BILLED as “LA’s latest im plants” Drs. Sean and Chris tian (Dylan Walsh and Juilan McMahon) have migrated from Miami to LA and opened a new and shiny practice complete with a basketball hoop in the operating room.
The hoop clearly is symbolic of the fact that the new place is as big as a basketball court and as empty as Madison Square Garden during the NBA finals.
If the show was over-the-top campy before, it’s now so far gone it should be directed by Charles Busch.
This doesn’t, of course, mean it’s not horribly entertaining. It’s wicked, it’s irreverent but it’s totally insane.
“Nip/Tuck” is also at-risk of becoming too inside-Hollywood with jokes about how shows tank in their fifth season and an “aren’t-we-clever” plot.
It all begins with the move to Hollywood.
Bereft of a single Botox babe looking for a stiff upper lip in LA – home to so much plastic surgery that it’s dangerous to go out when the sun is shining for fear of a city-wide melt-down – the boys go trolling the bars for patients.
And they are as subtle as the face of the Bride of Wildenstein in hitting on potential patients. Almost immediately, they find older-woman Fiona (Lauren Hutton), the only babe who remains surgically unaltered.
Not exactly subtle in their offer to “do” her, she says no thanks but offers up herself nonetheless – as their $5,000 a month PR woman. She’s got all the stars in her galaxy and promises to do the same for them. And she does – by getting them a gig on a cheesy TV drama, “Hearts ‘n Scalpels,” about a plastic surgeon played by vain actor Aidan Stone (Bradley Cooper).
“Hearts ‘n Scalpels” is the brain child of insecure producer Freddy Prune (Oliver Platt), who is a gay bag of neuroses. The second best thing about the new season may be Platt (more on the No. 1 best thing later), who has found a great fit here.
Sean is reluctant to go on TV. Christian is all for it – and, in fact, gets plugs so he looks his best. Backfire. He should have stopped with the horrible waxed manbrows.
Meantime, Julia (Joely Richardson) pays a visit accompanied by her new significant other. Only the “other” isn’t significantly as shocking as the producers had hoped. (In fact, this is just the logical way this silly show seems to go.)
Added to the mix this year is my all-time favorite funny actress – who is now the first-best thing about the show – Jennifer Coolidge, who plays an actress on “Hearts ‘n Scalpels.”
One word: hilarious.
Elsewhere in the new cast, Daphne Zuniga plays a star in need of a touch-up; Craig Bierko is a studio exec in need of a beating; and Tia Carrere is just the woman to give it to him.
And Paula Marshall is a new love interest for, well, never mind.
I wish I hated this cheeseball show as much as I used to. But damn, if it ain’t a hoot and a half.
“Nip/Tuck” Season 5 premiere
Tomorrow night at 10 on FX