Nip/Tuck is an American television medical drama series created by Ryan Murphy for FX Networks. The show follows the lives of two plastic surgeons, Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). The show was set in Miami, Florida in Seasons 1 through to 4 but was filmed in Los Angeles. A plot-related development led to the show moving location to Los Angeles, California which brought the show in line with its place of production from Season 5 onwards.
In its debut season, Nip/Tuck was the highest-rated new series on American basic cable, and the highest rated basic cable series of all time for the 18-49 and 25-54 age demographics. The fourth season of the series premiered on September 5, 2006 on FX Networks. The latest season to be released on DVD was the fourth on September 4, 2007. The fifth season premiered on October 30, 2007, and was to consist of 22 episodes, making it the longest season of the show yet, with Joely Richardson returning for 15 of those episodes. . The remaining eight episodes of the 22-episode pick-up will air in January 2009 and is considered season six. The show inspired the creation of the plastic surgery reality show Dr. 90210.
At the 2008 TCA Press Tour, it was announced that 8 new episodes of Nip/Tuck - the remainder of Season 5 - will begin to air in January 2009. The sixth and final season of Nip/Tuck will consist of 19 episodes and will premiere in 2010. Ryan Murphy will remain as a showrunner throughout the final episodes. Also joining for 4 episodes is actress Rose McGowan who will play the part of Dr. Thoedora 'Teddy' Lowe. This will reunite her with former Charmed co star Julian McMahon
| Character | Actor | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Sean McNamara | Dylan Walsh | all Seasons |
| Christian Troy | Julian McMahon | all Seasons |
| Matt McNamara | John Hensley | all Seasons |
| Julia McNamara | Joely Richardson | all Seasons |
| Liz Cruz | Roma Maffia | Season 2+ (Season 1; recurring) |
| Kimber Henry | Kelly Carlson | Season 3+ (Season 1-2; recurring) |
| Grace Santiago | Valerie Cruz | Season 1 |
| Gina Russo | Jessalyn Gilsig | Season 3 (Season 1 - 2, 4 - 5; recurring) |
| Escobar Gallardo | Robert LaSardo | Season 1 - 2, 4 |
| Ava Moore | Famke Janssen | Season 2 |
| Quentin Costa | Bruno Campos | Season 3 (Season 2; guest) |
| Kit McGraw | Rhona Mitra | Season 3 |
| James | Jacqueline Bisset | Season 4 |
| Michelle Landau | Sanaa Lathan | Season 4 |
| Eden Lord | AnnaLynne McCord | Season 5 |
| Colleen Rose | Sharon Gless | Season 5 |
| Character | Actor | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Annie McNamara | Kelsey Batelaan | Season 1 - |
| Wilber Russo-Troy | Joshua Henry | Season 2, 4 - |
| Nurse Linda | Linda Klein | Season 1 - |
| Dr. Merrill Bobolit | Joey Slotnick | Season 1 - 2, 4 |
| Mrs. Hedda Grubman | Ruth Williamson | Season 1 - 2, 4 |
| Jude Watson | Phillip Rhys | Season 1 - 3 |
| Megan O'Hara | Julie Warner | Season 1 - 2, 4 |
| Adrian Moore | Seth Gabel | Season 2 |
| Dr. Erica Noughton | Vanessa Redgrave | Season 2 - 3 |
| Ariel Alderman | Brittany Snow | Season 3 |
| Dawn Budge | Rosie O'Donnell | Season 4 - 5 |
| Marlowe Sawyer | Peter Dinklage | Season 4 |
| Olivia Lord | Portia de Rossi | Season 5 |
| Kate Tinsley | Paula Marshall | Season 5 |
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Viewers Total (in millions) | Viewers Age 18-49 (in millions) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers Total (in millions) | Viewers 18-49 (in millions) | Date | Viewers Total (in millions) | Viewers 18-49 (in millions) | ||||
| 1st | Tuesday 10:00PM | July 22, 2003 | 3.7 | 2.0 | October 21, 2003 | 2.99 | 2.1 | 3.25 | 2.2 |
| 2nd | June 22, 2004 | 3.8 | 2.7 | October 5, 2004 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 2.6 | |
| 3rd | September 20, 2005 | 5.3 | 3.7 | December 20, 2005 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.7 | |
| 4th | September 5, 2006 | 4.8 | 3.4 | December 12, 2006 | 3.38 | 2.38 | 3.9 | 2.75 | |
| 5th | October 30, 2007 | 4.3 | 3.5 | February 19, 2008 | ??? | 2.41 | ??? | ??? | |
Nip/Tuck became an instant basic cable hit from its 2003 series premiere.
For its third season, FX aired Nip/Tuck solely in the fall of 2005, instead of during the summer season like the two years prior. John Landgraf, president of FX, stated that such a move was a "huge risk" since it stacked up "against the full barrage of fall network competition." Despite some critical backlash on its third season, like the grade of D+ from Entertainment Weekly, the story arc involving The Carver attracted an audience to the series larger than any season before, culminating in a December 20, 2005 two-hour season finale, entitled Cherry Peck / Quentin Costa, which became the most-watched scripted program in the history of the FX network.
Including Cherry Peck / Quentin Costa, three episodes of Nip/Tuck rank as the three most-watched scripted programs ever on FX. The second season finale, entitled Joan Rivers, which aired on October 5, 2004, drew 5.2 million viewers. It was then eclipsed on September 20, 2005 when the third season premiere, entitled Momma Boone, drew roughly 5.3 million viewers. Exactly three months later on December 20, 2005, the aforementioned third season finale, entitled Cherry Peck / Quentin Costa, drew 5.7 million viewers. Of those 5.7 million viewers, 3.9 million viewers were in the 18-49 age group demographic, "making the finale the No. 1 episode among the key advertising demographic of any cable series in 2005. It's also the largest demographic number for any single telecast in the network's history," according to Zap2It
According to the September 8, 2006 Mediaweek column The Programming Insider, "the fourth season-premiere on Tuesday, September 5, 2006, from 10-11:10 pm averaged a stellar 4.8 million total viewers and 3.4 million adults 18-49, building over its season three average by 25 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Nip/Tuck's performance among adults 18-49 ranks as basic cable’s top-rated season-premiere in the demo for 2006, as of September 8, 2006."
For complete listing and details, see Nip / Tuck: Original TV Soundtrack.
