John Wells Productions' five-year effort to bring "Shameless" to the U.S. has paid off -- Showtime on Wednesday greenlighted a pilot for an American version of the long-running British drama series. The American version will star William H. Macy.

Wells and the original series' creator, top U.K. TV writer Paul Abbot, penned the adaptation and are executive producing the pilot, which will be shot in December. Warner Bros. TV is producing with John Wells Productions.

Read more at the Hollywood Reporter. [1]