The third season of Nip/Tuck premiered on September 20, 2005 and concluded on December 20, 2005. It consisted of 15 episodes.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Special guest stars

• Vanessa Redgrave as Dr. Erica Noughton • Famke Janssen as Ava Moore • Joan Rivers as herself • Anne Heche as Nicole Morretti • Brittany Snow as Ariel Alderman • Rhona Mitra as Kit McGraw

Recurring cast

• Conor O'Farrell as Det. Fischman • Phillip Rhys as Jude Sawyer • Kelsey Lynn Batelaan as Annie McNamara • Willam Belli as Cherry Peck • Kathy Baker as Gail Pollack • Mary Page Keller as Andrea Hall • Tanner Richie as Austin Morretti • Bob Gunton as Agent Sagamore • Brian Kerwin as Eugene Alderman • Colleen Flynn as Dr. Allamby

Episodes

U.S television ratings

The third season aired in the fall of 2005, as opposed to the summer, like the previous two seasons. John Landgraf, president of FX, stated that such a move was a "huge risk", since it stacked up "against the full barrage of fall network competition". The second season premiere rating was eclipsed on September 20, 2005, when the third-season premiere, entitled "Momma Boone", drew roughly 5.3 million viewers. Three months later on December 20, 2005, the third-season finale, entitled "Cherry Peck / Quentin Costa", drew 5.7 million viewers. According to Zap2It, of those 5.7 million viewers, 3.9 million were in the 18–49 age group demographic, "making the finale the number-one episode among the key advertising demographic of any cable series in 2005. It's also the largest demographic number for any single telecast in the network's history." Despite some criticism, the story arc involving The Carver attracted even more of an audience to the series than any of the seasons before, reaching its climax in a December 20, 2005, 2-hour season finale, entitled "Cherry Peck / Quentin Costa", which became the most-watched scripted episode in the history of the FX network.

Reception

The third season received positive reviews from critics, holding a 71% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Brian Lowry wrote for Variety "The not-so-subtle genius of this show is its ability to have it both ways – to skewer our culture's obsession with youth and beauty while simultaneously reveling in it." Melanie McFarland wrote for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that "Beneath this skin is one-of-a-kind daring television that explores the complexities of human relationships with an unparalleled intelligence, sensitivity, appropriate level of fun and, when it is warranted, menace." Some criticism was aimed at the casting, with Joe Reid of The Atlantic quoting "Some unfortunate casting decisions placed a good deal of the plot's weight on the shoulders of people like Rhona Mitra and Bruno Campos, which was ... a mistake", whilst Gillian Flynn, at Entertainment Weekly, was critical of the season's storylines and character development.