15 Most Underrated TV Shows Of The Decade (So Far)

6. Shameless

The Show: A remake of the British TV classic of the same name, the U.S. Shameless again follows alcoholic, deadbeat father of six Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) as he and his family try to make it through life, which sure ain't easy.

Why It's Underrated: Expectations are always pretty low when an acclaimed British show gets remade: you can either get the U.S. Red Dwarf (which was terrible and didn't even make it past the pilot stage), or the brilliance that is the state-side version of The Office. This might go a way to explain the initially cautious reviews for Shameless, which nevertheless experienced an upsurge in critical popularity in its following seasons, while the ratings have also improved since the unsure first season.

Even so, those who've seen the original series have largely dismissed this new take, even if it's absolutely worth a watch on its own terms: the casting is superb (Macy and Emmy Rossum both deserve significantly more awards attention than they've enjoyed), and it's got the same mixture of heart and outrageous humour which made the UK show such a hit. A different beast in subtle ways, sure, but certainly not inferior.