Netflix's Shameless with Jeremy Allen White: The drama to watch if you like 'The Bear'

The third season of The Bear arrived on Hulu on July 22, becoming the streamer’s biggest scripted TV premiere ever with 5.4 million views in its first four days. However, the dramedy, which has been a critical darling since its first season, received some mixed reviews from both critics and audiences.

While some critics believe the show is “stuck” on its own formula (which includes a lot of screaming, anxiety and dysfunctional dynamics), the series is set to be one of the biggest winners of the upcoming Emmys (for its second season), especially Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Allen White, who plays tortured-perfectionist fine-dining chef Carmy, has won two SAG awards, two Golden Globes and an Emmy for his performance. But, while impressive, this is not the first time that he has played a talented man suffering from his own expectations. If you want to watch him in another compelling role, check out Netflix’s Shameless.

‘Shameless,’ the other series of Jeremy Allen White for fans of ‘The Bear’

Before his success in ‘The Bear,’ Allen White spent a decade acting in ‘Shameless,’ an 11-season dramedy, which originally aired on Showtime, that follows the poor, dysfunctional family of Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy), a neglectful single father of six: Fiona, Phillip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam.

Allen White plays Philip, a highly intelligent teenager who earns a college scholarship but, due to his personal problems, he doesn’t live up to his full potential. If that sounds similar to Carmy, it’s because it is. And Allen White saw it too, a coincidence that almost made him second guess saying yes to “The Bear.”

“I think I was too concerned with what other people might think, [but] I also knew that if I said no to this, that whoever ended up doing it, I would hate them forever. So there was some spiteful stuff going on, too,” he told GQ in 2022.

While “Shameless” didn’t get much hype during its run, it’s an underrated gem. Not only are the performances worth-watching, but also its dark humor and humanity of its characters. However, while Allen White said he “loves” the show, he also admits that spending ten years with the same character wasn’t always great.

“But I’m not sure if shows are meant to go that long…There was a period where I stopped feeling like an actor and I started feeling like I was just here to do this show,” he told the magazine.