Shameless

In the series premiere, we meet the fabulously dysfunctional Gallagher family of working-class Chicago. Dad's a drunk; Mom split long ago; eldest daughter Fiona tries to hold the family together; eldest son Philip (Lip) tutors the neighborhood girls in physics and is repaid in kind; middle son Ian is grappling with homosexuality -- and being grappled by his married Pakistani employer at the corner liquor store; youngest daughter Debbie is stealing money from her UNICEF collection to help put food on the table; ten year old Carl is a budding sociopath and arsonist; and toddler Liam is -- well, he might actually be black, but nobody has a clue how. Meanwhile, the electric bill is due, there's no money, and someone has to look after the baby... It's one day at a time for this crazy dysfunctional family, but their mutual love and support for each other always see them through.

Drunk as a skunk, Frank has a run in with Karen Jackson's father and returns home to take it out on Ian. The next day is Friday and Frank is nowhere to be found, which is a bit odd since he never misses disability check day. The family starts a manhunt and panic sets in when a body is found under the El. But Frank turns up in Toronto -- with no passport and no clue as to how he got there, and Steve has to figure out how to get him back to Chicago.

Fiona turns her attentions to Tony, a cop who has had a crush on her since childhood, but Steve isn't willing to give up without a fight; Ian is targeted by the brothers of a girl he spurned; the whole family searches for elderly Aunt Ginger, who owns their house.

Debbie, sad and lonely after Aunt Ginger leaves, steals a little boy from a birthday party. In classic Gallagher style, the family hatches a plan to return the toddler safe and sound without attracting attention from the Chicago Police Department, who has made the kidnapping a top priority. Karen, in complete defiance of Eddie, starts to tease Frank sexually. Frank not knowing what to make of it keeps himself busy with booze, picking up Sheila'­s meds from the pharmacy and concentrating on finding the missing boy. What began as an innocent lie for Kevin to protect himself from a hot girl ultimately becomes a proposal of marriage for Veronica.

Knowing that Kevin is already married, Fiona tries to talk Veronica out of moving forward with the marriage. After Veronica's mother dangles a cash gift for her wedding day as an incentive, however, Fiona and the Gallaghers pitch in to help pull off the (fake) wedding of the year. Steve busies himself on a hunt to steal the perfect Lexus and Fiona finds herself in the passenger seat. Ian and Kash try to take their relationship a little further, but Ian may not be ready. Meanwhile, during a routine medical disability examination, Frank learns that he has a tumor -- and spirals out of control as he deals with the news.

When a letter from Carl's teacher arrives at the Gallagher home, Fiona is thrown into action to prove it's a suitable domicile for rehabilitating a delinquent. Lip has been contributing to the family bank account with proceeds from test-taking for his fellow students. His reputation for excelling at the SAT is getting around, and word spreads to some people he would rather have kept unaware. The Kash and Grab continues to get pilfered by a local hood, and Kash (guest star PEJ VAHDAT) and Ian are both ashamed at their inability to stop it. Meanwhile, Frank's bad business sense continues to yield consequences he's unprepared to embrace.