As it happens with every series, "Nip/Tuck" will eventually come to an end, but not before airing three more seasons, FX announced Tuesday.

The critically acclaimed drama about two plastic surgeons, first in Miami and now in Los Angeles, is set to wrap up in early 2011. The network picked up an additional 19 episodes that will bring the show to a close at 100 installments.

"I don't know if you'll ever see a drama go more than 100 episodes on FX," PF president John Landgraf told members of the Television Critics Association on Tuesday.

Serialized drama "is a different model than 'Law & Order,' where theoretically the show could go on forever," Landgraf explained.

"These are not shows about the case of the week. They're shows that tell large, sweeping, serialized stories about characters who change and grow," he continued. "They set up conflicts and they need to resolve those conflicts ... and I believe they can't go on forever. I believe they have a diminishing return. I believe they wear out their welcome when they stay longer. I think if you tried to do 150 episodes of 'The Sopranos' or 'The Shield,' you would diminish the caliber of quality of those shows."

Landgraf said production on the final eight episodes of the fifth season, which are scheduled to air in early January 2009, has already wrapped up. "Nip/Tuck" which has been the No. 1 drama series in basic cable each of its first five years, has already aired 14 episodes of its current fifth season. Creator Ryan Murphy will stay with the series until its finale.

The ending for "Nip/Tuck" is similar to what the network did with "The Shield," which is entering its seventh and final season on the network.

"I started to have conversations with [Shield creator] Shawn Ryan about the optimal length for a basic-cable series," he added.

"Nip/Tuck" won a Golden Globe for best drama series in 2005 and earned Murphy an Emmy nomination for directing the pilot episode in 2004.

Additionally, FX announced a new comedy series, "Testees," revolving around two friends in their early 30s who earn a living as medical guinea pigs. The show is set to debut at 10:30 PM on October 9, after "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."