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I loved Nip/Tuck when it launched. I watched four seasons religiously-- DVR-ing it when I needed to and watching reruns happily. What was not to like? Great casting, unique plot twists and a two really cute guys who had their own dark, deeply hidden secrets that begged one to ask these two characters "Tell me what you don't like about yourself?".

(This article was written originally for Blogcritics.org and can be seen there in a modified, shorter format)

FX scored a coup in cable TV when it launched The Shield in 2002. It reiterated its' dominance in edgy drama when it launched Nip/Tuck in 2003. This series features two plastic surgeons at the top of their game in steamy Miami. These young, handsome doctors in partnership deal with balancing life as talented surgeons at the top of their game doing cutting-edge surgery. The series surrounds them with top-notch supporting cast members along with an array of guest stars who play people who want plastic surgery to 'make over' their lives. It got serious attention for gutsy, sexy drama that pushed its presentation so hard that it about split the seams of conventional television drama, yet did it with some taste, wit, and dark comedic turns.

The Shield and then Nip/Tuck was ground-breaking in its content and seemed to be a precursor for other shows (Californication, Weeds, Dexter, Damages, Saving Grace) to put more emphasis on adult-oriented content that involves both 'name' actors into series with intertwined storylines that rival those of daytime television but taken to an entirely different level.

Sean McNamara(Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon), are the key figures who are colleagues, friends, even brothers, but also bicker like an uneasily married couple. In the first season, Sean was the anal-retentive, perfectionist doc and husband while Christian was the ultimate bad boy who had reason to do it because he felt unloved by any and all which he hid quite well. Joely Richardson is Sean's wife Julia who was a med student with both Christian and Sean and while attracted to both men, wound up marrying Sean and quit school once she became pregnant. The marriage eventually falls apart and Julia finds herself in a relationship with Olivia. Despite the ongoing Olivia relationship, Julia notes her continued attraction to Christian and then the plot-line gets dropped leaving me wondering about her orientation. Roma Maffia plays Liz, the gay, in-house anesthesiologist who is part-time referee and voice of common sense and reason for the two competitive doctors. Her orientation becomes interesting when Christian finds out he has cancer. From the baring of souls between Liz and Christian, they wind up getting married but that relationship dissolves fairly quickly. John Hensley is Matt McNamara, Julia and Sean's son, whose mishaps as a young man end up with him on meth, married and using the cover as a mime performer to steal. Kelly Carlson has a recurring role as Kimber, a model seeking to freshen her look who morphs into a porn star and sex toy entrepreneur as well revolving door girlfriend to both Christian and Sean. This series requires a score-card to keep track of the regulars and how their personal and professional lives have become intertwined. The array of guests stars that have paraded through various seasons including Oliver Platt, Rosie O'Donnell, Sharon Gless, AnnaLynne McCord, and many others who made this a 'must see' series.

With each season ending some storylines with cliff-hangers and others with resolution, viewers kept coming back for more.The numbers started dwindling simply because hearing the doctors ask patients "tell us what it is you don't like about yourself" gets old and the doctors are turning into textbook examples of bad behavior