TVSquad

(S06E06) "That's the wonderful thing about raising children -- they keep you young!" - Erica

With Teddy's murder now come and gone (I could go on for hours about how displeased I still am with the way her story ended), Nip/Tuck returned to safe territory last night in "Alexis Stone" by bringing back one of the most loved (and hated) characters to ever grace the show -- Julia's mother, Dr. Erica Noughton (played to icy perfection by Vanessa Redgrave). With Erica around, conflict is always guaranteed and this was no exception. Calling her the mother (and mother-in-law) from hell would be the understatement of the year.

(S06E05) "Why is it that we see what we want to believe and we don't believe what we see?" - Sean

I don't really have a ton to say about this episode; suffice to say that it wasn't my favorite. I argued last week that I hoped Teddy's run in with John Doe (I don't think we caught his name) didn't turn into an easy way to end her story and that's exactly what happened. I liked how it played out but only to the extent that it sent Sean off into this delusional "what the hell am I doing with my life" haze. I'll have a lot more respect for what happened in "Abigail Sullivan" as long as the consequences are worth it.

(S06E04) "Yes! She punched me in the face with her breasts!" - Christian

This is really starting to shape up into one of Nip/Tuck's best seasons in quite some time. Not only did "Jenny Juggs" put an excellent twist on the season's main plot (Teddy's plan), but it also added life to a plot that has, up until now, been pretty stupid (Matt, the bandit mime). Add in the laughs from Christian and Jenny and you've got some vintage McNamara/Troy action. Remember that? Nip/Tuck always used to be this good.

(S06E03) "I don't know... she must've thought I was someone else." - Teddy

Season six of Nip/Tuck, congratulations -- you have arrived. After two enjoyable, but largely disposable episodes to start the season, the focus has finally returned to the one dangling plot from season five -- Rose McGowan's Dr. Teddy Rowe. While it took some guesswork to recall everything the two-faced (three-faced?) anesthesiologist has done (the "previously on" sequence lacked anything to jog your memory since the season five Teddy was played by Katee Sackhoff), "Briggitte Reinholt" did a pretty decent job of explaining her past sins.

(S06E02) "Watching them bleed makes me feel less... alone." - Vivian

Despite being depressing as hell, "Enigma" was still a refreshing episode when compared to last week's light-hearted pseudo-documentary take on Sean and Christian's financial troubles. Nip/Tuck doesn't always focus solely on one of the main characters, but when the show does take that angle, it's often quite good. This episode could have just as easily been called "Sean McNamara II." (The first Sean-centric ep was back in season two.)

(S06E01) "For Sean McNamara, a man wound tighter than a hummingbird's asshole..." - Narrator

Is it wrong that the sight of a wrinkled and saggy breast being sliced open and having a slimy silicone implant shoved into it no longer makes me flinch in quite same way as it did when Nip/Tuck premiered in 2003? That seems to be the endemic issue with Nip/Tuck, in general - the show as a whole is no longer the "disturbingly perfect drama" that it once was because it's just not shocking anymore. In some ways it feels like we've seen it all.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean plots are being recycled, and as we begin our journey through the series' final 19 episodes (this season has 10), there are certainly still plenty of good stories to tell. I made it clear in yesterday's early preview that if there's one show out there with that sort of potential after five seasons, it's definitely Nip/Tuck.

• Hallmark has an I Love Lucy marathon all night.
• At 8, ABC has a new Hank, followed by new episodes of The Middle, Modern Family, Cougar Town, and Eastwick.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has new episodes of Mercy, Law and Order: SVU, and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, then a new Glee.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• PBS has a new American Masters at 8.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Mythbusters starting at 8, followed by a new Time Warp.
• At 9, Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters, then a new Destination Truth.
• History Channel has a new Nostradamus Effect at 9, followed by a new MysteryQuest.
• Showtime has a new Inside The NFL at 9.
• At 10, FX has the season premiere of Nip/Tuck.
• Bravo has a new Top Chef: Las Vegas at 10.
• Comedy Central has a new South Park at 10, then a new Secret Girlfriend.
• Current has the series premiere of Vanguard at 10.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
• Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new Man vs. Food.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.

Over the span of its first five seasons, Nip/Tuck has had some spectacular highs and some even greater lows. Regardless of how you feel about them (personally, I liked season three and The Carver), as viewers we've all watched Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) slowly lose the battle to the one thing they're paid to combat - aging.

Entering its penultimate season, Nip/Tuck could use a little nipping and tucking of its own after the mediocre fifth season that saw a lengthy hiatus at the hands of the writers strike. Fortunately, it seems that things might be getting back to "normal" for McNamara/Troy. And by normal, I mean no more serial killers, organ thieves, or weirdo lip-synching musical montages. Beyond that, it's freak show as usual.

A good show can keep you so entertained that you're willing to fight sleep to watch the rest of it. A great show physically keeps you awake.

It gets into your bloodstream and forces more adrenaline into your heart.

It turns the synapses in your brain into ferrets on espresso that dash back and forth between the lobes and fires your mind on all of its cylinders.

It is visual cocaine, which is much healthier than actual cocaine and doesn't require a frequent visitor punch card for an eyes, ears, nose and throat doctor.

These are the shows that assault all five of the senses or less depending on how good of a health plan you've got.

With part one of Nip/Tuck's sixth and final season right around the corner (it moves from Tuesdays and premieres on Wednesday, October 14th), I've been waiting for the new promos to start. To be honest, Nip/Tuck's promos never really grabbed me in the past, but after last season's extremely well put together ad featuring "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West, I had high hopes for the next one and FX hasn't disappointed.

The newest promo, titled "Couture," features the song "2 Man Show" by Timbaland and once again involves an extremely intricate choreographed sequence with all sorts of seamstresses stitching and tying something up. It ends with some pretty cool imagery too as Sean and Christian tie something (someone?) up too - very similar to the season four art where the two of them were literally "building" a woman.

Perhaps all the strings are a nod to the fact that the show itself is wrapping up soon? (Only 19 episodes remain in the drama's run.) Check it out for yourself.

FX announced their fall premiere dates today and it turns out that they've got quite the schedule lined up for the autumn months.

With Rescue Me set to end it's 22 episode fifth season on Tuesday, September 1st, it comes as no surprise that Sons of Anarchy has been scheduled to fill the Tuesday 10PM ET time-slot starting the very next week on September 8th. The motorcycle drama's sophomore season is generating a lot of buzz ever since the announcement of Henry Rollins and Adam Arkin joining the cast.

But wait - there's more!

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week we have a light version of the column as more and more series are on summer hiatus so production is halted. Look for spoilers for: Greek, Heroes, Lost and Nip/Tuck. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

(S05E22) "Can I call you Mommy now?" - Wilbur

Well it took about a year and a half (thank you WGA strike), but Nip/Tuck's twenty-two episode fifth season has finally come to a close. As a finale, this episode delivered exactly what I was looking for: a few unanswered questions to leave us hanging as well as a few answers we've been waiting to have addressed since the first half of the season. Even better? There wasn't another one of those weird lip-syncing montages. One of those was enough.

• At 8, ABC has a new Homeland Security, USA.
• FOX has a new, two-hour American Idol at 8.
• The CW has the season premiere of Reaper at 8.
• At 9, BBC America has a new Last Restaurant Standing.
• At 10, ABC has yet another installment of the never-ending Bachelor reunion thing.
• FX has the season finale of Nip/Tuck at 10.
• Bravo has a new Real Housewives of New York City at 10.
• There's a new Chopped on Food Network at 10.
• Travel Channel has a new Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.
• Also at 10: TNT has a new Trust Me.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk shows.