First of all, I just want to say that if you have never watched this show it’s important that you do. It’s great. 'Shameless' is a series on Showtime and Netflix that showcases an outrageously dysfunctional family as they tackle life living the south side of Chicago. Not only is this show wildly entertaining but it also shines a light on some important issues and provides a variety of life lessons for the viewer. Here are some of my favorites:

Appreciate your family.

The Gallagher siblings have to work through some pretty heavy family dysfunction but they are always there for each other.

Be strong.

Life is really not kind to the Gallagher’s most of the time and they take each struggle head on.

It’s okay to make mistakes.

The entire show is based around the mistakes that the members of the Gallagher family make. They know it’s okay to screw up, you can’t be perfect all the time.

Don’t be afraid to take risks.

The Gallagher’s rarely play it safe and it has lead to some pretty interesting opportunities or set backs depending on how you look at it.

The negative effects of addiction.

Shameless shows how drug and alcohol addiction can affect people. It shows a few of the main characters that struggle with addictions in the show and while it provides dark comedic content it does brings awareness of the harmful effects addiction has.

Love is love and mental illness exists.

One of the main things I love about this show is how diverse it is. They do a good job at shedding a light on mental health issues and regularly have LGBT characters on the show.

If you haven't jumped on the Shameless bandwagon maybe now you'll be curious to see what all the fuss is about. Happy binge watching!