'Desperate Housewives': And now the end is near

Marc Cherry, the creator of "Desperate Housewives," has known for seven years what the last act of the series will be when the show finally reaches its end later this year.

And no, he's not talking.

"I'm so not revealing it," said Cherry at a session about the series during the ABC portion of the Television Critics Assn. press tour. "I'm hyper protective. It's a secret."

He said the show, now in its eighth season, would tie up many loose ends, including many from the first season. Several characters from past seasons will also show up as a sort of homage, he said.

But whether Nicolette Sheridan, who left the series in 2009 after reported clashes with Cherry, would return remained a mystery. Her character, Edie Britt, was killed off and she later filed a lawsuit against him alleging abuse and wrongful termination.

Even though the series is struggling this season, Cherry repeatedly talked about how satisfied he was with it: "We all feel so fulfilled. I got to work out a lot of family issues."

He said he's often asked if the end is bittersweet, and he said, "It's completely sweet. There's no such thing as a job that goes on forever. Everything comes to an end."

Several cast members said they would miss the camaraderie of working together on the show. "This is like our own little village," said Vanessa Williams, who joined the series two seasons ago. "It's like a community."

Cherry said one of the highlights of the series was establishing a storyline that he thought fans would not let him get away with -- breaking up the marriage between Lynette and Tom Scavo (Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant).

Huffman said the two started fighting off-screen. "It was interesting but also upsetting. I didn't get to work together with Doug, which is one of my favorite things to do on the show." But she noted that the plot was realistic, saying that 50% of first marriages end in divorce and 80% of second marriages end in divorce.

That prompted a quick comeback from co-star Eva Longoria, whose marriage to basketball star Tony Parker ended in 2010. "God, it gets harder?

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--Greg Braxton

PHOTO: Left to right, Vanessa Williams, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Terri Hatcher and Marcia Cross of "Desperate Housewives."

Credit: Matthew Rolston / ABC

'X Factor,' 'Idol,' 'Biggest Loser' lead in product placement

Reality shows like "The X Factor," "American Idol" and "The Biggest Loser" may lead the way in product placement on television in terms of dollars, but, according to a study, scripted shows generate far more memorable moments.

For instance, it doesn’t take a house to fall on Tessa Altman for her to know that her new life in the burbs is nothing like her old one in New York City. But it did take a can of sugar-free Red Bull to hit her in the head to drive the point home to viewers.

At least, that’s one scene that stuck out to the audience of “Suburgatory,” making the integration of the energy drink into the ABC sitcom one of the most memorable product placements of the year.

The finding is part of an annual study from Nielsen, a research firm that tracks brands that pop up, either paid or unpaid, in TV shows, and rates the impression of those on-air mentions and placements on the audience. Red Bull in “Suburgatory” was second in viewer recall only to Sheldon on CBS’ hit “The Big Bang Theory” using Purell after handling a live snake.

Among the other well-recalled placements: Det. Beckett (Stana Katic) tools around in a Ferrari on ABC’s cop drama “Castle,” characters play Hasbro board games Scrabble and Monopoly on “Desperate Housewives,” and Subway sandwiches make a high-profile appearance on NBC’s “Chuck.”

For this particular data grab, Nielsen considered only the brands that were both seen and mentioned on network TV shows between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 of this year. Scores come from the percentage of viewers who could recall, within 24 hours, which products they saw while watching TV shows (excluding the ads).

The industry numbers cruncher also rates the “top 10 prime-time programs with product placement.” Most of those shows — “American Idol,” “The Biggest Loser,” “The X Factor” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” — have multi-year, multimillion-dollar deals in place that include star treatment for sponsor brands.

'Desperate Housewives' will end its run on ABC

 
It's official: 'Desperate Housewives" will end its run at the end of its eighth season, ABC chief Paul Lee announced Sunday during the Television Critics Assn. media tour.

"It is an iconic show," Lee said. "We are so proud of it. I just wanted to make sure that this show that put this network on the map ... had its victory lap, had a chance to really set out every episode and build an arc [in its final season]."

The confirmation comes after rumors of its finish began swirling recently. "Desperate Housewives," created by Marc Cherry, launched on the network in 2004, premiering to more than 20 million viewers. But ratings have since fizzled, with this past season averaging fewer than 12 million viewers.

The upcoming eighth season will be the first without Cherry serving as executive producer; he stepped down to focus on other projects. But the mastermind behind Wisteria Lane appeared before reporters Sunday to offer his sentiments on the series' conclusion:

"I think the only thing harder than creating a great show is knowing when to end it," he said. "It's something that's weighed on my mind for quite a while now."

"I'm very aware of [shows] overstaying their welcome," he added.  "I just didn't want that to happen to 'Desperate Housewives.' I wanted to go out as the network still saw us as a viable show and a force to be contended with. ... I wanted to go out in the classiest way possible."

Cherry said discussions on when to end the show began more than a year ago, with talks about doing a season nine, though Cherry said he had had nothing planned story-wise for a ninth season. 

When asked about the cast's reaction, Cherry said he's spoken to half of the cast:

"It was bittersweet and lovely," he said. "The women knew it was a possibility. There was a touch of shock but not completely."

Addressing a possible spin-off, Cherry joked that he told Eva Longoria, who plays Gabrielle, "I was going to put you in a van and have you solve mysteries." More seriously, Cherry said he considered doing a spin-off of some sort but decided against it to focus on new and different opportunities.

The eighth season is scheduled to premiere Sept. 25 as a lead-in for the new 1960s-set spy thriller, "Pan Am."

-- Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

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Photo: From left, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross in ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Credit: Peter Stone /ABC

Upcoming season expected to be last for 'Desperate Housewives'

It looks like the desperation may come to an end for "Desperate Housewives."

The upcoming season will reportedly be the last for the long-running ABC drama. Confirmation is expected to be announced Sunday during ABC's portion of the Television Critics Assn. media tour. For now, a spokesperson would only say reports are "speculative at this point."

It's news many might have seen coming. The upcoming eighth season will be the first without Marc Cherry as executive producer. He stepped down from his duties at the end of last season to focus on other projects -- and to deal with that lawsuit brought against him by former "Housewife" Nicolette Sheridan. And ratings for the prime-time soap have dipped. According to Nielsen, "Desperate Housewives" was ranked the 24th most-watched show of the 2010-2011 season, a significant drop from the top five spot it held during its first seasons.

The season premieres Sept. 25.

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Show Tracker: Complete coverage of 'Desperate Housewives'

 -- Yvonne Villarreal
Twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: The ladies of "Desperate Housewives." Credit: ABC

ABC unveils fall premiere dates

A two-hour "Grey's Anatomy"? Yep. That's what's in store when the drama premieres in the fall.

ABC unveiled its fall premiere dates on Monday.  Other supersized premieres include comedies "Modern Family" and "The Middle."

For those eager for newbies, like "Once Upon a Time" and "Charlie's Angels," check out the full list of ABC's prime-time premiere dates after the jump.

Fall TV season: ABC's ambitious new schedule tries to 'Man Up' and strike a balance

In unveiling ABC's fall prime-time schedule, the network's new entertainment president, Paul Lee, played keys of affection to describe his slate of 13 new shows, calling them: "super cool," "a power bloc of drama" and "pure candy."

But one more practical word stood out: balance.

"What we have tried to do is get a nice balance -- stability for our established hits and real ambition for our new shows," Lee said Tuesday morning during a news conference at ABC's New York headquarters, a few hours before he was scheduled to take the stage to pitch his schedule to hundreds of advertisers and influential advertising buyers.

Finding a balance has been something that has eluded the Walt Disney Co.-owned network in recent years. After soaring to great heights six years ago with such blockbuster dramas as "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," and "Lost," ABC stumbled in its search for strong replacement dramas that appeal to both men and women. 

Instead, the network has achieved ratings success with "Dancing with the Stars" and the breakout comedy "Modern Family," and has made more modest gains with "The Middle," "Castle" and "Body of Proof," starring Dana Delany as a medical examiner. 

But advertisers have grumbled that the network, which will finish the current season in third place, was becoming a bit too female-centric. Nearly 65% of ABC's prime-time audience are women.

So now, similar to the middle-aged vixens of "Desperate Housewives," fetching the men has become something of a priority for Lee. The 50-year-old British executive, who transformed Disney's ABC Family cable channel, was picked last summer to run ABC Entertainment following the abrupt departure of former network programmer Stephen McPherson.

TCA Press Tour: Marc Cherry talks about the end of 'Desperate Housewives' and what's next for him

With "Desperate Housewives" moving into its seventh season this fall, there has been speculation that the hit series would soon be coming to an end.

Creator and executive producer Marc Cherry has often teased that he had a specific number of seasons in mind. On a set visit with reporters at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour on Tuesday, Cherry was coy about the end of Wisteria Lane.

"I've got a contract that keeps me around a few more years," Cherry says. "I will always be an executive producer and consultant of the show. It's my baby; I can't let go. I have some control issues."

What would potentially make Cherry let go of the long-running show?

Vanessa Williams heads to Wisteria Lane

And to think Marc Cherry didn't have anything up his sleeve, he's spicing things up on Wisteria Lane by bringing in the queen of mean, Wilhelmina Slater.

A rep for ABC confirms that Vanessa Williams has joined the cast of "Desperate Housewives" as a series regular when it returns for its seventh season.

According to TV Guide Magazine Williams' character -- who I'm sure will be fierce, fabulous and wickedly evil -- will be linked to Paul Young (Mark Moses), who in the final scenes of the finale moved into Mike's and Susan's house.

Cherry told TV Guide, "I'm a big fan of Vanessa's work and I’m so excited that she’ll be moving into the neighborhood next season to cause trouble in all the ladies' lives." 

My DVR thanks you in advance, Cherry & Co. -- this is the perfect way to make up for ... well, you already know.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

twitter.com/GerrickKennedy

Photo credit: ABC

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Upfronts: Why ABC benched Shonda Rhimes' and Matthew Perry's new shows

When ABC announced its fall lineup Tuesday morning, there were a couple of glaring omissions: Shonda Rhimes' new medical drama, "Off the Map," and Matthew Perry's single-camera comedy, "Mr. Sunshine."

Both of those shows packed some buzz behind them during pilot season and were picked up, but ABC didn't schedule them for the fall. Why?

Created by Jenna Bans ("Grey's Anatomy") and produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers ("Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice"), "Off the Map" is about five young doctors who run from their personal demons to a tiny town in the South American jungle that has one understaffed medical clinic. Hoping to score gold again with a post-"Desperate Housewives" mid-season launch, as it did with "Grey's," ABC has opted to premiere the series next year on Sundays after "Housewives." To make room for the new show, the network plans to move "Brothers & Sisters" to a new night.


"Mr. Sunshine" stars Matthew Perry, who has co-written the pilot, as the self-involved manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena who begins to reevaluate his life after his 40th birthday. The single-camera comedy, along with the comedy "Happy Endings," has been held because there was no time slot available. By choosing to premiere "No Ordinary Family," on Tuesdays at 8 p.m., the network lost its only hour available to pair the two comedies. Both of them are expected to premiere in late fall, after ABC can evaluate the performance of the seven new series it has scheduled.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

twitter.com/writerchica

Top photo: John Galindez and Jason George in "Off the Map." Credit: Craig Sjodin / ABC. Bottom photo: The cast of "Mr. Sunshine," from left to right: Portia Doubleday, Nate Torrence, Allison Janney, Matthew Perry, James Lesure and Andrea Anders. Credit: Bob D'Amico / ABC

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'Desperate Housewives': Tick, tick ... boom

So, I guess this is goodbye?

I wrestled with how to say this exactly. How to make the words leave my lips or at least pull them together mentally and get my fingers to type. I haven't been shy in saying I’ve felt this season of “Desperate Housewives” has been beyond lackluster. The mystery, Katherine, that plane crash -- gosh, make it stop. Never have I been so happy, so ecstatic, to see a show end for the season. It was about time Marc Cherry & Co. put this little season out of its misery.

As I’ve said before, with any good -- or ghastly -- mystery, at some point it has to come to an end, and that time is now. Over the last six seasons, watching the whodunit unravel its ugly truths, has been an intense ride of highs and lows, although this season has had way too many lows. But, enough about that.  I could go on about the pitfalls of the season, but let’s focus on how it all ended.

The last few episodes did turn up the dial on my interest, so I had begun to think my patience had finally been rewarded after putting up with so much – I’m sorry, I’m still really bitter that Karl died and not Orson. 

Reader Jason agreed with me. He wrote: “[T]o date I have been disappointed with this season. However I have enjoyed the last few episodes (particularly the one focusing on Eddie).  The sneak peak for next week indicated someone was going to die ... I hope it is actually a character of significance, as I’m tired of only the boring and uninteresting characters getting killed off (Carl [sic] was the biggest "surprise" to date - if you want to call it that). Maybe it's Tom's time to go ... or Parker Scavo ...... Andrew Van de Kamp??”

Well, the episode didn’t turn out to be as predictable as I thought, and, thankfully, it was more satisfying than I had imagined it would be. 

'Desperate Housewives': Finally a night worth riding

I’ll be the first to say I loved every minute of this week’s “Desperate Housewives.” 

You read that right. This is a major compliment, coming from me of all people. I’ve never been shy with my harsh criticisms of this season – in particular, the Angie Bolen mystery. Although some people might just write me off as a bitter or jaded critic, that’s not the case. As a longtime fan of the show, I’ve developed a tolerance for lackluster plot lines, weak characters and “oh no, that was it” moments. But, I usually throw all of that out of the window toward the end of the season when, magically, the heat is turned up. And though I should have known better, this season is no different.

Another week with more attention given to tying up the loose ends on the Eddie, Sam and Bolen sagas. The timing, however, couldn’t be any better (though a little late), considering the season ends next week. Granted, some viewers may have tuned out by now and for plenty of reasons. This season was, for lack of a better term, a hot mess. Some of you might have called it quits on the show when Katherine went all loony, and  others might not have been convinced by her soap-opera-esque girl-on-girl adventure and rode off into the sunset to other network dramas. (I know a few of you have because you wrote in.) Though I, overall, never cared for Katherine, I can admit she got a bit of the Edie treatment with her ending. Although I got a kick out of Bree’s sexual revolution, I couldn’t get behind the plane crash that left Karl dead and Orson injured. And oh yeah, Lynette is still pregnant! Whew, on paper, the season sounds like a crazy ride, but sadly the execution of it all at times was a little less roller coaster than it was Ferris wheel.

The show gained much-needed momentum when it was revealed who the “Fairview strangler” was -- just  as viewers had forgotten all about it.

Now that the secret is out to viewers that Eddie is the culprit, it's only a matter of time before the secret gets  around. On the surface, Eddie is very unassuming: nerdy, scrawny and a bit timid. I never had him pegged as a killer, which I admit kinda makes it brilliant. Last week in the Scavo household, he wasn’t adjusting so well; no surprise to anyone, right? After seeing more of what makes him tick, Lynette is really trying to work with him and even takes him to therapy. Sadly, he's used up his sympathy quota, and Lynette finally puts two and two together – with a little help from the cops (who have discovered his last two victims) and Eddie telling on himself. What a shame too. Judging by the look on his face at the end of the episode, he doesn’t take too well to his “new” mom figuring out he's killed his real one and, more than likely, Irena. I never connected the dots that it would be Eddie who would play a role in Lynette going into labor -- not sure I like that, but I'll reserve judgment.

Another mini-plot that has my attention is the ongoing drama with Sam, partly because I’m so frustrated with the hold he has on Bree. Obviously, I watch too many dramas because I’m way past idle threats. This boy needs more than a few pudgy cops to tell him what could hypothetically happen to him if he continues to be a problem. I’m with Andrew; call in some better favors. I’m sure someone on Wisteria Lane could bust his kneecaps or make him disappear forever. Though kudos to Sam for threatening to turn Andrew and Bree in for the car accident that killed Carlos' mother. Way to bring back a great Season 1. With Sam having some old-fashioned blackmail up his sleeve, how will Bree fire back?

Now this leaves the Bolen drama.

Patrick Logan continues to up the ante, this time demanding Angie construct a bomb to use against some loggers in Oregon, or something uninteresting like that. Again I say I’ve never felt creeped out, or even convinced, by the whole eco-terrorist plot line. There is something that just doesn’t work for me, at all. No matter how hard I try, and goodness knows I've tried. I think I genuinely have a hard time with eco-terrorists that like to bomb things – that just screams hypocrisy to me, but what do I know, I rarely recycle (kill me). I've been much more interested in seeing Patrick in action, without caring about his motives because they are still a bit laughable to me. Again coming full circle in a well-paced hour, Angie asks for help by stuffing a note in the lasagna Gaby prepared using one of her recipes. Poor Danny, his little cafe buddy turned out to be a raving lunatic, and his real dad.

I’m beginning to think my patience has finally been rewarded, even if the ending next week is predictable -- which it totally is. The last few episodes have been a great ride in a train wreck of a season. Here's hoping everyone hasn't jumped off the train just yet.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter) 

Photos: John Barrowman guest stars on "Desperate Housewives." Credit: ABC

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Al Gore, Shonda Rhimes, Maria Shriver to be honored by TV academy [Updated]

Former Vice President Al Gore, "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes and TV journalist Maria Shriver are slated to be honored Wednesday during the Third Annual Television Academy Honors, which salute the "power of television."

The ceremony, which is being held by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, will celebrate TV shows that "have had significant impact on the viewing audience and the ability to spark social change." The honors will be hosted by Dana Delany of "Desperate Housewives."

The honored projects include "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." "Glee," "'Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?' with Maria Shriver," "Inside Death Row," "Vanguard" and "Private Practice."

[Updated: A previous version of this post misspelled the first name of Shonda Rhimes and last name of Dana Delany.]

-- Greg Braxton