TV Jots » Desperate Housewives

Vanessa Williams Relocates to ‘Desperate Housewives’

Chandra — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:36:29 +0000

And Paul Young Returns

Ugly Betty alumna Vanessa Williams moves to catty Wisteria Lane on September 26 during the seventh-season premiere of the ABC dramedy Desperate Housewives called “Remember Paul?” (Yes, we do).

The actress plays Lynette’s wealthy college buddy Renee Perry, who drops by for an unexpected visit that leads to a season-long stay. Meanwhile, former regular Mark Moses (Mad Men) returns to the series to reprise his role as Mary Alice’s creepy husband Paul Young. To the expected enormous dismay of Wisteria Lane’s residents, the outcast is fresh out of prison — as we learned at the end of the sixth-season finale — and he’s all set to move into Susan’s old house. Uh-oh.

And if that’s not enough cool casting for longtime viewers, multi-episode guest stars include Brian Austin Green (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles; Beverly Hills, 90210) as Bree’s handyman Keith Watson and Lainie Kazan (‘Til Death, My Big Fat Greek Life) as Maxine Rosen, the manager of Susan and Mike’s new residence.

Catch new cast member Vanessa Williams in action during Desperate Housewives‘ latest season premiere in the sneak peek below. Information on other series returning on September 26 follows the video.

Party Girls – Sneak Peek

Other Returning Shows on September 26

ABC drama Brothers & Sisters starts its fifth season at 10pm ET. The season premiere “The Homecoming” takes place one year after the deadly car accident that ended the fourth season.

It’s reality night on CBS as The Amazing Race launches its 17th season with a special 90-minute premiere at 8:30pm. The second season of Undercover Boss begins afterward at 10pm.

Fox’s Sunday-night animated lineup resumes airing fresh installments, starting with the “Elementary School Musical” 22nd-season premiere of The Simpsons at 8pm, followed by The Cleveland Show‘s Season Two premiere “Harder, Better, Faster, Browner” at 8:30pm and Family Guy‘s hourlong ninth-season premiere “And Then There Were Fewer” at 9pm.

HBO comedies Bored to Death and Eastbound & Down kick off their second seasons at 10pm and 10:30pm, respectively.

The fifth season of Showtime original serial-killer series Dexter begins at 9pm with the premiere “My Bad.”

Desperate Housewives will air Sundays on ABC at 9pm ET

Desperate Housewives photo courtesy of ABC

Desperate Housewives: Bad, Bad Seed

Chandra — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:24:00 +0000

There’s Evil on Wisteria Lane All Right

And it’s not a housewife either. In fact, it’s not even an adult.

Am I the only viewer who thought about the oldie but goodie thriller The Bad Seed when watching the scenes between Lynette and her husband Tom’s daughter Kayla on Sunday night?

Am I the only viewer packing sufficient years to even remember that 1956 camp-horror gem that was still rotating on TV often enough for me to catch it when I was a kid?

I’m betting that Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry & Company were thinking of the same flick when they crafted the chilling scenes between the two women of the Scavo household.

I hope I’m going in the wrong direction, though, because if not, there’s going to be significantly fewer Scavos around soon. That Kayla is super scary, as in pathologically so. Just check out the following clip if you require proof.

Lynette Gets Schooled

So, am I right or what? Told ya! And that little exchange is just the tip of the very frigid, very deep iceberg. Poor Lynette…

NOTE: If you require closed captions, you can enable that feature on the video player by clicking the CC symbol in the top right-hand corner.

Related Post: Desperate Housewives: Ho No!

Desperate Housewives currently airs Sundays on ABC at 9pm EST

Desperate Housewives photo courtesy of ABC

Tags: ABC, Desperate Housewives, Felicity Huffman, Kayla Huntington, Lynette Scavo, Opening Doors, Rachel Fox, television, The Bad Seed, tv

Desperate Housewives: Ho No!

Chandra — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Gaby and Carlos Get a Roomie!

Is it just me, or is Family Ties‘ Justine Bateman not aging too well?

In any case, as the most recent high-profile guest star on Desperate Housewives, she got the golden opportunity to move in with Gaby and Carlos as their very first housemate on last night’s episode “Opening Doors.” Why? Well, they need the money, of course.

Unfortunately, nosy Gaby discovers a secret Bateman’s art student character Ellie Franks is hiding. It’s a shocker, too, although nowhere near as earth-shattering as what’s really going on…

Gaby Snoops on Ellie

NOTE: If you require closed captions, you can enable that feature on the video player by clicking the CC symbol in the top right-hand corner.

Desperate Housewives currently airs Sundays on ABC at 9pm EST

Desperate Housewives photo courtesy of ABC

Tags: ABC, Carlos Solis, Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria Parker, Gabrielle Solis, Justine Bateman, Opening Doors, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, television, tv

Fox Derails ‘Drive’ Again as Star Nathan Fillion Gets ‘Desperate’

Chandra — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:54:00 +0000

Another Whiplash Decision Nixes the Series Once More

It looks like that’s all she wrote, Drive fans. In case you missed the show while you blinked, Drive is the ensemble cross-country, road-race series starring Nathan Fillion that Fox swiftly canceled after just three outings and four episodes (the premiere broadcast was two hours and two episodes) when it made its April midseason debut. In early May, the network announced that the final two produced episodes would air last week on the Fourth of July. Instead, however, it replaced the installments with the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson comedy Anger Management at the last minute.

Then, appearing to still have just a bit of consideration for fans, Fox once again claimed it would air the last two episodes of Drive, this time on the forthcoming Friday the 13th. You guessed it, though. That rescheduling has been called off, as well, in favor of the Bones and Standoff combo that has occupied the 8pm–10pm EST, Friday-night time slot for several weeks.

Well, at least there may be some small consolation for Fillion fans. Last week, ABC announced that the much-loved Firefly and Serenity star is currently in talks to join the cast of its popular three-year-old dramedy Desperate Housewives next season. The proposed regular role would serve as the husband of another new character that might be played by Dana Delany of China Beach acclaim. The two-time Emmy winner is also in talks with the network years after allegedly turning down the role of Bree Van De Kamp in the Desperate pilot.

This recent development works fine for me since I’m a fan of those conniving Wisteria Lane divas and their browbeaten men and offspring. But, I imagine the change of environment, not to mention pace, might prove difficult for people who prefer Fillion a nanosecond away from high-octane danger at any given moment. Will they make the jump along with him to a gossipy, female-driven (no pun intended) show? Count this among the many things that will make us go “Hmmm…” as the fall season approaches.

Related News: ‘Drive’ Driven Off the Air by Fox

Nathan Fillion/Drive photo courtesy of Fox

Tags: Dana Delany, Desperate Housewives, Drive, Fox, Nathan Fillion, television, tv

It’s Men’s Night on ‘Desperate Housewives’

Chandra — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:54:00 +0000

Wisteria Lane Gets A Masculine Touch with Tonight’s Guest Narrator

For almost three whole years now, it’s been a literal woman’s world on Desperate Housewives, ABC’s Emmy-winning dramedy about the foils and foibles of a group of four close-knit female suburbanites, all of whom were married when the show debuted in 2004. One of the most notable events to befall a major character in the first season occurred when uptight perfectionist Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross, a new mother of twin girls in real life) lost her doctor husband Rex (Steven Culp) to what superficially seemed like fatal heart problems. Of course, viewers knew all along that Rex was in fact murdered by insidious pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart), who had his own heart set on coupling with Bree.

The impact of Rex’s absence from the show has been strong ever since, as he was a favorite among many viewers. Those fans can be a bit thankful tonight, then, when Bree’s former husband returns to the show to provide a little narrative respite for the regular narrator, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), in “My Husband, the Pig.” That’s right—for the first time ever, the customary voiceovers that help flesh out the sundry happenings on and around fictional Fairview’s Wisteria Lane will come courtesy of a man, namely Rex. It’s about time a guy got a chance at this gig.

Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight:

The Best of Masterpiece Theatre: The people decided in this special presentation featuring clips of the Top 12 programs selected by viewers, spiced up with actor interviews. [PBS/9:00*]
Brothers & Sisters—The Other Walker: Hey, Everwood fans! It’s finally Emily VanCamp time as the Walker clan learn about their dead patriarch’s love child Rebecca (VanCamp). [ABC/10:01]
Dice: Undisputed: Uh-oh. Do we really want potty-mouthed comic Andrew Dice Clay back to terrorize TV? Does the Diceman really care? Probably not. [VH1/10:00]
The Winner—PILOT: Ahhh, to be over 30 and still living with your parents. Can anyone in such circumstances ever grow up and become a genuine adult? Oddball narrator Glen Abbott (Rob Corddry) tells us all about his experiences attempting to in this quirky new sitcom. A second fresh episode, “The Single Dates,” follows an intervening new episode of Family Guy at 9:30. [Fox/8:30]

*All PBS times may vary—Check your local listings to verify them
All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
Desperate Housewives photo courtesy of ABC