Nip/Tuck

The first time I heard of Nip/Tuck I was hesitant and reluctant to see it. Plus I felt that the show was not going to last and that it stereotypes plastic surgeons. But as I continued watching the show I got addicted to the offbeat humor, the gross surgical procedures, and its characters. Julian McMahon is sexy and gives his character a vulnerability and humanity that is not typical in sex-crazy handsome male characters. He gives his character a reason to like him and yet he will also give audiences a reason to despise him. Dylan Walsh shines as Dr. Sean McNamara. Proving himself worthy as an actor, he shows us a character with everything in the world and yet has inner self-destructive part that is hidden from everyone else.

Additional performances by Joely Richardson as a woman who may have some skeletons in her closet and is loved by both McMahon and Walsh. Excellent writing and dialogue that leads you to want more.

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.

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!

It's sad to watch one of the best series in television self-destruct, but that's what has happened to NIP / TUCK over the last three seasons. Season One contained some of the finest moments in television history. While not as good, Season Two had many memorable moments. Even Seasons Three and Four had worthwhile performances. However, by Season Six, all of the main characters are so decadent, they've become unpleasant and, worse, boring. Christian, while always dis-likable, at least had some interesting demons. Sean, on the other hand, has become a whiny pedophile. Julia, the weakest of the leads, has now become a caricature, as has Matt. Sad to watch, but thanks for the memories. Also, PLEASE GO BACK TO Miami!!!

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.