Classic Showtime Comedy Shoots to the Top of Netflix

A classic Showtime comedy has shot to the top of Netflix’s viewing charts: Shameless. The American adaptation of the UK TV series has grown into a major cult-hit in the decade of its run (January 2011 – April 2021). Now that Shameless is complete, there’s all the more reason for a whole new wave of fans to hop onboard and binge-watch the series from beginning to end – which is apparently exactly what they are doing. According to the latest Neilsen ratings numbers, Shameless is beating all other major TV series (including classics like Seinfeld, and contemporary favorites like Criminal Minds and Greys Anatomy) by a significant amount of viewing minutes! 

Shameless ranks no. 1 on the latest streaming ratings with 851 million minutes of viewing time. The no. 2 slot went to kids series Cocomelon with 748 million minutes of viewing time. Obviously, kids series can have an advantage over adult series, so the numbers for Shameless are even more impressive when you take that into consideration. For more direct comparison: Netflix’s big run of Seinfeld has generated 595 million minutes of viewing time, while NBC’s The Blacklist racked up 586 million minutes. Procedural dramas like In the Dark (608M min), NCIS (540M min), Grey’s Anatomy (433M min) and Criminal Minds (510M min) all continue to be top performers, as well. 

“Oscar-nominated actor William H. Macy stars as Frank Gallagher, a single father of six who spends much of his free time drinking at bars. The Gallagher children — led by oldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum), who takes on much of the child-rearing responsibility due to her mother’s absence — manage to raise themselves in spite of Frank’s lack of parenting and unusual parenting style when he does choose to act like a father. The drama is an adaptation of the BAFTA Award-winning British show of the same name.”

Shameless premiered in the US in 2011, based on the British TV series that ran from 2004 – 2013. The show won four Primetime Emmy Awards – although fans have never been quite happy that those wins were in technical categories like “Outstanding Stunt Coordination” or “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series” instead of proper awards for acting, writing, direction, etc. Still, the show has (as stated) reached an all-time high cult status with viewers, and the cast have all gone on to enjoy both critical acclaim and (for the most part) much bigger mainstream success in their respective careers. 

You can watch Shameless on Netflix.