Valerie Harper is missed as Rhoda, but the show wisely did not try to replace her with another sidekick for Mary. Instead, episodes this season further flesh out these beloved characters. Sue Ellen (Betty White, who was honored with her first Emmy) reveals her vulnerability in "What Are Friends For?" Lou falls for a lounge singer with an active past (guest star Sheree North) in "Lou and That Woman." But Ted, happily, is still clueless, thoughtless, and egotistical, whether spreading gossip that he and Mary are having an affair ("An Affair to Forget"") or proposing to Georgette (Georgia Engel) on the air ("Marriage Minneapolis Style"). Mary Richards is an iconic character, the poster woman for what Cloris Leachman's Phyllis calls "the era of the single girl" in her Emmy-winning turn in "Phyllis Whips Inflation." A character and show of this stature certainly deserve better than this set's bare-bones release. Three years elapsed between the releases of season 4 and season 5. Talk about cliffhangers; "Chuckles Bites the Dust" awaits in season 6. --Donald Liebenson

There's no better way to celebrate the highest-grossing animated movie franchise of all time than with the Shrek pinball machine. The machine measures 27 by 75.5 by 55 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 250 pounds.

Both Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (the delectably vile Julian McMahon) are battling their own health and physical issues--Sean, who is using a wheelchair in the aftermath of the truly shocking knife attack by Colleen (Sharon Gless), and Christian, who discovers he's suffering from cancer--a type that he and viewers may find ironic, given his choice of occupation. But the diagnosis forces Christian, finally, to look inside--and not to like what he sees. The arc of the story line over these episodes is striking for its ability to show Christian as multilayered and complex--maybe even in possession of a conscience, and a soul. Julia (Joely Richardson) manages to be divinely glowing even while deathly ill, and up-and-comer protégé Raj (the hilarious Adhir Kalyan, formerly of Aliens in America) makes a great impression as the longtime doc duo's new straight man, but also eagerly partakes in the sexual depravity that seems to follow that plastic surgery practice all over the country. And love can spring up in the most unlikely places--suffice to say that Christian may want to settle down for real--and that Dr. Liz Cruz (the rock-solid Roma Maffia) has touched his heart in a way that few apparently ever have. Another unlikely place--and this is Nip/Tuck, after all--is the designer sofa in Christian's office to which a visiting doctor forms, shall we say, an attachment. (If the viewer doesn't say "Oh, no, they're not going to do that!" it's not Nip/Tuck.)

The boxed set also comes with the hefty feature The Science of Beauty, in which plastic surgeons, mathematicians, and other scientists explain that the ideal of attractiveness truly can be broken down into planes and proportions. It's a fascinating counterpoint to the roller coaster fun of Nip/Tuck. --A.T. Hurley