If you’re trying to watch Shameless on Netflix, you might not be able to find the show in your Netflix library.
The reason for this is because Netflix doesn’t own the rights to Shameless in your country.
This can be frustrating but don’t panic. There’s an easy way to watch Shameless on Netflix anywhere in the world.
All you need to do is change your Netflix location to a country where Netflix does own the rights to the TV show.
And to do that, you need a reliable VPN.
This article will explain how to watch Shameless (US) on Netflix anywhere in the world using a reliable VPN.
See also:
- How to watch The Big Bang Theory on Netflix: It’s EASY! (September 2023)
- How to watch One Punch Man on Netflix: The EASY method! (September 2023)
How to watch Shameless (US) on Netflix: Quick Guide
To watch Shameless on Netflix, you need to gain access to a Netflix library that owns the rights to broadcast the show.
To do that, follow these simple steps:
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Create a new account with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
-
Download and install the new VPN app on your device
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Select a server based in a country where Shameless is available (see below)
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Open Netflix
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Watch Shameless on Netflix anywhere in the world
Countries where Shameless is available on Netflix
Shameless (US) is available on Netflix in five countries:
- Australia
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Japan
Why isn’t Shameless (US) on my Netflix library?
Although Netflix is available worldwide, it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast all of its content anywhere in the world.
The easiest way to get your head around this is to think of Netflix as a separate streaming service depending on the country it’s in. For example, Netflix US is different to Netflix UK, Netflix UK is different to Netflix Canada and so on.
In order for a TV show or movie to be available on Netflix in your country, Netflix has to purchase the broadcast rights to that content in your location. If it hasn’t done so, then the content won’t be available on your Netflix library.
If you can’t find Shameless (US) on your Netflix library, Netflix hasn’t purchased the rights to the show in your country.
The good news is there are countries where Netflix does have the rights to broadcast Shameless. All you need to do is gain access to that country’s Netflix library.
How does Netflix know my location?
Whenever you go online, your device is allocated a unique IP address. This is a small piece of code used by your device to communicate with the online service you’re accessing, in this case, Netflix.
The issue here is in order for this communication to work, your IP address needs to contain information about your physical location. This is so the online service – Netflix – knows where it has to send the requested information back to.
When you connect to Netflix, it scans your IP address to determine where you’re located. Once it does this, it provides you with the Netflix library for your location.
This can be a problem if Netflix in your country doesn’t have Shameless; however, with a reliable VPN, you can gain access to other Netflix libraries around the world.
The best VPNs for Netflix, like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), allow you to change your IP address so Netflix thinks you’re accessing it from a different location.
This will give you access to Netflix libraries from different countries.
Can I change Netflix location?
To officially change Netflix’s location, you need to physically go to the location you want to access. For most people, this isn’t a viable option.
Fortunately, a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will allow you to access any Netflix library from the comfort of your home.
To change the location of your Netflix library and watch Shameless on the service, you need to change your IP address to look like it’s coming from a country where the show is available on the platform.
The easiest way to do this is with a reliable VPN. The best VPNs for Netflix are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
Both of these VPNs are fast, secure and work well with Netflix. All you need to do is download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), connect to a server in one of the locations listed above, and you’ll be given an IP address based in one of those countries.
Now when you connect to Netflix, it will scan your IP address, think you’re in a different location, and you’ll be able to watch Shameless on Netflix. It’s that easy.
How does a VPN work?
VPNs do two things, they give you an anonymous internet connection so Netflix can’t determine your location, and they also allow you to spoof your IP address so you can make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from anywhere in the world.
They do this by encrypting all of your online data into an unreadable code. This provides you with an anonymous internet connection, so Netflix can’t determine your location.
Once that data is encrypted, the VPN will reroute it through its own servers. It’s sent from your device to the VPN server in a location of your choosing, where it’s decrypted and sent to a local internet service provider in the country where the server is based.
This will give you an IP address in that country and will allow you to trick Netflix into thinking you’re connecting from that location.
To watch Shameless on Netflix, all you need to do is download ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), connect to a server based in one of the countries listed above, and you’ll be able to watch Shameless on Netflix, anywhere in the world. You don’t even need to make another account.
Will any VPN work with Netflix?
VPNs are becoming incredibly popular, and Netflix is aware that someone using a VPN could potentially watch a show or movie in a location where Netflix doesn’t have the rights to broadcast said content.
This can potentially be dangerous for Netflix because this could breach already existing copyright and broadcasting agreements set in place with other streaming services. And these sorts of breaches are often met with massive fines.
To protect itself from these fines, Netflix tries to block VPNs from accessing its servers.
These can be very difficult for lesser VPNs to get around, and more often than not, a lot of VPNs won’t work with Netflix.
To ensure you can reliably watch Shameless on Netflix, you need to use a VPN that has measures in place to beat Netflix’s blocking techniques. The best VPNs for this are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
The best VPNs for Netflix
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
Special Offer for you
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. Private Internet Access 🥈
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
3. NordVPN 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
Is watching Netflix with a VPN legal?
In most countries, using a VPN is legal. There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with some streaming services may breach that service’s terms of use.
If you subscribe to a streaming service, you automatically accept its terms of use. If we look at Netflix’s terms of use, states, “You may access the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such content.” And “You also agree not to circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade or thwart any of the content protections in the Netflix service; use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Netflix service… We may terminate or restrict your use of our service if you violate these Terms of Use or are engaged in illegal or fraudulent use of the service.”
This means Netflix can stop your subscription and ban you from the streaming service if you try to access its content with a VPN turned on.
However, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Netflix (and other streaming services) to enforce.
If you’re trying to watch Netflix in a region where it does not traditionally operate, or you’re trying to change the location of the Netflix library, you risk having your account banned. In theory. However, as the best VPNs for Netflix use military-grade encryption it is impossible for Netflix to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.
There’s one final thing to note on the subject: Netflix has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
