Top 10 Shameless Characters That Deserved Better
#10: MaVar
In his short lived stint, MaVar provided a tantalizing glimpse of what could be in a world where any of the Gallaghers know how to recognize a good thing. A distant relation of Liam, MaVar is originally dubious of anyone associated with the chaotic Gallagher clan. However, he realizes how much Liam needs guidance. It’s because MaVar is a truly good person. He cares about his community and the people around him. Unfortunately, Liam is unable to see his decency for the good quality that it is. Instead he uses a funeral to pull a scam on MaVar’s family, destroying any chance at a further relationship. For trying to be the adult Liam desperately needed, MaVar only got burned.
#9: Sheila Jackson
One of the most loving and generous people on the entire show, Sheila rarely got the same in return. Her first husband was openly contemptuous of her, and her unwavering support of her daughter only encouraged Karen to take advantage of her. That’s not even getting into Frank’s parasitic romance with Sheila. Though she managed to find a loving relationship with Karen’s discarded husband Jody, she ultimately had to sacrifice that as well for the good of her daughter. At least she eventually recognized Frank’s toxicity and cut him off. Last we saw, a liberated Sheila was driving off into the night. We can only hope she found people that deserved her at the end of the road.
#8: Amanda
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Okay, so when Amanda first got involved with Lip her motives weren’t exactly pure. She turned out to be a net positive to his brief college career all the same. Not only was Amanda quick to offer help when Lip needed it, she was instrumental in showing him how to be a student. As smart as Lip was, Amanda’s influence was what made him successful in the university setting and helped show him the kind of life he could achieve. And for that she found herself practically ghosted while Lip chased his married professor. Lip may rationalize his actions by saying he never asked for help, but we know Amanda didn’t deserve to be used and ditched. And deep down, Lip knows it too.
#7: Gus Pfender
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The poor guy never stood a chance. True, he’s a good example of why a person shouldn’t rush into marriage. However, Gus’ worst crime is being a hopeless romantic. He’s a talented, compassionate person who is committed to building a life with Fiona. So of course she breaks his heart pretty much right away. They might have been able to recover from the Jimmy incident, but as soon as Gus is out on tour Fiona gets involved with her boss, Sean instead. It’s almost painful to see such a sweet guy get so completely abused for no reason at all. At least Gus managed to get a little bit a catharsis in the end though.
#6: Svetlana Yevgenivna
For a while there, Svetlana had one of the most interesting periods of character development on the show. She was originally introduced as an obstacle between Ian and Mickey. However, as her run on “Shameless” extended, Svetlana proved to be so much more. Not only was she strong, she also turned out to be one of the smarter people walking around the South Side. Maybe too smart, at least for Kev and V anyway. Taking the bar from them was a bad look, but it may be true that she thought she was doing the right thing. Either way, her punishment was cruel. Then her eventual marriage write-off just felt half-baked. It was a rushed ending for one of the best series’ supporting characters.
#5: Trevor
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Trevor arrived on “Shameless” like a breath of fresh air. Not only did he have his business together, but he had the skills to help Ian manage his own struggles. In fact, Trevor’s whole life was about helping people in need. He opened up Ian’s social consciousness a bit and inspired him to want to get involved in bigger issues. For a minute there they were a cute couple. Of course the reappearance of Mickey upended that dynamic. Worse than being cheated on, was the fall out. We can only imagine what it was like for Trevor to watch Ian lead his shelter kids into the Gay Jesus madness. And imagining’s all we can do, since Trevor unfortunately never appeared on the show again.
#4: Liam Gallagher
Seriously, who is in charge of this kid? As a baby, the show made a conscious effort to show Liam being taken care of. After he hit school age? Not so much. Once the writers made the absurd decision to almost completely disinvolve Fiona from her siblings’ upbringing, no one else stepped in to fill the void. The older Gallaghers never seemed to know or even care what Liam was up to. Hell, Lip tried to sell the family home with no discussion about what would happen to his youngest brother. Liam’s siblings had to deal with Frank and Monica, it’s true, but they could always count on each other. Poor Liam is the only Gallagher growing up without any kind of support structure.
#3: Mike Pratt
Of all Fiona’s relationships on the show, this was the healthiest, most stable, and most tragic she ever had. Though we can’t really recommend workplace dating, Mike was in all ways an incredibly good guy. He and his family welcomed Fiona with open arms. A little too open, in one case. Even after Fiona had an affair with Mike’s brother, he intended to let her keep her job. He even showed up to bail her out of jail. The Gallagher tendency to self destruct causes a lot of collateral damage, but few have deserved it less than kind, decent, Mike Pratt. We don’t understand it either, Mike. To anyone else you’d be a total catch.
#2: Mandy Milkovich
Mandy was by no means perfect. That homicidal instinct of hers was troubling. It was an off-shoot of her ride-or-die nature though. When Mandy was on someone’s side there was nothing she wouldn’t do. Not only was she a great friend to Ian, but she was an incredible girlfriend to Lip. While he tried to hide from his potential, she bent over backwards to get him into college. Her love for him was completely selfless. In return Mandy did get left behind. First she took refuge in an abusive relationship and later worked as an escort. On the upside, as of her last appearance Mandy did seem at peace with her life. Hopefully she eventually found someone to love her the way she deserved. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Derek Delgado One of the First Victims of Debbie’s Downward Spiral to Complete Selfishness Sierra Morton She Joins the Long List of Good Women Left in Lip’s Destructive Wake Tony Markovich He Was Just Too Wholesome to Keep Fiona’s Attention
#1: Fiona Gallagher
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Yes, the oldest Gallagher made huge mistakes over the years. She was also the subject of a lot of bad luck though. While still a child herself Fiona had to assume responsibility for an ever-expanding brood of younger siblings. Though we weren’t on board with the bad writing of her later quest to live her own life, we still couldn’t help but root for her. After everything she had been through, Fiona deserved to find some kind of personal fulfillment. What she got was another series of tough breaks. When Fiona finally left the South Side she was searching for a clean start. We will never know if she ever found the peace she had earned, but earn it she definitely did.
