Showtime's 'Shameless' Gets a Second Season

Good news for fans of a drunk William H. Macy, a shirtless Justin Chatwin, and an often-naked Emmy Rossum: Showtime's new series "Shameless" has just been picked up for a second season!

If you haven't been watching the new show, you're seriously missing out: it's one of the best new shows of this season. For those who are unfamiliar, "Shameless" is based off of the UK TV show of the same name, which has run so far for eight seasons (a ninth is planned for 2012).

The American version centers on a family living in Chicago whose mother is gone and whose alcoholic father (William H. Macy) is rarely around. It's up to eldest daughter Fiona, then, to keep the family together and keep them afloat financially.

The show was given a 12-episode order, which executive producer John Wells said "delighted" the cast and crew. The show pulls in a surprising four million viewers every week, which places it behind Dexter as the second highest-rated drama on Showtime, even beating out some longer-running programs on rival HBO like "Big Love."

Meanwhile, the Matt LeBlanc comedy "Episodes," which premiered around the same time as "Shameless," has also been picked up for a season two. Perennial favorite "Californication," which stars David Duchovny as a Los Angeles writer, has been renewed for a fifth season.

Showtime has, in my opinion, really stepped up its game lately. If you haven't been watching because, like I used to, you thought "It's Showtime, so it probably sucks," then you should give these shows a shot. You can catch "Shameless" every Sunday night at 10pm on Showtime, or check out its page right here on Yidio.