NIP/TUCK -- Occasionally Gross/Always Engrossing

For those of you who haven't yet tuned into one of the very best dramas in television history, let me first simply state that NIP/TUCK isn't about some depraved Japanese fellow yelling an obscenity. I say this because some Puritanical eunuchs do find this terrific show on F/X to be both depraved and obscene. So be it...

For the rest of us, this season's premiere once again establishes NIP/TUCK to be on the very cutting edge of edginess. Yes, the sun still shines brightly on South Beach, but this engrossing hourlong drama gets darker and darker with each episode. The amazing thing is that just when you are almost forced away from the screen by visuals that no other television program would even consider airing, the writing takes a turn and there's warmth and pathos and more depth in compassionately exposing the human condition than anything else the boob tube has brought before. And speaking of boobs -- there's plenty of mighty fine ones to savor along with some of the steamiest sex to be found on basic cable.

Kudos to Creator, Writer and Executive Producer Ryan Murphy for pushing more envelopes than the US Postal Service. Blessed with a truly fabulous cast, Julian McMahon as Dr. Christian Troy, Dylan Walsh as Dr. Sean McNamara and Joely Richardson as Julia McNamara, you owe it to yourselves to Tivo this trio comprising the most flawed and flawless main characters to be seen anywhere and at any time.