with full ownership of the bar. Debbie is growing up as a teenager, and begins pining after an older boy, Matt. Mickey is depressed over the disappearance of Ian, and has a strained relationship with his wife, Svetlana. Mickey eventually tracks down Ian, who has gone AWOL from the army and now works at a sketchy gay bar with a new, odd behavior. Knowing that her husband is spending time with Ian, Svetlana begins to extort money from Mickey. During his son's christening, Mickey publicly comes out in The Alibi Room.
Frank is returned home from the police, to most of the family's dismay. Forced to stay on the wagon, Frank is desperate for a new liver, and reveals the existence of his oldest child, Sammi. To his surprise, Frank tracks Sammi down and finds out she lives in a trailer with her son, Chuckie. Frank makes a good impression on Sammi, who does not know that Frank is her father; Sammi is initially furious when she finds out the truth, but she eventually warms up to the idea of having a father. As she isn't a viable donor, Sammi cares for Frank as his health begins to deteriorate; Sheila, wanting to adopt the kids of her online boyfriend, marries Frank in order to increase her chances of winning custody, though she ultimately fails to do so. Frank is eventually given a last minute liver transplant after moving up the waiting list.
Fiona's life is drastically turned upside down on her birthday. Against her better judgement, Fiona has a secret affair with Mike's brother, Robbie. Mike has a case of trust issues from a previous relationship and is devastated when he finds out the truth, punching Robbie in the face and breaking up with Fiona once and for all. When Fiona is gifted a baggie of cocaine from Robbie, Fiona throws a party; Liam gets into the stash of cocaine and is found unconscious in the kitchen. As Liam is sent to the hospital, Fiona is arrested and lands in county jail, getting a rude awakening. Originally put on house arrest, Fiona goes on a bender and breaks her curfew; she is sent to a correctional facility for a 90-day sentence, wrecking havoc for the rest of the family.
Fiona's arrest leaves parental duties on Lip; some unexpected assistance comes from Lip's roommate's girlfriend, Amanda, who he eventually begins dating. Lip begins to put his previous relationship with Mandy behind him; Mandy continues to be beaten by her abusive boyfriend, Kenyatta. Meanwhile, Ian finally turns up after being missing from the family; his new behavior concerns both Mickey and the rest of the family, who compare his behavior to Monica's bipolar disorder.
Fiona is released early from the correctional facility due to overcrowding. Fiona gets a job as a waitress at the Golden House Restaurant, a diner owned by Charlie Peters. Frank is up and back to drinking with his new liver, and has simultaneously brought Sammi and Chuckie into the Gallagher's lives. During the final episode, a post-credits scene shows Jimmy, who we haven't seen all season, watching the Gallagher home from his car with an unnamed woman.

Cast and Characters

Regular

Development and production

On January 29, 2013, Showtime announced the series would be renewed for a fourth season. The show's fourth season began production on September 20, 2013 and began filming the following week, and premiered on Sunday, January 12, 2014.

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the fourth season 100%, based on 15 reviews. The critics consensus reads, "Shameless shows no signs of fatigue as it barrels into its fourth season, with the Gallaghers stirring up new and novel forms of mischief."

DVD release