Shameless

Poor Shameless. It must be terrible making a wonderful first series of TV which tells a perfect story with a beginning, a middle, and an end... and then getting commissioned to make more.

The Christmas Special was a marvellous bit of sideways bonkers, but the second series is a strange beast. It's funny, it's daring... but...

It's every so slightly *annoying*. I always hated Frank, and he now hangs around the series like a misty fart, joined in the corner of rooms by some Very Annoying Characters - namely the firestarter with Teret's and his mother.

It's still brilliant, and yet, last night, I found myself drifting out of the room and folding laundry.

Partly, I'm wondering if the second series is suffering from being Really Professionally Plotted. It's got that hum about it of something carefully worked out in meeting rooms. The first series probably was just as mechanical, but disguised it better.

Last night, for instance, I found I wasn't that grabbed by the adopted kid story. Fine - I knew I could nip off to the kitchen, as there'd be a fairly meaty subplot along about every second scene, and a nice little "C" story making an occasional appearance.

Plus, no Sheila. Please let her cameo in Desperate Housewives.