One long, hot weekend in the summer I was extremely bored and feeling extra lethargic. I was spending a much longer time that I should have going through and deciding what Netflix show I should binge watch next. After all, summer is the best time to spend a whole day watching a whole season of a show. Anyway, during my search for the perfect show, I came across a quirky-looking show about a lower class family and their drunken dad. Usually, I'm personally geared more towards shows like "Gossip Girl", or "Scandal", but there was just something about this show description that caught my eye. The first episode pictures the huge family of seven gathered around a bonfire in a city atmosphere. The first few episodes seem pretty normal, but as I kept watching I realized how hilarious this show truly is.
This show has a plethora of different characters, each with their own unique and hysterical personalities. The star of the show is the "father" of the house, Frank. He proves to be only a father when it comes to genetics. Instead, he is an alcoholic, drug abusing, hot mess. He spends his time doing everything besides caring for his six children, who range from 21 to just two years old. The majority of Frank's time is spent at the neighborhood bar causing mayhem and destruction. Throughout the show, Frank tries now and again to sober up, but most of the time he is just doing it to scam yet another victim.
Frank's oldest is his daughter Fiona, who is the main breadwinner of the house. She does all jobs of any sort, just to make enough money to feed her younger siblings. She's a street-smart young woman who unfortunately has to always act like the parent of the household. Fiona really proves to be the glue of this family. Throughout the show Fiona has the same amount of lovers as she does job (and that's a lot). She's a personal favorite character of mine that makes the show interesting and fun to watch.
Lip, short for Philip, and Ian are the next oldest. These two can not be more different, but are inseparable in the first couple seasons. Lip is a school-smart kid who unfortunately hates school. Through out the show he does anything he can to not attend school. Lip also finds himself in many sticky situations with girls, and it's quite entertaining to watch. Ian is the younger brother who throughout the show tries to hid his sexuality, but eventually comes to term with the fact that he is gay. He too also finds himself in many sticky situations with lovers.
Carl, Debbie, and Liam are the youngest little fire crackers in this series. They find themselves in an endless about of trouble as they grow and experience the hardships of puberty. They prove to know way too much for such young ages, but that is just what happens when you grow up in a dysfunctional household.
This wild family is nothing shorts of entertaining. They're always going through some type of hardship, but at the end of the day they manage to figure it out one way or another, with no help from their dead-beat father Frank. This comedy series will keep you laughing, sometimes crying, and shocked by the drama and ridiculousness that is always occurring throughout the show.
