Shameless

Most Americans have probably never seen the critically acclaimed British series of the same name that inspired Showtime's Shameless, which casts Macy -- better known for playing marginally troubled, golly-gee characters like Fargo's Jerry Lundegaard -- as a generally unlikable alcoholic father who drinks away his disability check and essentially leaves his six children to fend for themselves. And it seems like the producers are taking advantage of that by rebranding the U.S. version as a sexed-up, in-your-face shocker that throws any of the original series' subtleties out the window.

But a strange thing happens a few episodes in, once you get past the shock value of seeing an elementary-schooler swilling a beer in plain sight of his family, who only seem mildly annoyed that he's drinking it: You find yourself rooting for the Gallagher kids (admirably anchored by Rossum, and Jeremy Allen White and Cameron Monaghan, who play her two younger brothers), even though they'd try to rip you off if you met them in person. Sadly, the same can't be said for Macy, who, in spite of the Oscar nod under his belt and costumers' desperate attempts to make him look homeless, just isn't believable as a working class deadbeat.