The fifth season of Nip/Tuck premiered on October 30, 2007 and concluded on March 3, 2009. The unusually lengthy interval, for this season, was a direct result of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.[1][2] The season consisted of 22 episodes.
In the fifth season premiere, Sean and Christian settle into their new plastic surgery practice in Beverly Hills and struggle to build it from the ground up.
While a patient inspires Sean to take his relationship with Kate in a new direction, Eden uses extreme methods to persuade Christian to perform surgery on a friend.
Christian, jealous over Sean's newfound fame, convinces Sean to tape a reality show based on their careers as plastic surgeons, with desastrous results. This episode is a satire of reality television.
As Sean tries to regain his youth through his relationship with Eden, a violent and traumatic event causes Julia to question her relationship with Olivia.
After suspecting that something more than just their Secret Santa game is going on, Sean confronts Christian and Julia about the secret they have been keeping.
As Julia's health worsens, Christian falls back into old habits. Sean hires Gina as the new McNamara/Troy receptionist in order to get back at Christian.
After Sean takes on an agent, his role on "Hearts 'n Scalpels" is expanded. Meanwhile, a suspicious Christian questions why Gina moved to Los Angeles and is working at McNamara/Troy, and what her motives might be.
Christian attempts to cope in the aftermath of a death. Meanwhile, Colleen feels threatened when another talent agency shows interest in Sean's acting career.
As season five continues, McNamara/Troy faces an unexpected, serious medical crisis. Christian decides to settle down with one woman and Sean discovers a new love in a moment of extreme vulnerability. In the premiere episode for this second segment of season five, Sean's physical and emotional well-being is greatly impacted after he survives the attack from Colleen. Meanwhile, Christian gets some troubling news.
The fifth season received very positive reviews from critics, holding a 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[7] the highest-rated series of the show on the site.[8] It was praised for its use of humour, with Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe writing "The plastic-surgery drama just keeps on spinning smart, tart, funny, tragic, sexy, grotesque tales about vanity and contemporary American life",[9] whilst Charlie McCollum of the San Jose Mercury News wrote, "The shift in setting has resulted in opening episodes that are so wickedly funny and energetic that Nip/Tuck seems like a whole new show – or at least one that has recaptured its past glory."[10] Ryan Murphy received praise for the show's change of location from Miami to Los Angeles, with Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times writing "Ten minutes into the season premiere of Nip/Tuck and you have to wonder what those deeply disturbed plastic surgeons were doing wasting four seasons, and all that unexplored sexual tension, in Miami when they so clearly belong in Los Angeles",[11] whilst Brian Lowry wrote for Variety that "A change of venue has helped Nip/Tuck get much of its mojo back."[12] Rick Porter, at Zap2it, wrote "The actors are relishing the change of scenery and all that it brings, and [Ryan] Murphy himself seems more engaged as well."[13] Some criticism was aimed at the show s continued use of sexual content, with Ginia Bellafante of The New York Times writing "For four seasons Nip/Tuck danced around the idea that sex creepily ought to stay within the province of family life's pre-existing perversions; now it is saying so more directly, and with home-baked fruitcake."[14]
