I began watching Shameless only over this past summer, and I’ve already reached the final episodes of the sixth season. It’s been a bumpy ride; the kids grew up, Fiona messed up, Frank was just Frank, and there were a ton of sex scenes that are better than most porn. These are my reasons for watching this show morning and night, while putting my makeup on and taking it off, in lieu of doing homework, and while shaving my legs.

1. Frank Gallagher’s antics and perseverance:

Frank is an alcoholic and drug addict of seemingly most drugs, and a father to six (-ish) children. Playing the dirtiest stereotype of a drunk, Catholic Irishman, he defies odds by actually being pretty intelligent. Listen to his rants on the government, on history, on gentrification and you see a great mind drowning in vodka / cocaine / heroin. Perhaps the most admirable (?) thing about him is his unwillingness to change—he is actually quite happy in his skin, despite his failing liver and children who hate him. He’s also a genius of sorts when it comes to hijinks and shenanigans (I can think of literally no other word). Disability runs out? Shoot yourself with a nail gun for worker’s compensation. Son being held as collateral because of a bet you lost? Offer your strangely toned body to drunken men with only a grimace on your face.

2. Kevin and Veronica:

This is possibly the best relationship in the entire show. They have their ups and downs—sleeping with coeds, adopting about five child-soldier refugees, crippling a homophobic Greek. But they always get through it, remarkably. Not to mention, they seem to only get better looking as the show goes on, and Kev’s comedic timing becomes increasingly spot on (yeah, blow on the guy in the wheelchair who is soaked in Molotov cocktails, I’m sure that’ll stop this man from being engulfed by flames). Also—hot sex scenes! This couple has insane chemistry on the screen and will stop at nothing to get their rocks off. They’re each other’s best friends, and still find each other to be the sexiest people on the planet, despite being together for 6+ years. We all want that relationship.

3. Liam:

You may be thinking to yourself: who’s Liam? Get out. Right now. Liam is the adorable brother who’s on the sidelines of every episode. Everyone dotes on him, even the badass ex-con Carl. We kind of hate Fiona for what happens to Liam in season 4, but that quickly blows over, as things tend to do in the Gallagher household. As Liam grows older, his one-liners are spot on, making him the character with the best comedic timing (I may be in the minority on that one). “Drugs!”

4. Mickey’s transformation:

Mickey is initially a piece of trash who harms and bullies people for no conceivable reason. He looks and sounds disgusting. As the show goes on, however, he becomes one of the series’ most favorable characters. He may not be the best boyfriend (i.e, beating up Ian; reluctantly saying “I love you”; marrying a woman and expecting Ian to be okay with it), but that’s not what makes him loveable. We saw him grow up throughout the seasons. His demeanor changed, he became more affectionate towards the people he loved, and he risked everything to publicly come out for Ian. This transformation is what makes him the most loveable character.

5. The careless sex:

Sex has never seemed so innocent and fun. Every sex scene is rushed and animalistic; everyone has automatic sexual chemistry; there’s never any need for condoms; it can happen in the most random moments. It doesn’t send the best message about having sex safely and responsibly, but it’s still damned fun to watch—especially when most of the actors are hot as hell.

6. The music:

Every episode has the most banging music—the soundtrack of the entire show includes punk, alternative rock, some pop, electronic, and others. The writers knew exactly what song to play at what scene, evoking emotions that just wouldn’t be the same with another song. One particular song comes to mind, “Absolute Balance” by Johnny Foreigner. After a lengthy battle between Monica, the matriarch, and the family about taking Liam out of the home to live with her and her psycho girlfriend, Monica makes a last-minute decision to hand Liam back to Fiona. The camera focuses on Fiona’s shocked expression and teary eyes with this melancholy song playing in the background. It’s hard not to tear up in scenes like that. Not to mention, the opening song “The Luck You Got” by The High Strung is badass.

7. Its take on addiction and mental disease:

Shameless depicts the effects of addiction very accurately. Frank’s alcoholism and dependency on drugs both brought his children together and hardened them. They’re resilient and can work through anything, because they’ve been through everything. Monica’s bipolar disorder made her unpredictable and impulsive. She promised great things when they were children and began projects that she would never finish. The kids learned to not expect much from others, creating a more realistic worldview that negative outcomes occur more often than positive. The kids’ characters are loveable, admirable, and relatable because of the believable outcome from such a hectic and disappointing childhood.