"Nip/Tuck" ends its seventh and final FX season at 10 tonight with a whisper, not a big bang of farewell notices. Indeed, as series finales go, this one has been hardly noticed.
Compare this quiet exit to the hoopla that surrounded the series finales for such acclaimed cable dramas as "The Sopranos," "The Shield" and "Six Feet Under." Think of the tears shed over the long goodbyes for network shows like "Seinfeld," "The West Wing," "Friends," "Cheers" and "NYPD Blue."
Why the muted tones for the "Nip/Tuck" closer, which features plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) reflecting on their friendship and partnership? Wasn't this the cutting-edge drama that regularly was the cause of so much praise and protest? Wasn't this the show that so cleverly used its guest stars, from Vanessa Redgrave and Larry Hagman to Sharon Gless and Oliver Platt?
All true, but "Nip/Tuck" also had the misfortune of never being the preeminent cable drama during a golden age for cable dramas. When "Nip/Tuck " premiered on July 22, 2003, the standard-bearer among cable dramas unquestionably was HBO's "The Sopranos." Seven years later, that title belongs to AMC's "Mad Men."
Even during its attention-grabbing freshman year, the bracingly twisted yet sentimental "Nip/Tuck" was only the second-best drama on FX (behind "The Shield"). And it became FX's third-best drama when "Rescue Me" premiered in 2004.
"Deadwood, "Damages," "Dexter," "Battlestar Galactica," "Breaking Bad," "The Wire," "True Blood" -- it sure has been tough earning top grades when you're part of such a stellar class. And getting to the head of the class has proved elusive for "Nip/Tuck."
Wasn't it often brilliant? Yes, in the manner of a crown jewel trying to outshine more highly polished cable gems.
As compelling as it could be, "Nip/Tuck" also was an uneven show, episode by episode and season by season. Series creator Ryan Murphy continues hitting high notes, moving on from FX to Fox and from "Nip/Tuck" to "Glee." The pop-culture discussion, never quite dominated by Sean and Christian in the way Tony Soprano and Don Draper have, has moved on. So it ends with whispers and respectful notices instead of shouting and crying.
That's the danger of running with such classy company. Still, throughout its seven-season run, "Nip/Tuck" always was in the discussion and never in danger of losing its place in the class.