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The Best Episodes of Nip/Tuck

Every episode of Nip/Tuck ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Nip/Tuck!

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Hotshot plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara and Dr. Christian Troy experience full-blown midlife crises as they confront career, family and romance problems.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 12 - Sal Perri
    8.2/10(4 votes)

    #1 - Sal Perri

    S3:E12

    A plane crashes just after take off in Miami. Julia's mother might be one of the passengers. Christian, Sean, Julia and Liz are all trying to save the lives of the people that survived the plane crash.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  2. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 7 - Naomi Gaines
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #2 - Naomi Gaines

    S2:E7

    When local model Naomi Gaines is raped & disfigured by an attacker named "The Carver", Sean decides to repair her injuries on a pro-bono basis, thrusting McNamara/Troy into the local media spotlight, trying to overcome the slander caused by Bobbie Broderick. After getting caught sneaking into the house late at night, Matt lies by telling his parents he was studying with Ava's son Adrian. Adrian is forced to play along with the subject when Julia invites them all to dinner. Adrian reveals Matt & Ava's relationship, causing Julia to lash out at Ava & Matt. When Matt becomes uncomfortable with his increasingly demanding relationship with Ava, she reveals to him the secret that his mother is keeping from him.

    Director:Craig Zisk
    Writer:Sean Jablonski

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  3. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 11 - Natasha Charles
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #3 - Natasha Charles

    S2:E11

    Natasha Charles, a blind woman, comes into have work on her eyes so she won't appear blind. Christian begins to fall for her, and he learns a great deal about beauty from her. In an attempt to get Sean back, Julia goes to a female plastic surgeon to have breast implants. Erica visits Julia in her new apartment, and has become upset with her new lifestyle. Erica talks to Sean, and he gets mad at her also. Natasha goes out on a blind date (no pun intended) with another blind person. Christian, at the same restaurant, tells him that she is not pretty like the man had hoped, and he leaves. Christian joins Natasha, and they go home together for an intimate night.

    Director:Greer Shephard
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  4. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 12 - Julia McNamara
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #4 - Julia McNamara

    S2:E12

    After Julia's accident in the previous episode, Julia turns to Sean and Christian to fix her face. Sean resists at first, but eventually decides to do it after Christian lies to him and says the woman that was going to fix her face botched several jobs. Sean tells Julia that he keeps trying to forgive her and wants to try to love her again, but that it wouldn't happen right away. Julia has an adverse reaction to the anesthesia and dreams during her surgery. Ava shows up in her dream as a different form of life coach, and guides her through this surreal life. Julia is married to Christian, which seems happy on the outside, but is really falling apart on the inside. They run the Troy/Troy partnership firm. When Christian decides to leave the practice, Julia interviews another doctor - Sean, someone she knew from high school. Trying to catch up on old times, Sean invites Julia and Christian to dinner. They meet his wife, Megan O'Hara, and their son Matt, who is on the nerdy side and has a bug collection. Megan is three months pregnant with a girl they plan on calling Annie, named after his grandmother. Julia is upset after a visit to Liz, an OB/GYN in this world, who has two kids. Julia cannot have kids with Christian, who wanted to have a biological child since he was adopted. Kimber, Julia and Christian's three-way partner becomes pregnant, and Christian refuses to get rid of it. We are revisited by several characters, including Mrs. Grubman, Jude, and Julia's friend Suzanne. When Julia wakes up in recovery, Sean is there waiting for her. She has realized that things would never work out with Christian, and that Sean was always the one she loved.

    Director:Michael M. Robin
    Writers:Ryan Murphy, Hank Chilton

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  5. Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 14 - Cherry Peck
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #5 - Cherry Peck

    S3:E14

    Christian finds out that Kimber didn't ditch him at the altar but was abducted by the carver. Quentin is a Carver suspect. Julia has bad dreams about her pregnancy. Sean is threatened into doing pro bono work on the transgender woman who was beat up by Matt.

    Director:Craig Zisk
    Writers:Brad Falchuk, Hank Chilton

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  6. Nip/Tuck Season 4 Episode 10 - Merrill Bobolit
    8.0/10(3 votes)

    #6 - Merrill Bobolit

    S4:E10

    Dr. Merrill Bobolit, who's out of jail, needs Sean's and Christian's professional services. Escobar Gallardo wants them to perform surgery on his face. And Matt tells his family that he's married and that he and his wife are expecting a baby.

    Director:Charles Haid
    Writers:Brad Falchuk, Sean Jablonski

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    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Nip/Tuck

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  7. Nip/Tuck Season 5 Episode 8 - Duke Collins
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #7 - Duke Collins

    S5:E8

    Sean discovers the secret between Christian and Julia. A hospitalized Matt bonds with his rehabilitation counselor. Eden suspiciously makes peace with Julia. Kimber and Ram reveal their future plans.

    Director:Elodie Keene
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  8. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 2 - Mandi/Randi
    7.8/10(8 votes)

    #8 - Mandi/Randi

    S1:E2

    Twin sisters want plastic surgery done to look different from each other. Sean moves out so he can experience life as a single man. Matt decides to try and perform a circumcision on himself after his girlfriend sees his penis. Christian is plagued with thoughts of Julia.

    Director:Ryan Murphy
    Writer:Ryan Murphy

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  9. Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 13 - Joy Kringle
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Joy Kringle

    S3:E13

    Sean and Christian are perform a mico-liposuction on Joy Kringle, a woman who acts as Mrs. Claus during the Christmas season. During her lipo they find a seventeen year old fetus inside her. Julia is not feeling well. A blood test performed by Sean reveals why. She is pregnant.

    Director:Greer Shephard
    Writers:Jennifer Salt, Sean Jablonski

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  10. Nip/Tuck Season 4 Episode 8 - Conor McNamara
    7.8/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Conor McNamara

    S4:E8

    Mrs. Grubman is back for more Plastic Surgery this time she wants Christian to preform it after she has passed on. Sean and Julia have conflicts over Conor's Surgery.

    Director:Patrick McKee
    Writers:Jennifer Salt, Hank Chilton

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  11. Nip/Tuck Season 4 Episode 13 - Reefer
    7.8/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Reefer

    S4:E13

    Sean drinks to a great extent as he spends a depressing Christmas without his family; Christian gets an surprising gift when a 3-year old Wilber comes back into his life; and James pressures Michelle to help as she takes forceful measures to fill her holiday kidney quota.

    Director:Lyn Greene
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  12. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 15 - Sean McNamara
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #12 - Sean McNamara

    S2:E15

    Beauty is a curse on the world. It keeps us from seeing who the real monsters are. Another victim of the Carver shows up to have his face fixed - this time it is a male, who was both raped and carved. They agree to fix him. A local news station does an interview with Sean about the pro bono work on Carver victims. The Carver finds his way into Sean's home. After Sean gets out of the shower, the Carver drugs him up and has a conversation with him. He slices his right cheek, and tells him that if he fixes another one of his "masterpieces", he is going to kill him. Julia helps him recover, and Sean tries to win her back - but she reminds him that she is happy with Kevin. Meanwhile, Gina tells Christian that she is HIV positive, meaning that Christian may be also. He calls his past lovers, including Manya, Erica, and Grace. He visits Kimber on the set of a porn movie, which she is directing. She tells him that she got tested quite recently because she's in the business, and that she's clean, which slightly relieves Christian. He has one more call to make - James and Wilbur (now known as Gabriel). They both come to visit, and Christian becomes very emotional. Christian's tests come back negative, and he visits Gina in the hospital with the good news. He lies down next to her in her hospital bed after a heartwarming conversation, and they fall asleep together.

    Director:Michael M. Robin
    Writer:Brad Falchuk

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  13. Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 4 - Rhea Reynolds
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #13 - Rhea Reynolds

    S3:E4

    A woman wants surgery to make her look like her when she was younger, to jog her Alzheimer-stricken husband's memory. Christian and Sean work on another Carver victim, who does not have the same physical attributes as the other victims.

    Director:Greer Shephard
    Writer:Jennifer Salt

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  14. Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 7 - Ben White
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #14 - Ben White

    S3:E7

    Seeking fulfillment in his life, Sean becomes a surgeon for the Witness Protection Programme. A man suffering from Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) threatens Christian's life in order to force him to amputate his perfectly healthy leg. Julia, Gina, and Liz develop a new skincare product that uses semen as the main ingredient. They keep the main ingredient a secret though. Joan Rivers is the first to test the product and loves it so much she decides to endorse it.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  15. Nip/Tuck Season 3 Episode 10 - Madison Berg
    7.7/10(3 votes)

    #15 - Madison Berg

    S3:E10

    Christian still has second doubts about the wedding. Gina tries to convince Kimber to leave him. Matt's new girlfriend compares plastic surgery to the work of the Nazis.

    Director:Greg Yaitanes
    Writer:Jennifer Salt

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  16. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 4 - Sophia Lopez
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    #16 - Sophia Lopez

    S1:E4

    Two recurring characters are introduced in an episode that teaches the odd-couple plastic surgeons a few lessons about moral boundaries. Patti D'Arbanville plays Wallis Forsythe, a pornography mogul who meets Christian at a party and agrees to send some business his way. And Joey Slotnick plays Merrill Bobolit, a hack surgeon who's more successful than Sean and Christian because of his willingness to take on any client. Forsythe's easy money and Bobolit's sleazy competition inject a dose of conflict into Sean and Christian's partnership--as if it needed any more of it!

    Director:Michael M. Robin
    Writer:Sean Jablonski

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  17. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.5/10(14 votes)

    #17 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Old friends Sean (the family man) and Christian (the playboy) are partners in a plastic surgery office. Their relationship is under fire after Christian operates on a Colombian drug lord who pays him in drug money. Sean's family life is also in upheaval, and he is headed for a mid-life crisis.

    Director:Ryan Murphy
    Writer:Ryan Murphy

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  18. Nip/Tuck Season 4 Episode 15 - Gala Gallardo
    7.5/10(2 votes)

    #18 - Gala Gallardo

    S4:E15

    Sean considers selling his shares of the practice to Christian and Michelle, although Michelle's past starts to threaten her future with Christian. Meanwhile, Escobar's wife needs cosmetic surgery.

    Director:Ryan Murphy
    Writers:Ryan Murphy, Hank Chilton

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  19. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 9 - Sophia Lopez II
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Sophia Lopez II

    S1:E9

    Sean and Jude's respective secrets are revealed, and Merril offers Christian an interesting trade: Kimber for a Lamborghini. Christian accepts, but Kimber discovers the truth and exacts a small revenge.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Sean Jablonski

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  20. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 10 - Adelle Coffin
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #20 - Adelle Coffin

    S1:E10

    Sean and Christian learn that they have to take a test in order to continue practicing. Sean and Megan visit a doctor to learn that there is nothing they can do for her. Mrs. Grubman returns to get an operation on her and her fiancé. Christian passes his test, but Sean walks out. Megan commits suicide. Julia finds out about Sean's affair with Megan.

    Director:Michael M. Robin
    Writers:Ryan Murphy, Dell Chandler

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  21. Nip/Tuck Season 1 Episode 3 - Nanette Babcock
    7.3/10(6 votes)

    #21 - Nanette Babcock

    S1:E3

    Sean and Julia discover Matt has tried to circumcise himself. The business is sued by a faithful client after Sean accidentally leaves a surgical tool inside of her body. Meanwhile, Christian and Grace struggle with a mentally unstable patient.

    Director:Lawrence Trilling
    Writer:Ryan Murphy

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  22. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 4 - Mrs. Grubman
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #22 - Mrs. Grubman

    S2:E4

    As Julia and Sean's daughter Annie faces puberty, they must both face the harsh realization of maturity and deal with their own issues about getting older. When Gina tells Christian he can no longer be involved in Wilbur's life, Christian is forced to reach out to an old flame in order to build a case to gain sole custody of Wilbur.

    Director:Jamie Babbit
    Writer:Jennifer Salt

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  23. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 5 - Joel Gideon
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #23 - Joel Gideon

    S2:E5

    After a car accident due to cell phone use, Sean winds up in the hospital. As a result of the accident, Sean develops a phobia of driving and other dangerous things, causing a dent in his career. He thanks the car company because their safety features saved his life. The car company, wanting a point of view from this doctor who has been in a car accident, offers Sean a new car if he agrees to inspect the cadavers they use as crash test dummies after crash tests. Sean tries to take more risks, causing Julia to become upset. Trying to take more risks, Sean decides to go shark diving, and drags Matt along with him. After realizing how much he cares for his son, Sean decides not to follow through. Christian is reminded that his son is no longer in his life, and he turns for comfort in Julia, who reveals to him that Wilber is not his only son.

    Director:Nelson McCormick
    Writer:Brad Falchuk

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  24. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 6 - Bobbi Broderick
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #24 - Bobbi Broderick

    S2:E6

    Bobbi Broderick comes to McNamara/Troy to have lipo so she could get a job at Saks. During the consult, she doesn't bother to read the contract she signs. After the lipo doesn't turn out to standards, she tries to get revenge against the firm by showing everyone how it "ruined her life" by showing up in restaurants and the lobby of the firm itself. Julia asks Ava to help Matt with his grades, and Ava eventually offers Matt sex in order to focus more on his schooling. Julia tries to speak with Ava about a trouble from her past - a huge mistake she made in college - and Ava realizes it involves Matt's paternity. A woman whose lips were burnt off goes in for a consult, and learns that the doctors would have to take skin from her vagina to fix her lips. She decides to do it, because her husband has never been intimate with her down there. Sean feels uncomfortable about the woman lying to her husband where the skin has come from. She tells her husband it has come from the back of her legs. Meanwhile, as Matt becomes more attracted to Ava, he is arrested after being caught masturbating outside her window. He seeks Christian to bail him out because he thought he could trust him, but Christian becomes upset for his ignorance. Matt lashes back by saying that he already has a father, and he doesn't need another one. After Ava and Matt finally have sex, the next morning Matt learns Ava has a son named Adrian - and they're the same age.

    Director:Michael M. Robin
    Writers:Richard Levine, Lyn Greene

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  25. Nip/Tuck Season 2 Episode 13 - Oona Wentworth
    7.3/10(3 votes)

    #25 - Oona Wentworth

    S2:E13

    Maids and servants of a wealthy woman have a party while she is out of town, and they hire a cheap plastic surgeon to give them all Botox -- Merrill Bobolit. The women all have adverse reactions to it, and one of them comes in to have it fixed because bulges have formed on her forehead. Bobolit has now partnered with Madam Rose, who owns a chain of beauty salons. He performs unsanitary plastic surgery for lower prices in her basement, and they proudly promote this new invented "Bobotox". Christian tries to talk some sense into him, and eventually learns that Merrill is hooked on the anesthesia, and is constantly high on it - even during surgery. Christian acts as his sponsor in an AA-type rehabilitation group. Merrill becomes furious with Christian after a girl he wanted flirts with Christian. Meanwhile, Matt gets upset at Adrian for wearing his leather coat to school while soliciting drugs to other students. After Adrian refuses to give him the coat back, they get into a fist fight. Since the coat belongs to Matt, the drugs in the pocket are pinned on him. Christian is called in instead of Sean along with Ava, and Ava comes up with the idea to bribe the principal, Ms. Wentworth, with pro bono plastic surgery. After getting off free because of the surgery, Adrian and Matt decide to be friends. While having a conversation in the bathroom at school, Adrian urinates in one of the soap dispensers, and both Matt and Adrian get called to the principal's office again. Sean comes in this time along with Ava, and he forces the truth out of Adrian and Matt, and snaps at Ava. Sean punishes Matt by sentencing him to spending his afternoons at the office doing handiwork and cleaning. Matt realizes he likes spending time there. Adrian has had the last straw with Ava's harsh treatment, and they share a meaningful moment as mother and son, but it turns weird when they begin to make out.

    Director:Scott Brazil
    Writers:Jennifer Salt, Sean Jablonski

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Best Episodes Summary

"Sal Perri" is the best rated episode of "Nip/Tuck". It scored 8.2/10 based on 4 votes. Directed by David Nutter and written by Richard Levine, Lyn Greene, it aired on 12/6/2005. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Naomi Gaines".