‘Shameless’: Is the Series Really Filmed in Southside Chicago?
Showtime’s long-running series, Shameless, set in Southside Chicago, is now airing season 11. Fans are heartbroken that the drama is coming to an end, but some still wonder if the show is filmed in Chicago’s Southside. Where is the Gallagher family home, and does it cost anything for fans to visit Frank Gallagher’s stomping grounds?
‘Shameless’: The Gallagher’s house is a real home in Southside Chicago
In Shameless, the family home is a run-down house in Canaryville — a neighborhood in Southside Chicago, Illinois. However, in real life, it is the Bell family’s home in the 2100 block of South Homan Avenue in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. Inside, it looks very different than on the show.
“It’s funny. You look at your house on TV, and it’s weird,” Vivian Bell told DNAinfo. The stay-at-home grandmother has lived in the “Gallagher” home for 40 years. However, she describes her home as much tidier than the one on TV.
While the area has deep Irish-Catholic roots and a working-class, it does not have “L” trains running through the neighborhood as shown on TV.
The ‘Shameless’ cast travels to Chicago a few times each year to film
According to Chicago Film Office director Richard Moskal, the production visits Chicago two or three times each year. They stay for about one week for each shoot. However, the majority of the show is filmed in the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California.
Only the exterior scenes of the series are filmed in Chicago. For example, a stuntman (Marcus Prado) jumped out of a bus, moving at 35 miles per hour, in the South Chicago community for season 10. (Prado portrayed Mickey Milkovich in the scene). The producers also filmed outside the places that represent Liam Gallagher’s school and the Gallagher home. Generally, any outdoor scene was probably filmed in Chicago.
However, all indoor scenes are filmed on set in Burbank. Emma Kenney, who portrays Debbie Gallagher, gave a tour of the Shameless set in 2016. She gave a sneak peek inside the house set and the inside of the Alibi as well.
Fans can visit the Gallagher home to take pictures
The homeowners invite Shameless fans to take pictures in front of the gate and even on the Southside Chicago home porch at 2119 South Homan Ave., Chicago. The Shameless house even has a foursquare location to tag photos on social media. According to Distractify, the owner has a note out front inviting fans to take pictures.
“Shameless fans, you are welcome to come inside the gate and take pictures on the porch,” a sign reads. “Donations in the bucket are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.”
A quick check of the location on Instagram shows daily tags and pictures of fans posing in front of the home, pretending to be a Gallagher. Although Shameless is coming to an end, it looks like the homeowners might offer this perk to fans for years to come.
Shameless airs Sundays on Showtime at 9 p.m. EST.
