【】

There’s an old, schlocky TV writers’ term called the “Hey, Myrna.” It means they’ve concocted a scene specifically to make some boob tube aficionado in his stained undershirt stand up from his Lay-Z-Boy, kick over his TV dinner tray and scream to his wife, “Hey, Myrna get in here … the hot redhead just took off her necklace.”
Shameless is the champion of the “Hey, Myrnas.”
The first time I “Hey, Myrna’ed” about Shameless to my husband (whose name is Alex, for what it’s worth, but Myrna is a much more fun name) was while watching the Showtime dramedy’s first season.
It was because of what the show did with what could otherwise have been a rather benign scene about a child protection service worker who pays a visit to Kevin (Steve Howey) and Veronica (Shanola Hampton), the best friends and neighbors of main character Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) and her plethora of siblings. The setup of the scene seems familiar, and clearly destined to play out familiar narrative beats – until the social worker opens her mouth.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve “Hey, Myrna’ed” over the course of the series, which, on Dec. 18, wraps its seventh and – thanks to the bosses being reasonable humans and agreeing to the fair equal pay terms that Rossum requested – not final season.
Yes, I’ve most likely called attention to the show's surprisingly funny moments, such as this season when Kev tried to explain his current love triangle to a therapist, or last season when the perennially Emmy-nominated (but bafflingly never triumphant) William H. Macy proved he’d do just about anything in his role as swindling deadbeat dad Frank Gallagher and simulated sex on a grave.
But these stunts aren’t the only scenes meant to wake you up from your Sunday night premium cable binge coma.
The brilliance of Shameless has always been its ability to filter important political and social commentary through the eyes of characters whom some liberal-minded media types might write off as unable to understand or appreciate these intricacies: working-class Americans.
The series, which is based on the British format that provided James McAvoy with a breakout role, has tackled everything from bipolar disorder, gay bashing, sex addiction, gentrification and even agoraphobia. When a teenager gets pregnant or ends up selling drugs on a street corner, it isn’t simply done as a shrugged, “well, that’s what’s happens to people from that neighborhood.” It’s a deeply humane examination of why someone might choose these paths -- often with a little dark humor thrown in.
Performance-wise, the fact that Rossum never got an Emmy (or any other major award) recognition for depicting the raw and painful reality of a prison strip-search during the show’s fourth season should get a whole chapter in the eventual book that someone must be writing about major Peak TV oversights.
And Ian Gallagher’s (Cameron Monaghan) recent, heartbreaking decision to let go of his ex, Mickey (Noel Fisher) proves that you never get over your first love – even if it’s a relationship punctuated by being held at gunpoint by your partner's homophobic dad.
The idea of mixing complicated stories in with humor isn’t exactly new; Norman Lear has made a career out of it. But for all the adulation critics heap on other shows with negatively connotative titles like FXX’s You’re the Worst or CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (myself included), we should always remember one of the first series in this brave new wave to show no shame.
相关文章
Sound the alarms: Simone Biles finally met Zac Efron
Is there anything Simone Biles can't do?The unstoppable gymnast just won her fifth medal of the Rio2025-04-23- 長記性 !米蘭欲提前續約四大肱骨 避免再生慘劇_球員www.ty42.com 日期:2021-11-14 09:31:00| 評論(已有313505條評論)2025-04-23
- 第一偽豪門?葡萄牙生死戰在主場被吊打 全麵被動_塞爾維亞www.ty42.com 日期:2021-11-15 07:01:00| 評論(已有313694條評論)2025-04-23
- 李鐵或重新評估國足隊員能力 教練組最近分別同部分隊員溝通_中國隊www.ty42.com 日期:2021-11-15 09:31:00| 評論(已有313744條評論)2025-04-23
Carlos Beltran made a very interesting hair choice
Apparently the Texas Rangers' Carlos Beltran is taking hair advice from another Carlos in sports --2025-04-23- 國足工作核心鎖定正確看待外界評論 拒絕崩盤搶分目標不變_比賽www.ty42.com 日期:2021-11-15 09:31:00| 評論(已有313743條評論)2025-04-23
最新评论