'Nip/Tuck' Returns Ready To Put Hollywood Under The Knife

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 30, 2007) - The sexy surgeons of "Nip/Tuck" return for their fifth season, which premieres on FX tonight.

As you may have heard, this time around, the boys of McNamara/Troy have relocated to sunny California from Miami, hoping to cut (pun totally intended) into Hollywood's plastic surgery gold mine.

[ 'Nip/Tuck' Makeover - View the gallery ]

"It's been great," Julian McMahon, who plays Christian Troy, tells Access. "I think we pretty much flushed Miami out so to speak. This city has so much of itself to offer, so much to tap into. When you have the minds of writers that we have and the actors that are willing to go there, it kind of breeds something pretty hysterical."

Among the actors "going there," according to the creators and stars? Rosie O'Donnell - who returns as Dawn Budge, as well as Bradley Cooper, Oliver Platt, Lauren Hutten, Portia de Rossi, Jennifer Coolidge, Donna Mills, Joan Van Arc and former "Dukes of Hazzard" star John Schneider, who joins the cast as a porn king.

[ Video: On The Set - 'Nip/Tuck' - Watch the Video ]

"It's a long way from Bo Duke," Schneider laughs. "Television's changed a lot and the opportunity to do things like this really, just now started coming my way."

Schneider recently finished played Jonathan Kent on The CW's long-running series "Smallville." His past credits include trips to "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" and "Touched By An Angel," but playing "Nip/Tuck's" Ram Peters makes quite a change.

"Well, John Schneider has been a lot of things before, but never provocative," the actor says, referring to himself, in yes, the third person. "[There are] a couple of words that aren't associated with me and one of them is provocative and the other one is actor, but now I am both because of "Nip/Tuck."

Schneider's porn-tastic character features in the life of McMahon's former on-screen lover, Kimber, played by Kelly Carlson.

"I love working with John. He is such a great actor and pleasant person to be around," Carlson enthuses.

Another thing the pretty blonde is excited about? Her storyline's meth-addict twist.

"It's been great," she notes. "I have had to do some pretty challenging work. . . . . [The] meth and stuff like that has been fun. [I've been doing] interesting research -- just a lot on the internet and actually interviewing meth addicts."

So what about the show's somewhat warped moral compass, Dr. Sean McNamara?

According to his portrayer, Dylan Walsh, his character will be fully ingratiating himself into Hollywood life, by becoming the advisor on the fictional show within a show, "Hearts & Scalpels."

"Sean is working as a technical advisor for a medical show, which is a little bit like 'Nip/Tuck' only on steroids," he says. "It's so over the top, nonsense funny. It's the worst medical show of all time."