Development and production
When was the fifth season ordered?
Nurse Jackie
"Nurse Jackie" was created by Liz Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky with Brixius and Wallem serving as showrunners for the series and sharing executive producer duties with Caryn Mandabach and John Melfi. Showtime ordered an initial 12 episodes. Before the premiere, Brixius told the New York "Daily News" that "Guys' stories tend to be about conquests – getting the job, winning the Olympics, whatever. Women stories aren't as immediately climactic so they need to play out over the course of three months ... And every medical show out there has been about doctors. Doctors are absolutely unable to do what they have to do without nurses. We want to tell those stories. "The June 8, 2009 series premiere was Showtime's most-successful ever, with 1 million viewers for the premiere and over 350,000 for the repeat broadcast. Showtime immediately picked up the series for a second season. Season Three premiered on Showtime on March 28, 2011. On May 23, 2011, Showtime ordered a fourth season of Nurse Jackie. A fifth season was ordered on May 31, 2012, and production began in late 2012. The season 4 finale aired on June 17, 2012 Season 5 premiered on April 14, 2013. On June 6, 2013, Showtime renewed Nurse Jackie for a sixth season to air on April 13, 2014. On March 31, 2014, Showtime renewed Nurse Jackie for a seventh season to air in 2015. 