Nip/Tuck

I have little patience for people who get bent out of shape about TV shows like "Nip/Tuck" that push the envelope when they are warned, up front, that the show contains material not suitable for the average viewer.

There is a lot of mindless, self-serving crap on Network TV today with all the reality garbage that only appeal to the lowest common denominator. Thankfully, "Nip/Tuck" is not one of them. What makes "Nip/Tuck" different is not that it seems like a cross between "ER" and "Jerry Springer," -- which it is -- but that it keeps the viewer engaged by being both off-the-wall and unpredictable.

Yes, all the characters on the show are dysfunctional (with the possible exception of Liz), but they are far more realistic than all the characters on "Father Knows Best" where everyone only had a good side.

On "Nip/Tuck," both the good sides and the dark sides of each character are brought to the fore. Irony has a field day on this show as those who you deemed to be stupid and insensitive turn out to be just the opposite when situations change.

The main problem with this series lies in where you, the viewer, make your entrance. You will be at a great loss to figure out what is going on now if you have not followed the show from its inception. Every successive show builds upon the events of all the previous ones, straight back to the pilot episode. For example, the turmoil in Sean and Julia's marriage was there from Day One as was the competitiveness between Sean and his womanizing partner, Christian Troy.

At the core of it all is Sean's ongoing identity crisis in which he has gone from a prudish wimp to a man at war with himself and everyone around him.

Although the tagline of the show is when Drs McNemara and Troy ask patients what they do not like about themselves, the underlying theme is about all the things that these two perplexed plastic surgeons hate about their lives. In trying to make others "feel better about themselves," they confront their own inadequacies, and invariably direct their hatred of themselves towards others.

Psychobabble aside, the show is damn funny, too!

"Nip/Tuck" is one of the craziest, outrageous, most graphic, and fascinating shows I've seen. It is a story of two Miami based plastic surgeons and the drama of their friendship, careers, personal lives, and other social difficulties. From the first second, it is a wild ride – amazing pace, incredible situations, twists and turns, and it is very well done. I did not watch this show when it first started but my younger son is a huge fan and he always tells me how much I've been missing. Finally, he gave me the First season on DVDs for my birthday. I trust my son's taste in shows – because of his high recommendations I started to watch "24" and was completely blown away with its first season. Anyway, "Nip/Tuck" is very controversial, and its graphical surgeries moments are difficult to watch – do not watch it when you eat or right after your dinner – but it is entertaining, twisted, smart, and disturbing.

After having finished watching the complete First season on DVDs, I can say that "Nip/Tuck" is certainly one of the best dramas on TV now and I am looking forward for the new season that will begin in September. I hope that Season two will come on DVD soon because I want to see it before Season 3 starts. The creators of "Nip/Tuck" did a really great job on the show with truly interesting characters - no one is perfect, they all are flawed but compelling. The twists in plot are always unexpected, the visual effects - eye-popping and jaw dropping, the acting - first rate from everyone, and then, the episode 10 comes - the crazy mixture of surrealism, dark humor, and highest drama. Fascinating.

I eagerly anticipated this series because of my admiration for Julian McMahon (Charmed). The entire cast is great, and the subplots are the real masterpiece of this drama/comedy. Sure, the premise is built around the issue of plastic surgery, but it is everything outside the operating room that provides the substance to this show. The triangle of Christian / Julia / Shawn is by now (second season) ripe for some real turbulence, especially with Christian's crisis and Julia's secret. I, for one, can't wait to see how the season unfolds - or explodes, I expect. The theme is also well-represented in showing how people can so easily take plastic surgery way too far - surgeons included. This show has a lot of life to it, and I can't wait to see where it takes us.

After a few years, I've finally finished the entire series of Nip/Tuck and it's a mixed bag. From season 1-2, you won't get one complaint out of me. The characters were complex, the writing superb, and the acting beyond stellar. We shouldn't care for confused, privileged Sean, Christian, and Julia, but somehow, we do. It's the writing and acting that take this far above your standard night time soap and into something far deeper and more meaningful. This is a show that has an awful lot to say and doesn't apologize for any of it.

The show reaches its pinnacle with the introduction and storyline of Ava Moore (a brilliant and sexy Famke Jansen). The Ava storyline, in fact, is so fascinating and unique that it ends up making everything that comes after it feel bland.

After a genuinely wicked season 2 cliffhanger, the show returns for season 3 and gets off to a rocky start with a confusing dream sequence, but after that, the show gets back to normal and is better than ever...until the reveal of the evil Carver. It's so dull and obvious from the get-go that you just have to sigh and hope for something better next season.

Unfortunately, season 4 is when the show really starts to fly off the rails. Season 4 amounts to what is basically a series of (fairly amusing) celebrity cameos. Everyone from Brooke Shields to Catherine Deneuve to Rosie O'Donnell shows up while our three leads suffer a series of dull story lines.

Season 5 has the show move out of Miami and to LA - the plastic surgery capital of the world. This sounds like it could be interesting, but by this point, it seemed like everyone - writers, directors, and actors - had checked out and were just there for the paycheck. Besides a creepy, unexpected turn by Sharon Gless, this entire season is truly unmemorable.

The rest of the series hits a series of depressing lows before it tries to redeem itself by bringing back fan favorite, Ava, for the final two episodes. Sadly, even that feels half-baked.

Basically, bask in the brilliance of season 1&2 (and they really ARE brilliant), give 3 a watch, and then call it a day.

It's riveting, it's controversial, it's explicit, and it's steaming up the small screen! Nip/Tuck is certainly not your average cable television show, but its material is presented in such a way that you're hooked after the first couple of episodes. It's real, it's bloody, and it gets under your skin. But personally, I think Nip/Tuck is a real gem - and the acting is totally off the page. Just when you think it can't get any better, Ryan Murphy throws you another delicious twist. I recommend that everyone watch at least one episode. This show offers the opportunity for talents like Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon to shine in truly unique roles. FX definitely scored with this one.