Nip/Tuck is an American television drama series created by Ryan Murphy and produced by Hands Down Entertainment which reveals the lives of Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy, two plastic surgeons, best friends and business partners who run McNamara/Troy, a South Beach plastic surgery practice (relocated to Los Angeles in Season 5).
The series aired in the USA on FX Networks from 22 July, 2003 to 3 March, 2010. There are 100 hour-long episodes in six seasons.
Nip/Tuck premiered in South Africa on M-Net on Tuesday 13 January 2004, at 21h30. It was moved to DStv's M-Net Series channel for the fifth season (although the fourth season also repeated on M-Net Series). The series later aired on SABC3.
See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 6 premiered on SABC3 on Wednesday 26 October 2011, at 22h00. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 19 episodes in the sixth and final season.
Synopsis
Nip/Tuck is a television drama that reveals the lives of Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy, two plastic surgeons, best friends and business partners who run McNamara/Troy, a South Beach plastic surgery practice.
The men share a love for the same woman, Julia McNamara, and they seek personal happiness and professional success in different ways.
The themes of youth, beauty and perfection found in Nip/Tuck are universal, considering how society views aging as a shameful curse, physical imperfections a grave embarrassment and Botox a vital necessity.
The series has fueled the debate about cosmetic surgery, what it can and cannot bring to a patient's life, and our continued quest for true contentment.
Season 1
Season 1 of Nip/Tuck introduces us to two elite plastic surgeons, based in the body-beautiful Miami.
Dr Christian Troy is arrogant, woman-loving and pleasure-seeking while his business partner, Dr Sean McNamara is the more settled family man.
Holding nothing back, the series focuses on some of the most graphic surgeries and medical situations. But not all happens in the medical practice.
Sean's marriage is in trouble and his wife, Julia, is conflicted in her feelings for Sean and Christian. They also have a rebellious son, Matt, who they find difficult to deal with.
Season 1 also sees Christian meet Kimber, an aspiring actress, who needs her look perfected. Their relationship goes far beyond the professional and she becomes a recurring character in Christian's life.
Christian's love of women and sex also sees him get into some nasty situations, the most notable one being his relationship with Gina, a self-confessed sex-addict, who might be pregnant with Christian's baby.
Season 2
Dr Sean McNamara and Dr Christian Troy continue to run their successful plastic surgery practice in Miami all the while still living turbulent lives.
Christian faces an ongoing battle with Gina over custody of her child even though the child's paternity is uncertain.
Sean plunges into a mid-life crisis and is unsure about his ability to be a surgeon.
Julia is plagued by problems with her disapproving mother and Matt, her rebellious son.
Julia and Sean face the fact that their marriage might be over.
In an attempt to deal with Matt's crisis, she enlists the help of Ava Moore, a life-coach. But is Ava really effective or is she the source of a whole new set of problems.
The serial attacker, "the carver" also rears its ugly head in Season 2. Local women are disfigured and McNamara /Troy decide to do reconstructive surgery on these women. A decision that puts their own lives at stake.
Season 3
Season 3 continues with the vicarious lives of Miami plastic surgeons Dr Sean McNamara and Dr Christian Troy.
Christian is still reeling from his attack and Sean reassesses how he wants to practice medicine. Both these developments threaten the future of the practice. Sean is forced to hire a new surgeon, Dr Quentin Costa. Though it seems that the new doctor comes with more problems than solutions.
Christian reconsiders his relationship with Kimber and realises that he might love her. Though his involvement with carver-case detective, Kit McGraw tells another story.
The Carver steps up his attacks and everyone is regarded as a suspect.
Julia decides to open a spa catering for recuperating surgery patients and gets into partnership with Gina.
Matt goes off the deep-end after finding out that that his parents and Christian interfered in his relationship with Ava and he hears some disturbing news about Ava.
Season 4
Season 4 starts a new chapter after the Carver (Quentin Costa) and his assistant (Kit McGraw) were revealed in the finale of Season 3.
Pregnant Julia learns that there is something wrong with her unborn child - a fact that she keeps from Sean as long as she can.
Sean wants regain his sense of family, but his relationship with Matt grows more distant. The biological son of Christian, Matt is isolated and moody, and he projects his anger towards those who love him the most.
Conflicted about his love for former model Kimber - a stunning beauty who became an adult video star and director when her attempts at a legitimate acting career failed - as well as about his friendship with Sean, Christian seeks the help of a psychiatrist.
Having been kidnapped by the Carver on her way to the altar with Christian and tortured by her abductor, Kimber made it safely back to Christian, only to reject him and his ideals of beauty and perfection.
Now she seeks comfort and safety through spiritual means, and tries to help Matt do the same. Often the only voice of reason in an otherwise unpredictable environment, bright and caring anesthesiologist Liz, a confident and outspoken lesbian who has earned the respect of her physician colleagues, is tough on the surface, yet she shows warmth and concern for her patients and for Sean and Christian.
In this season, with Christian's help, Liz searches for and finds romance - with tragic results.
Also, Sean and Christian celebrate a milestone surgery, and Julia sells her half of Spa de la Mer.
Season 5
McNamara/Troy has relocated to Los Angeles, but Sean and Christian quickly discover they are merely small fishes in a big pond.
With the help of a powerful Hollywood publicist, the duo get jobs as medical consultants on a night-time soap opera called Hearts 'n' Scalpels.
Meanwhile, Christian becomes involved with an aging actress requiring surgery to save her career, and Sean crosses paths with a Hollywood agent with horrific wounds on his chest and the dominatrix who inflicted them on him.
Julia visits Los Angeles and introduces Sean and Christian to her new lover: Olivia Lord. Christian poses for Playgirl in an effort to eclipse Sean's newfound fame.
Season 6
In the Season 6 premiere:
Despite his blossoming relationship with Teddy (guest star Rose McGowan, replacing Katee Sackhoff), Sean is plagued by insomnia.
Christian and Liz engage in bitter divorce proceedings following the revelation that Christian is not suffering from terminal cancer, with a vengeful Liz wanting to take half of everything Christian owns.
Matt reveals to Sean and Christian that he is working as a mime, but it is not long before his newfound talents lead to criminality.
Kimber, after learning how to perform electrolysis therapy via night classes, appeals to become McNamara/Troy's on-site esthetician.
Faced with the economic downturn, Sean and Christian turn to one-time rival plastic surgeon Mike Hamoui (guest star Mario Lopez), who strikes a deal with the doctors in which he pays 10% of his own money to use their surgical suites and help drum up business for the struggling practice, while simultaneously bringing in a new form of client: women seeking vaginal rejuvenation surgery.
Later in the season, Sean and Christian manage to keep McNamara/Troy in business during a difficult economy. Sean marries Teddy, who later fails at her attempt to murder her new husband and his children.
A heartbroken and angry Liz sues Christian for divorce, leaving him in financial dire straits and forcing him to deceive Sean.
After years of maternal torment, Julia frames Erica for drug possession. When Matt's crime spree landed him in prison, Christian barters with authorities for Matt's release and performs cosmetic surgery on a death-row inmate.
Kimber terminates her surprise pregnancy as a condition for marriage to Christian.
The series' final season reveals Sean's decades-long frustration towards Christian as he reflects on their lives as friends and business partners and searches for true meaning in his life.
As a detached Christian and a disillusioned Kimber begin to keep secrets from each other, their marriage yields to the strains of tension, stress and lies.
Liz's personal life falters while her professional life advances.
A matured Matt assumes responsibility for his past actions as he initiates distance from Sean and Christian.
Julia travels to Los Angeles with Annie and Conor and makes a surprising disclosure.
Seasons
Season 1 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 13 Jan 2004 | Finale: 6 Apr 2004 | Tuesdays, 21h30
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 27 Apr 2007 | Finale: 20 Jul 2007 | Fridays, 22h00
Season 2 (16 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 11 Jan 2005 | Finale: 26 Apr 2005 | Tuesdays, 21h30
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 28 Jul 2007 | Finale: 17 Nov 2007 | Saturdays, 23h00
Season 3 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 24 Jan 2006 | Finale: 2 May 2006 | Tuesdays, 21h30
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 19 Nov 2008 | Finale: 23 Dec 2008 | Tues-Thurs, 22h15
Season 4 (15 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 30 Jan 2007 | Finale: 8 May 2007 | Tuesdays, 21h30
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 26 Sep 2007 | Finale: 2 Jan 2008 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 25 Feb 2010 | Finale: 31 Mar 2010 | Tues-Thurs, 22h15
Season 5 (22 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 9 Jan 2008 | Finale: 1 Jul 2009 | Wednesdays, 21h00
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 4 Nov 2010 | Finale: 13 Dec 2010 | Mon-Thurs, 22h15
Season 6 (19 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 10 Feb 2010 | Finale: 23 Jun 2010 | Wednesdays, 22h00
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 26 Oct 2011 | Finale: 29 Feb 2012 | Wednesdays, 22h00