“Nip/Tuck” will start cutting again in mid-October … That news comes courtesy of the FX executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour on Friday (Aug. 7). “Nip/Tuck” will open its sixth season on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and run for 10 episodes, which will take the show into December; the final nine episodes will likely air sometime next year.

I suppose technically the show is still dunzo because this upcoming 6th season is supposedly the last. But, at least we won’t have to wait until 2010 or 2011 to say our farewells. After the jump, check out a short promo vid for the upcoming 6th season of Nip/Tuck which looks very cool — despite the soundtrack by Timbaland …

When “Nip/Tuck” made its debut in 2003, it broke cable-viewing records and instantly distinguished itself with its stylized look, tongue-in-cheek tone, gorgeous stars and fresh take on America’s obsession with beauty and youth. Those qualities earned it a Golden Globe for best drama, critical acclaim and water-cooler buzz that lasted for most of its first four seasons. But when one of FX’s signature series quietly wrapped last week on the Paramount lot, it did so without the usual fanfare associated with the end of a noteworthy show. In part, the silent send-off was because TV viewers won’t see the “Nip/Tuck” finale, which finished shooting on June 12, for a long time, probably as late as 2011, making it tricky to publicize. Behind the scenes too, during the last week of production, there was an awkward sense that the end had already happened, since much of the crew had already moved to creator Ryan Murphy’s new Fox musical, “Glee,” last year, and Murphy himself was out of the country location-scouting for an upcoming movie. “It’s sad because it feels incomplete,” said script supervisor Diana Valentine, who asked the cast to sign her finale script in between takes of shooting the show’s last family dinner scene, which included almost every major character. Valentine, who joined the series in its second season, worked on “Beverly Hills, 90210″ for its entire run. “It’s not the same feeling I had when I was wrapping on ‘90210′. It feels incomplete, kind of separate. It’s very hard.” In truth, the cast of the series that TV Guide asserted during its second season was the “coolest show on television” has been ready to move on for some time. “Nip/Tuck’s” series finale will be the show’s 100th episode, a rare marker in cable television (the only popular cable series that came close was “Sex and the City” with 94 episodes) that FX wanted to reach with its top-rated show. But if the actors had had their way, the show would have ended in the fourth season when it was still the No. 1 cable series among 18- to 49-year-olds, a ranking it held for its first four years, and the critics were still in its corner. Though its overall viewership has been steady and strong over the years — Season 5 drew an average of 3.4 million viewers — it is now less popular in the 18-to-49 demographic than both USA’s “Burn Notice” and TNT’s “The Closer.” “I feel we’ve reached a creative impasse with regards to what we can do with this story,” said John Hensley, who played Matt, one of the most self-destructive characters ever created for TV. “I feel like it was, quite frankly, told a long time ago. I say that trying to be right-sized about this because I am very grateful for this opportunity. I just feel that we were a show that was very good and innovative at one point and we’ve gone the way of so many shows before us. Our moment has passed” … If there is a surprise to the way “Nip/Tuck” ends, it’s in its restrained quality, which several of the actors said they appreciated after seasons of shocking and preposterous story lines. “I’ve always thought the show should have been simpler than it was so, for me, it was nice to have a little less than what we’ve been expanding upon for the last number of years,” McMahon said. “I think you’ll have an emotionally justifiable episode in the end.” In separate interviews, Walsh and McMahon both said that what they’d miss the most about working on the show was each other. “I’ll miss every day sitting in one trailer or another, talking about everything going on with the show and our lives,” Walsh said. “We are what Ryan wanted the show to be. I love him. That’s the best thing I got out of the show — it was him.”

It seemed clear to me, months before the word Glee was ever uttered, that Ryan Murphy’s heart was no longer in making Nip/Tuck a great show. I’ve stayed loyal to the series even tho the quality hasn’t been there for some time … it’s just sad because I keep hoping it will get better. I was really unimpressed with the last season and, from what I gather, the coming season ain’t all that great either. I guess all good things must eventually come to an end … it’s just a shame that Nip/Tuck has to go out like this.

[Source]

My shirtless photo-shoot days are behind me,” Mario Lopez tells PEOPLE in a bitter blow to beefcake. Not that the buff new Extra host has anything to hide. “Obviously, being healthy and staying fit are important to me,” says the 34-year-old, who in the past seemed like the only serious rival to Matthew McConaughey in the bare-chest sweepstakes … “My TV projects are my main priority,” he says. “And no, you will never see me host Extra without a shirt.” Still, to every rule there’s an exception – in this case, Nip/Tuck. Lopez says he is “thrilled” to be reprising the role of Dr. Mike Hamoui on the cable series, with Dr. Mike moving to Los Angeles – where he can once again gain the attention of the ab-admiring Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) in the locker room. “A small spoiler,” says Lopez. “Dr. Mike might not be taking anymore showers at the gym with Christian, but he will lose his shirt.”

Yes, indeed … he does lose his shirt. After the jump, check out a few more pics of Mario along with his Nip/Tuck co-stars Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh on the beachy set of of the show in Long Beach, CA yesterday afternoon …

It looks like fun. I am a big fan of Nip/Tuck so I’m happy to see that production on the new season has already gotten underway. While I’m bummed that Mr. Lopez will be shying away from showering on the series from here on out, I guess I can’t be too upset since there is bound to be more booty (from other folks) showcased on the series. And, we have these hawt shirtless scenes to look forward to. Woot!

[Photo credit: X17; Source]