I’m not sure anyone who watches Nurse Jackie believed the show would be cancelled before next season, but with co-creators Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius leaving the production, we all knew there would be some shake-ups before Showtime officially signed on for Season 5. Now, those shake-ups have happened, and we can look forward to more Nurse Jackie on the subscription cable station in the future.
Today, Nurse Jackie has officially been given the go-ahead to produce a fifth season. The news comes on the heels of a new showrunner being added into the mix. According to Deadline, Clyde Phillips has joined the Nurse Jackie family as a the brand new creative headman. Although Phillips has some pretty big shoes to fill, he should be up to the task, having formerly served as showrunner on other Showtime drama, Dexter. Season 5’s production is set to begin later in 2012.
Season 4 has shown us a Jackie that has gone through rehab and is working hard to continue to work as a sober individual, despite having as many complexities to deal with in her personal and professional life. The series has been averaging nearly 2 ½ million viewers a week on the subscription-based channel during Season 4, which may not seem like perfect numbers, but are pretty good for well-reviewed Showtime fodder. The renewal comes just a few weeks before the Season 4 finale airs on June 17.
Nurse Jackie airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
