TVSquad

Between finishing up Nip/Tuck, working on his new pilots Glee and 4 oz. (that one may be dead now?) for FOX and FX respectively, and preparing two new feature length films, it's pretty clear that Ryan Murphy's new pact with 20th Century Fox is going to net him a boatload of cash. The one thing he won't need to spend any of it on? A mattress. No man with this many jobs has time to close his eyes.

Now comes word that he still isn't satisfied with his workload. Variety is reporting that Murphy has another show in the works with NBC called Hyper-chondriac. Based on a book by Brian Frazer, the series will focus on a pharmaceutical rep who thinks he's sick all the time with who knows what. The half-hour sitcom will be exec produced and directed by Murphy.

Plastic surgery, transsexuals, hypochondriacs ... and high school glee clubs. Quite the eclectic list for a slate of ongoing and upcoming projects. Maybe this guy shouldn't sleep. His dreams must be ridiculous.

That being said, he created Nip/Tuck, so I'm willing to watch anything he puts his name on.

FOX's second day on TCA was given over to FX, and network president John Landgraf had some news:

• They are ordering an additional 19 episodes of Nip/Tuck. The show will be end its run in early 2011 with an even 100 episodes. Show-runner Ryan Murphy wil stay through the end of the run.
• Michael J. Fox will appear on a four episode arc of Rescue Me next season. He'll play Janet Gavin's new boyfriend, who is confined to a wheelchair.
• Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden will be a regular on second season of Damages.
• The network has ordered 39 more episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is in addition to 13 currently being produced for the upcoming season.
• They are ordering 13 episode of new comedy series Testees, created by Kenny Hotz (South Park - Kenny vs Spenny). Its about two friends in their early 30's who earn living as medical guinea pigs.

On my recent visit to the set of Burn Notice, I had the pleasure of meeting the cast, including the irrepressible Bruce Campbell, the plucky Gabrielle Anwar, and the fascinating star of the show, Jeffrey Donovan. They were all wonderful and I was thrilled to participate in a round-table interview with them. However, when I had the chance to shake the hand of Sharon Gless, the Emmy-winning actress who starred in Cagney & Lacey, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill and played amazing characters on Queer as Folk and Nip/Tuck, I have to confess -- I gushed. I couldn't help it. She's Sharon Gless!

I discovered that as brilliant as she is a performer, Sharon Gless is also a class act with the media. She talked about another Cagney & Lacey, Tyne Daly, acting, playing villains, Kim Cattrall and much more. Read on and you'll see -- as I did -- why you'd gush to if you were face-to-face with Sharon Gless.

(S05E14) "I pretend to do the thing I actually do and suddenly I'm cool." - Sean

Going into this episode, I was really expecting it to be just be so-so. With the trend of so many other shows being cut short because of the WGA strike, I just assumed Nip/Tuck would fall victim as well. Not the case. Even if this season's full order of 22 episodes had been met, this installment was still clearly meant to be a mid-season finale. There's no way an ending like that gets a new episode the very next week. It worked here as the season ender and it worked well.

(S05E13) "Wait... you met your father?" - Matt

This is the way I remember Nip/Tuck. Hands down, best episode of the season right here. Controversial, all the main characters played a big role, and best of all? It was funny! The one thing that depressed me was the very end. Why? Because of that ridiculous "future" episode from last season, we know Julia can't die.

(S05E12) "There are seven signs of the apocalypse, right? Not two?" - Christian

One of the things that I've always enjoyed about Nip/Tuck is the way that Sean and Christian are constantly compared to each other. No matter how much they fight, no matter how much the writing may lead you to believe that they clash, no matter how much you juxtapose them in any number of varying scenarios, they always turn out looking far more similar than different. This episode was a prime example.

(S05E11) "Mommy's not coming back because Daddy killed her." - Christian

Um... wow. I'm never going to a Build-A-Bear Workshop ever again. I'll come back to that later, but let's touch on the theme of this episode first: cannibalism. There's a topic that Nip/Tuck hasn't tackled before and Ryan Murphy and Co. didn't hold back either. From the teacher who bites her Kindergarten students, to the metaphors of Hollywood agents eating you alive, to the newlywed couple that actually... ate each other, all the bases were covered. Who's hungry?

(S05E10) "It's like Gina Slut Bitch died and Miss Moneypenny is here in her place." - Christian

What a great episode! Once again, full advantage was taken of the show now being in LA. Sean got an agent, Aidan got a sex tape, and a washed up reality-star plastic surgeon was involved in a sensational murder. Oooohhh! Throw in some Exorcist and Halloween references, Sharon Gless, and Marlee Matlin and there's a reason this show is still so popular.

(S05E09) "I was never in any danger of being drugged by the gays." - Freddy

After a month off, Nip/Tuck is back. Only 14 of this season's 22 episodes were finished pre-WGA Strike, so it makes sense that FX threw that mini hiatus in there. I was really looking forward to this episode, and even though I liked it, there was still a lot of stuff that just didn't feel fresh to me. Recycled is probably more accurate. I love this show, but c'mon... Sean and Christian fighting over Julia is really getting old.

(S05E08) "Your promises are sh*t, Matt." - Sean

They really are, aren't they? Matt is pretty much full of it, most of the time. Granted he escaped death here, but when you consider his track record (white supremacists, transvestites, Scientology, foreskin removal), it's pretty safe to assume that he'll get wrapped up in something else before too long. That's why I found it so amusing when Sean apologized and Matt said he just really needed to grow up and stop being Sean's "child." Why? So he can graduate to more adult scheming? He's there already! Last I checked, you don't see too many eleven year olds cooking meth and raising a child with a former porn star. Matt has always led a screwed up life, so it's not as if any of this comes as a surprise. Fortunately, the rest of this Christmas themed episode took the torch from previous Nip/Tuck holiday installments and the results were hilarious.

(S05E07) "The Celtics are good again!" - Dr. Joshua Lee

Yes. Yes they are. Besides the fact that I'm a huge Boston fan and absolutely loved that line, this was a fantastic episode to boot. Honestly, it might be the best of the season thus far. We're actually half way through the chunk of completed episodes (14 were wrapped before the strike hit) and it looks like this season is finally going somewhere. Up until now, it's been a lot of "we're in LA, so let's take advantage of that" plots. But now, we're seeing some real serious stuff take root. And by serious, I mean old men who have been abducted by aliens.

(S05E06) "These people are crazy. The only reason I moved out here was because they threw a bunch of money at me. And... the golfing opportunities." - Nurse Linda

What a great episode! It was different, unique for this show, and was clearly a challenge to shoot and edit so that the "reality" look and feel were achieved. It certainly wasn't the best episode of Nip/Tuck, but I'm all for stuff like this. Taking chances with proven formulas is something I can respect. Anybody pay attention to the beginning? When Christian was trying to convince Sean to do Plastic Fantastic with him? Christian made some comment about how "reality is the future." Granted this was written and shot at least a few months ago, but it's still a little eerie considering the current TV climate because of the WGA strike. Kind of ironic that we all sat down to watch a scripted drama spoofing reality TV when all these writers are fighting to be compensated for creative episodes like this and actual reality is slowly taking over every channel.

(S05E05) "You don't want to play this game with me." - Christian

No you don't. The second Christian said that to Eden, a clock started and all episode long we were waiting for the alarm to go off. What was he going to do to her? For a minute, I honestly thought nothing. He gave her the pills and Eden was on her way, her mouth shut about Christian and Julia's night together. Maybe it was because I watched the episode early this morning and I was still a little drowsy, but I never saw it coming. Well played Dr. Troy.

(S05E04) "I was attacked by a giant wedge-tailed eagle in Calgary." - Dawn

The return of the best guest star Nip/Tuck has ever had! Say what you will about Rosie O'Donnell (I couldn't stand her on The View), but when she steps into the shoes of Dawn Budge, it's gold. She was one of the highlights of last season (not to mention Christian's first paying "escort" customer) and her trip to Los Angeles easily made this episode an instant Nip/Tuck classic. From her hang-glider scene when the eagle attacked her to the face she made when the "ass bandit" had his way with her, she stole every scene she was in.

(S05E03) "Are you comparing the birth of your children to me shitting in a hot tub?" - Kate

I really don't know what Sean thinks he's doing. Sure, Kate seems nice. She's beautiful, smart, and funny too. But could you really find it in yourself to stay with someone who craps in a hot tub while you're trying to make out with them? It might sound shallow, but that definitely counts as a defining moment that should at least make you question the relationship. Kate has way too much emotional baggage and with the way Sean's life has gone, the last thing he needs is a crazy chick. Christian is right. Sean sure can pick 'em.