Wow did I love this series! I missed it during the original broadcast, but based on what people have told me, I gambled on this box set. I feel like I hit the jackpot.

It's definitely not for everyone though. No sirree.

First of all, if you're squeamish, the brilliantly reproduced surgeries can be a bit nauseating. (I'm a surgeon, and I loved 'em. My wife, an ex-nurse, had to close her eyes...)
Second, if you are at all uncomfortable with the topic of sex, stay away. This series will plant you into situations you have not even imagined. Bouncing between hilarity and discomfort, sex is definitely a theme throughout the 13 shows.

Third, if you appreciate good acting, it does not get any better than this. Seriously. This is "Sopranos" good; "NYPD Blue" good. The two lead performances are pitch-perfect, both deeply flawed and often morally reprehensible individuals who at the end of the day, you can't help but root for. The "supporting" players are a heck lot more than that, and provide tons of drama, amusement and eye candy.
There is beauty and ugliness everywhere, from an absolutely gorgeous female figure to a purely evil drug dealing psychopath. That's just in one episode.

Fourth, the screenwriting is bling-bling eye-popping, smart as all hell and consistently surprising. The thirteen episodes link nicely together, the first ones dovetailing back into the last ones. I was constantly taken aback at the twists, the lines, the situations they came up with. Let's just say that I learned in the very first episode that crocodiles prefer ham to human flesh. And that fact is actually important to the story...

I haven't even had a chance to go through what appears to be fairly extensive supplements and deleted scenes. I HAD to write in...I will recommend this to ANYONE, anyone over 18 I should say, who likes good television and may like to be pleasantly shocked from time to time.

With great restraint I have withheld many (if not all) plot points, because the exhilarating thrill of discovering them on your own is something you'll only feel once. Without spoiling too much, the show centers on the Miami plastic surgery practice of McNamara/Troy.
Sean McNamara is a questionably happily married man, with one teenage son, and one grade schooler daughter.
Julia, the wife, is plagued by doubts surrounding her love for her husband, the urge to go back to medical school and sexual attractions/distractions galore.
One of whom might be Christian Troy, Sean's best friend and partner, and one of the most gleefully decadent characters in TV history. I mean "decadent" in a good way. Sort of.
His travails include, but in no way are limited to, a continuing parade of sexual partners, a number of hysterical surgical propositions, problems involving his boat, his cars, his apartment and the plastic surgery competition across town.
Other important characters include the melting hot staff psychologist and the defiant, embittered, proudly lesbian anesthesiologist. The cast has such chemistry that they not only react to one another, they generate this bubbly heat together...it's fun to watch them prod each other to new heights.

The one thing that struck me the most about these shows is the amount of genuine heart that stands at the center of each episode. There is a large amount of provocative, politically incorrect but unassailable truth here...nothing you'd like to admit, but stuff you instantly recognize. As you get to know these characters, establshing empathy for them is easy. It's darn near irresistible. I was hooked from the first five minutes.

I could write more, but I need to go check out the extras, AND the four NEW episodes I have on tape. I have just GOT to get my Tivo hooked up...

A lot of ground-breaking, long-running programmes have finished in the past two years, and they all seem to be my favourites! Buffy is gone, as is Sex And The City, and of course, who could forget Friends? I thought I'd have nothing to watch on TV anymore, Will & Grace being my only saviour, but then along came Nip/Tuck in August 2004. Originally broadcast on cable in the UK, the show was sold to Channel 4 and advertised as the next big thing. With commercials for this hip, sexy and stylish new drama every half an hour, there can't be one single person who watches Channel 4 who doesn't know about it. The ratings show this: Nip/Tuck has gone on to become a massive ratings hit in the past two months that it has been on air, and I for one am completely sold.

Let me first say that Nip/Tuck is definitely not a show for everyone. It contains many scenes of medical gore and explicit sex scenes, along with strong language and distressing moments of human revelation. I'm not deterred by these factors, but sometimes I have to look away during the medical scenes. Basically, the show revolves around the two lead characters, Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) who own a blossoming plastic surgeon practice in Miami South Beach. They are lifetime friends, but are rather different in character - Dr. Troy is a single, middle-aged, sex-maniac who is commitment-phobic. This is partly due to childhood experiences, yet one cannot feel total sympathy for his manipulative and devious ways. He is very sexy and woman can't resist him. Dr. McNamara is the sensible family-man, happily married to Julia (Joely Richardson) and the adoring father of two children, Matt (John Hensley) being the son.

The two doctors are both each going through a full-blown mid-life crises, involving their families, patients and each other. Season 1 perfectly captures this. What makes the show so unique for me is the successful blend of humour and drama. They are at times funny, and at times disturbingly powerful in their drama. The storylines are cutting-edge and very sharp to the times. The perception of society in this show is acute and precisely executed: it shows society for what it is, and presents the dangers of the need for perfection, without shoving it down the viewer's throat. The storylines are cutting-edge because a show like this has never been around - it is only the advances in modern technology and the ever-growing popularity of plastic surgery that a show like this has been made possible. Therefore a whole world of new storylines has been opened for exploration, and when you attach this with good old-fashioned human emotion, you get a fantastic blend of ground-breaking new territory to explore.

The show's main stars give the best performances. Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh are the backbone if the entire show, but for me it is the superb Joely Richardson who steals the show. Her emotional-intensity is on fire, the woman can REALLY act! Valerie Cruz stars as Grace Santiago, the sickenly-gorgeous psychologist who must analyse the mental-state of patients before they undergo surgery. Roma Maffia stars as the loveable lesbian Liz Cruz, who is the two surgeon's anaesthesiologist. The storylines involving all these characters are incredibly complex, but all the threads of their characters are tied-up towards the end of the season. Sort of.

There are so many characters in the first season that make this show so appealing, but the particular stand-outs include the desperate model-to-be Kimberly who will do anything to achieve her goal of perfection and acceptance. Her revenge on Christian is brilliant. The short but memorable role of overweight Nanette Babcock are heart-breaking in their honesty, whilst the young transsexual Sofia Lopez opens up her whole world to the viewer and how difficult it is just being accepted as she is. Most people come to the two doctors for petty things such as boob enhancements, and when contrasted with the emotional need to feel content as a transsexual, the reality of life is put into perspective. Megan O'Hara is a patient that Dr. McNamara becomes most emotionally-attached to, and even goes as far as to have an affair with, risking his entire family. This might seem devious, but their relationship is beautiful: she's a cancer-patient in need of love and affection and has only a short time left to live. Her suicide scene is heart-breaking. I was completely transfixed.

The high-emotion continues with Cara Fitzgerald, who is knocked down by Matt McNamara and a friend in a car. Her strong-Christian mother refuses plastic surgery to reshape her unrecognisable daughter's face, but eventually has to give in. The multiple-personality of Montana/Sassy/Justicy is another highlight for its emotional intensity and brave tackling of such a sensitive topic. The last two episodes are dominated by the evil Escobar Gallardo who made his presence in the first episode, but returns to use the doctor's darkest secrets as blackmail, forcing them to remove the liquid-heroin implants of Escobar's curvaceous drug-couriers.

There are too many brilliant scenes to talk of in just one review of Nip/Tuck Season 1, but trust me when I say that this show really is one of the best to come along in recent years. The only concern is that sometimes the dialogue is a little cheesy or inappropriate for the scene's level of intensity, but this is just a minor quibble from such a promising and popular show. I look very much forward to seeing Season 2 of thie show, which will be broadcast sometime next year. While I wait, I'm sure my box set of Season 1 will console me with repeat viewings of this disturbingly perfect drama.

Plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara(Dylan Walsh)and Dr. Christian Troy(Julian McMahon)have been best friends since college, and run one of the best and most profitable practices in all of Florida. However, their personal lives often get in the way. Sean's marriage to his wife Julia(Joely Richardson)is on the rocks and he has trouble connecting with his teenage son Matt(John Hensley)which causes Sean to begin going through a mid-life crisis. Christian is a ladies man who has seemingly slept with half of the women in Florida. His "love them then leave them" lifestyle often gets him into trouble. Christian also lacks ethics, drinks too much, and is willing to operate on just about anyone to keep the money rolling in. Each episode of Nip/Tuck deals with a particular patient that Sean and Christian are operating on, along with everything that is going on in their personal lives as well.

When I first heard about Nip/Tuck I was highly skeptical because a show that is based on plastic surgery does not sound all that entertaining. However, if there was ever a time to apply the rule of "never judge a book by its cover" it is with this show. Even though the effects of the sugeries themselves are groundbreaking and extremely graphic, there is only about 10-15 minutes of actual plastic surgery in each episode. What makes Nip/Tuck such a great show, is the fact that the storytelling and episode quality is so good that it is almost unreal. While the patients that Sean and Christian operate on differ from episode to episode, the overall story of what is happening in their personal lives manages to continue and build throughout the season. For a show that is supposed to deal with something as superficial as plastic surgery, Nip/Tuck has incredible depth to it. Actors Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon seem like they were made for the show, and manage to bring Sean and Christian to life with their amazing performances. Nip/Tuck is also as addictive as any show I have ever seen. Each episode you are hooked from the time you hear the show's wonderful catch phrase "tell me what you don't like about yourself" to the end credits. Last but not least, is the wonderful music that the show features. You get everything from songs of the 80's to current hit music. The soundtrack is definately one worth owning.

Overall, Nip/Tuck is definately one of the best shows on television today. You get everything from great performances and wonderful music, to amazing special effects and top notch storytelling. I was extremely happy when the first season of the show came to DVD. Not only do you get all thirteen episodes commercial free, but wonderful bonus features as well. There are three featurettes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and more.

A solid 5 stars...