Shameless Fans Agree This Character Had The Best Growth In The Series

Based on the British series of the same name, Shameless has tracked its central group of characters through plenty of ups and downs over the course of 11 seasons. The series has mined endless amounts of comedy and drama out of its characters' respective situations, as they all have fought and struggled to grow up and evolve in a consistently erratic and damaging environment.

Thanks to the show's wide array of characters, Shameless has been able to chart multiple different kinds of emotional journeys. Some characters have grown up and managed to leave their worst tendencies behind, while others have regressed and even, at times, embraced their self-destructive impulses. With Shameless in the midst of airing its final season, though, fans have begun to debate and discuss which of the show's characters have had the best journeys over the years.

There's one character, in particular, whose arc seems to be receiving the most love and support from fans right now as well.

One Reddit user believes that the character who has had the best arc and shown the most growth throughout Shameless is Ethan Cutkosky's Carl. The Redditor notes that Carl went from being a "mischievous, rebellious kid who admired the thug life" to being a "respectable young man who finds pride in kicking a** in law enforcement." While others in the Reddit thread argued that other characters have grown more — Noel Fisher's Mickey was also mentioned — it's hard to disagree with the original user's claim. 

Carl has undergone one of Shameless' most noticeable character transformations, and his relationship with William H. Macy's Frank has evolved in interesting and potent ways. The character has literally and emotionally grown up throughout Shameless' run and is currently set to be in a much different place at the end of the series than he was at the start. There is still the chance for Carl's arc to take some surprising turns in the show's final episodes, but as of now, it's hard to deny just how much Carl has changed throughout the series. Who would have thought that'd be the case, given the reckless and destructive troublemaker he was in the show's earlier seasons?