William H. Macy Set for Shameless Adaptation

LOS ANGELES: John Wells is executive producing a pilot for the American adaptation of the British series Shameless for Showtime starring the award-winning actor William H. Macy, whose credits include Fargo, Pleasantville and The Cooler.

Showtime has ordered a pilot for this one-hour drama tracing the lives of a very unconventional family, with Wells exec-producing together with the series’ original creator Paul Abbott. The pilot will be shot in December.

"We are honored to be bringing arguably the best American and British television producers together for this unique look at a very complicated family," said Robert Greenblatt, Showtime’s president of entertainment. "And you’ve never quite seen dysfunctional family drama this way before due largely to the fact that Paul Abbott lived it. And this compelling look at a family teetering on the edge gets even better with the extraordinarily gifted William H. Macy playing the father you wish you never had."

Wells said, "I’m delighted to be working with Showtime to adapt Paul Abbott’s controversial and thoroughly hilarious show for American audiences. Shameless is wildly politically incorrect and painfully honest. With one of my favorite actors, Bill Macy, agreeing to join us, I can’t wait to get started."

The Channel 4 show was inspired by Abbott’s own life growing up in a working class family with eight children. For the U.S. version, the sprawling Gallagher family has been transplanted to working class Chicago during the challenging times of today’s recession. The pilot will be produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.