Summary

One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "Nip/Tuck," the offbeat dramatic series about Miami plastic surgeons Dr. Christian Troy and Dr. Sean McNamara. Rebecca Faez (director of administration, The Museum of Television & Radio/Los Angeles), offer opening remarks and introduces William C. Paley, who takes the stage to offer his welcome to the attendees.

Executive producer/creator Ryan Murphy takes the stage to introduce the "Nip/Tuck" episode "Rose & Raven Rosenberg," which is screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see T:90366.)

After the screening, Stuart Levine (senior editor, Daily Variety) moderates the following panelists: Murphy; executive producer Michael M. Robin, and cast members Kelly Carlson (Kimber Henry), Roma Maffia (Dr. Liz Cruz), Dylan Walsh (Dr. Sean McNamara), Julian McMahon (Dr. Christian Troy), and John Hensley (Matt McNamara). (Joely Richardson, who plays Julia McNamara, was scheduled to appear, but was unable to attend.)

The panelists touch on such topics as: how Murphy created the show and where his interest in plastic surgery comes from; the FX network embracing edgy programming; how "The Shield" paved the way for "Nip/Tuck"; the casting process; Murphy's interesting first meeting with Walsh; Richardson hesitating about accepting her role due to its nudity requirements; Carlson playing "a different character" each season; Maffia being asked "out of the blue" to do a nude love scene with a woman; 25-year-old Hensley playing a teenager; McMahon's role being initially written for a Cuban male; the cast's reactions to the "over-the-top" acting in the pilot; the show's "gangbusters" ratings from the beginning; how the show satirizes American culture; the creation of billboards for the show which have often been banned; the Australian McMahon playing an American on the show; how fans treat McMahon in public; why the show has "cut ten years off" McMahon's life; actors finding "the brave approach" to each scene; and how the show's writers consistently come up with interesting medical cases.

Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: a unique flash-forward scene in a recent episode; whether there has ever been anything in a script that the actors didn't want to do; what kind of character McMahon prefers to play; the tortured Christian/Kimber relationship on the show and how it may end; McMahon and Carlson's reactions to their graphic love scenes; shifting the show's setting from South Beach, Florida, to Hollywood for the upcoming season; each panelist's favorite season; the actors' reactions to "The Carver" storyline; the show being critically loved, then hated, then loved over the span of a few seasons; and the effect of celebrity guest stars such as Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell.