Top 10 Most Memorable Couples on Shameless

There have been a few girls Lip Gallagher hasn’t appreciated and Amanda is one of them. Lip and Amanda began seeing each other casually in the show’s fourth season as Lip struggled to balance college with his rocky home life. Although she could be a bit controlling, Amanda showed Lip the life he could aspire to. It was Lip’s attentiveness to his family that drew her in. And her structured upbringing with a side of rebellion made the two an interesting pair. Unfortunately, Lip fell for his professor Helene and we all know the disastrous outcome. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

When it comes to couples in “Shameless,” memorable rarely means healthy. Frank and Monica are intensely passionate for one another, though that often comes at the cost of their children’s well-being. Apart, they’re each destructive people specializing in addiction and broken promises. But together, they’re a hurricane that’s best avoided. Still, it can’t be denied how in love they are. Whenever Monica drifts back into Frank’s life, he can’t help but fall for her all over again. When she passed in the show’s seventh season, Frank lost a piece of himself. And we couldn’t help but feel for the guy.

With Jody initially being married to Sheila’s daughter, Karen, this couple definitely had a strange beginning. But they’re actually one of the more loving couples on the show. After Karen abandons her child, Jody steps up to help Sheila with the responsibility. And with Sheila already being a nurturing person, the two seemed like a lovely match. Although Sheila’s unorthodox sex life caused Jody’s sex addiction to resurface, she was able to help him recover. If not for Mandy’s attack on Karen, they may have been able to make it last. It was also nice to see a younger guy attracted to an older woman for her compassion, which doesn’t happen too often on TV.

While Fiona has dated many memorable characters throughout the show, none of them treated her quite as nicely as Mike. What started with workplace flirting developed into a loving relationship during the show’s 4th season. Both were coming from long-lasting relationships that crashed and burned; Fiona with Jimmy/Steve and Mike with his ex-wife Eve. A reliable person with a good job, Mike brought out a better side of Fiona. One that could have flourished if she wasn’t such a self-saboteur. The pair had strong chemistry, but Fiona’s inability to form healthy attachments was the couple’s downfall. And when she had an affair with his brother Robbie, it was all over.

With both characters coming from troubled families on the South Side, Lip and Mandy were bound to be drawn towards each other. Lip wouldn’t begin to truly appreciate her until the relationship was over, but Mandy always pushed Lip towards a better life. She made sure Lip would never give up on his intelligence, going as far to apply to colleges in his name. Mandy knew Lip could have a better life. And while she also horrifyingly ran over Karen, that was still at least to benefit him. It’s sad the couple wouldn’t work out, though they never stopped caring for one another.

Although there’s seemingly only one person for Ian, Trevor was definitely his healthiest relationship. Through Trevor, a trans social worker, Ian’s understanding of diversity and identity was further developed. And the bond between the two grew stronger over a shared desire to help LGBTQ teens. It led to a sweet relationship, with Trevor also helping Ian to reconcile his relationship with his mother, Monica. However, Mickey’s return to Ian’s life divided the two. And when Ian became a religious fanatic during the show’s 8th season, whatever they once shared was gone forever.

Although this relationship started as a casual fling, Lip and Sierra began to connect with one another on a much deeper level. Both had experienced traumatic childhoods, with Lip having absent addict parents and Sierra’s mother having been murdered by her father. With Sierra, Lip learned how to put someone else before himself. However, he would struggle with alcoholism, putting strain on the relationship since the father of Sierra’s son was himself an addict. In Season 8, Lip grew exponentially. Despite caring for her immensely, he encouraged Sierra to give her ex a second chance so they could remain a family. It was clearly a tough decision, but it also meant he could figure out who he wanted to be outside of addiction.

Fiona’s first relationship of the show is also one of her strongest. Although he was a car thief and lied to her about his real name, Jimmy cared deeply for her and her family. He even went as far to buy the house next door and sent Frank to Canada to protect the kids. But he was also there to comfort Fiona during some of her toughest moments. It was far from a perfect relationship as both characters have severe faults. And his criminal leanings would constantly get in the couple’s way. Still, there is arguably no other romantic partner that fits as well with Fiona as Jimmy did. And the chemistry between Emmy Rossum and Justin Chatwin was palpable.

They’ve had their fair share of problems, especially once they started a family. But Kev and V are the most consistently loving couple on the show. Kev’s goofy, easy-going persona and V’s intense strength are certainly opposing personality types. This just means they balance each other incredibly well. And their adventurous sexuality is definitely refreshing for a TV show and often used to great comedic effect. Both of them are also incredible friends to the Gallagher clan, often helping them with any tense situation that arises. The show may center around the supremely dysfunctional family, but it still wouldn’t be the same without Kev and V.

Really, how could it be any other one? This relationship seemingly came out of nowhere at first. Mickey put on an extra macho persona and was characterized by his violent and crime-filled upbringing. He would struggle with his sexuality for the show’s first few seasons since his abusive father was so against it. But the love that grew between him and Ian would become the heart and soul of the show. When Ian’s bipolar disorder began to become a central plot point, Mickey showed himself to be a deeply compassionate character. And Ian in turn was never able to deny his love for Mickey, even through hard times.