A return to Wisteria Lane is in order after it was announced that a reimagined Desperate Housewives was in the works. It’s not so surprising, as there have been discussions of a new series for years. Some of the original Desperate Housewives cast have even given their thoughts on possibly doing a reboot, including Eva Longoria, who shared a hilarious take on reprising her role. Now, Kyle MacLachlan is revealing he would be down for a reboot, but he has one condition.

The Twin Peaks actor joined the ABC dramedy as Orson Hodge during the second season. Now that Desperate Housewives is seemingly making a comeback and the cast keeps getting asked about it, MacLachlan expressed his interest in reprising his role while speaking with People. He also made a good point when it came to the Wisteria Lane set, saying:

Considering Wisteria Lane still exists, it would be easy to just pick things back up as if nothing had changed. Also, knowing that MacLachlan would be down to do a reboot makes things even better. However, he would approach it with caution, too. To that point, that Fallout actor admitted what it would take for him to return, and I can’t say I blame him:

Desperate Housewives ended in 2012 after eight seasons, meaning that if a reboot of the original show were to happen, a lot would have to change. There would be a big time jump, and Wisteria Lane would probably look different in terms of who is still living there and who isn’t, so it makes sense that MacLachlan would be a bit cautious when it comes to reprising his role as Orson. It also sounds like he would approach it differently than in the past, but there is no telling what it would be like.

Meanwhile, Desperate Housewives has aged surprisingly well since its premiere in 2004, and amid all of the crazy storylines, beloved characters coming back in a new way would not be so surprising if that were the case for a potential reboot. Plus, despite a heated feud behind the scenes, Desperate Housewives managed to keep viewers locked in for a long time, and the reboot could potentially do the same.

Even though a reimagining of Desperate Housewives is in the works, it’s unknown if a reboot with the original cast will ever happen. While some of the cast have expressed interest, others, like Teri Hatcher, aren’t so on board. It would be hard to do one with just a few cast members and not everyone, but things could change. At the very least, all eight seasons of Desperate Housewives are streaming with a Hulu subscription, so at least we can return to Wisteria Lane that way.

Outside of both having notable casts, ABC’s Lost and FX’s The Bear seemingly don’t have too much in common. One was an hour-long sci-fi adventure network TV series that ran for six seasons between 2004 and 2010. One will have brand new episodes hitting the 2025 TV schedule, partners between streaming and FX Network, and is a half-hour (alleged) comedy vehicle. But Lost (and parent network ABC) inadvertently may be the reason The Bear takes so much flak during upcoming awards shows.

The Bear Often Takes Flak At The Emmys For Landing In The Comedy Category

... and flak it does take. While The Bear can be funny in some of its most outrageous moments and the characters themselves are occasionally amusing, the format of the FX series starring Jeremy Allen White is mostly dramatic. In fact, the show is so stressful and realistic to the kitchen atmosphere that some chefs refuse to even watch it.

There’s no doubt The Bear is a well-written and intriguing series, and it makes sense people on Awards committees sit up and pay attention to it; however, when it comes to the comedy, it’s a whole lot clunkier than many shows that are written specifically to be funny. A bunch of writers recently spoke to Vulture about this dichotomy, and made some great points about The Bear winning a slew of comedy Emmys – and recently breaking a record 30 Rock held for many years.

One writer even acknowledged there are jokes in the industry about The Bear literally not being a comedy, and everyone knows it.

However, a second writer, who also remained anonymous, told the outlet it really does kind of hurt to see this little half-hour, overly dramatic serious beat out a lot of laughers that are really, really funny. One network TV writer told the outlet when The Bear overtook 30 Rock with 22 nominations, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Even so, The Bear continues winning in the comedy category at the Emmys. To know why, we need to look back at the history of television over the last 20+ years.

How Lost (And Desperate Housewives) Led Us To Where We Are Today

There’s been a longtime disconnect between Hollywood and comedies. Best Picture Winners at the Oscars are nearly always dramas (even when they have some very funny moments), and the drama categories at the Emmys are seen as the crème de la crème and typically announced last. So, it’s particularly frustrating for those who write great jokes to see a show that writes killer drama interfering in the one big Emmys category that does land the joke writers nominations: Outstanding Comedy Series.

The notion goes back to the idea that half-hour shows are comedies or sitcoms, and hour-long shows are dramas. Obviously, most rational people know there’s more nuance to this, but apparently this general idea is something awards shows began warming up to not so long ago. Or at least not as long ago as you might guess.

There was an era when ABC was dominating the Emmys. One year in the Noughties, the network had two tentpole critical darlings: Lost and Desperate Housewives. The former was a drama that was an hour long. The latter was more of a, let’s say dramedy, though it also ran for an hour. So what did ABC do? They got to some slick campaigning and Housewives went into the comedy category, allowing it to no longer compete with its extraordinarily popular sister series.

Both shows were nominated in 2005, though Housewives lost the comedy category to traditional sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Lost did win the Outstanding Drama category, so it was doubtless a savvy move for ABc.

Anyway, the idea of a drama with comedic elements landing in the comedic category was allegedly born out of ABC’s wish to win all the awards, at least if you were to ask one TV writer who has spent decades in the industry.

This is obviously a hypothesis from a writer who was around during the 2004-2005 TV season, but it makes a lot of sense to me. The Bear isn’t the only “drama” or “drama-ish” to land in the comedy category. Barry, Atlanta and The Flight Attendant all come to mind when I think of those iffy middle ground shows that have earned nominations. However, The Bear is the one that might have the most grey areas when it comes to where it should belong, and it's also earning so many noms it's notable.

This year, The Bear won in a lot of categories but Hacks took home the aforementioned Outstanding Comedy Award. With new episodes of The Bear Season 4 premiering later this month and Emmy nominations on their way in September, I’ll be interested to find out if history repeats itself this year.

Hacks can be cringe and uncomfortable like The Bear, but it has a heck of a lot more jokes. Though I’ll defend The Bear's Berf shirt joke forever.

There are many reboots and revivals happening these days, and it’s always a question of what could be next. Considering Desperate Housewives has surprisingly aged so well, could fans ever revisit Wisteria Lane in the future? Teri Hatcher previously shared her reboot thoughts, pointing out that it wouldn’t make sense for her character, Susan, after the show killed off the love of her life. Now, co-star Eva Longoria shared her own hilarious take on a possible new series.

Longoria portrayed Gabrielle Solis on all eight seasons of the ABC mystery dramedy, and even though she and the Desperate Housewives cast are pretty busy these days, that isn’t stopping her interest in a potential return. She’s previously expressed her interest in doing a reboot, but while guesting on Watch What Happens Live, the actress shared her thoughts on what her character would certainly not be doing, and I'm amused that this was one of the first things that came to her mind:

She certainly doesn’t give Gabby enough credit, especially since so much would have definitely changed since the show’s finale in 2012. You can't tell me every single person on that street would still be living there without anyone moving. But it’s still hilarious to think about. As well, it gives fans perspective for what Desperate Housewives’ run was like for the actress.

That being said, on top of Gabby perhaps needing a new social activity, Longoria admitted that creator Marc Cherry would be the hardest to convince to get a revival going. Alas, her reasoning makes sense.

Desperate Housewives managed to give audiences a pretty good ending, which isn't always a guarantee for shows that last so long. Even despite some backstage drama involving Nicolette Sheridan's numerous claims against Cherry, including assault, wrongful termination, and battery, the spicy drama still remains a favorite among fans. Whether or not it will ever actually make a comeback is unknown, but it wouldn’t be too surprising, especially considering it once topped TV ratings for a year. But Cherry will likely need to hear an undeniably amazing idea to make an about face..

If Desperate Housewives were to return, it sounds like Eva Longoria would want to switch things up for Gabby, and I can’t say I blame her. The series ended with Gabby starting her own online shopper company with the help of Carlos, and getting her own show on the Home Shopping Network, leading the couple to move to a mansion in Los Angeles. It would be interesting to see what she’s up to after all these years and how much she has changed.

Even if Desperate Housewives doesn’t get a reboot in the future, fans can always watch it with a Hulu subscription. Plus, it’s one of many shows like Pretty Little Liars, so there are plenty of other series to become obsessed with once that binge is over. Perhaps a return to Wisteria Lane will happen at some point, since you never know what could happen.

From Downton Abbey to the Red Keep to 742 Evergreen Terrace, there are so many cool houses I'd love to explore from television shows. Some have even gotten quite famous for their use on these shows. Obviously I understand these are mostly sets on a soundstage with an exterior of a completely different house, but let's take a moment to use our imagination and talk about how fun and cool these houses I've always wanted to explore would be.

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Of course with have to include Uncle Phil and Aunt Bev's house on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Most of the show pretty much takes place in two rooms, the kitchen and the living room, with other scenes in various bedrooms and occasionally other spots. There must be so much more to see!

The Addams Family

Who doesn't want to explore a house like that of the Addams family? It's creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky! It's got a dismembered hand running around, a cousin covered in hair, and an uncle who can light up a light bulb in his mouth! This is the kind of house I want to learn a whole lot more about!

Friends

Much has been made about the apartments on Friends and how unrealistic they are. Sure, that may be true, but that doesn't mean they aren't cool, especially where Monica and Rachel live. As someone who lived in a shoebox in the East Village for years, this is the kind of place I'd love to explore and dream about how I could have been living... in a fever dream.

Full House

The Painted Ladies in San Francisco are some of the most iconic houses in the entire United States Of America. For that reason alone it's worth it to explore the Tanner home on Full House. I might not have a chance to explore one otherwise (not that would in this fictional scenario anyway!)

Succession

Let's be honest, I can't stand the Roy family and it makes it hard for me to love the show Succession, because I need someone to root for and there is no one on this show worthy of that. Except maybe the houses and locations, those all look amazing. So that's decides it, I'm rooting for fictional houses.

Game Of Thrones

I've included the Red Keep here from Game of Thrones, but really it's a stand-in for basically every castle, keep, and ancestral home on the show. They all look really cool and I love old European castles, so an architectural tour of Westeros is right in my wheelhouse. Winterfell, Dragonstone, the Eyrie, Sunspear... they are all amazing. Even the ruins of Harrenhal would be awesome to hang out in for a bit.

Gossip Girl

I lived a very different life in my shoebox in the East Village when I lived in New York than the families in Gossip Girl lived. Frankly, every location looks incredible in its own way and I want to see them all and the well-dressed people who live in them.

Frasier

Frasier Crane doesn't live in the most extravagant condo in TV history, but it still seems like a really cool place. Seattle is a beautiful city and the view they had would make a quick tour very worthwhile. Plus, who doesn't want to have a good sit in Martin's chair?

Diff'rent Strokes

The 1980s was filled with over-the-top residences, and the Drummonds apartment in Diff'rent Strokes is close to the top of the list. We really only got to see a little bit of the two-story New York apartment, as almost every scene was in the living room, kitchen, or Willis and Arnold's bedroom. I want to see more! There must be a cozy study in there somewhere with a fireplace filled with many old books and rich mahogany!

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is one of the few fictional houses on this list that one can actually spend some time in. The house, which is known as Highclere Castle in real life, is open for tours to the public, and not only can you explore the grounds, but many of the rooms from the show as well. I've not done it yet, but I'd love to do the tour at some point.

Silver Spoons

As a kid of the '80s, the Stratton's mansion on Silver Spoons is close to the top of my list of houses I wished I lived in. There was a train running through the living room, multiple arcade games, and a racing car bed! It's everything I ever wanted and more. Plus, we never got to see much other than a couple of rooms, there has to be so much to explore!

Dynasty

The 1980s were a time when incredibly rich families stirred up melodrama among themselves on shows like Dynasty. Set in Denver, the show's family, the Carringtons, lived in an amazing home. The exteriors of the home were actually a palatial home in Pasadena called Arden Villa.

Modern Family

Jay and Gloria Prichett's house on Modern Family fits the name of the show well. It's...well... modern and it's the kind of house I like to stalk on Zillow. It's not the most over-the-top, or biggest (nor the smallest, for sure), but it seems like a really awesome, realistic house that would be perfect for a week-long AirBnB rental.

Mork & Mindy

This is one of those homes on TV that actually seems like a place I could actually afford and live in. It's a simple house in Boulder, CO, where the show is set and while the prices all over Colorado for real estate are kind of insane, it's still a very cool looking, sensible house. Mork (Robin Williams) is the only thing that isn't sensible about it.

The Munsters

There are few houses in TV history as iconic as the Munster's mansion from The Munsters. Though I'm not a big fan of horror movies, even I can appreciate all the Easter eggs and tributes to old monster movies that must be hidden all over the house. It's the kind of place that is a museum of the weird as much as it is a home.

The Brady Bunch

I love Mid-Century Modern architecture, especially houses. There is no better example of a cool Mid-Century Modern house in TV history than the house designed by Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch. It's also one of the rare shows where we basically see every room in the house in almost every episode. The one part we never see is where Alice lives, so that's something new to explore.

The Golden Girls

I'm a total sucker for those weird Florida gated communities like the one in The Golden Girls and for that reason, I'd love to check the house shared by the four retired roommates in the classic NBC sitcom. It's not the most extravagant, nor the most interesting, but it's still the kind of realistic house I love.

The Sopranos

This is a little bit of an outlier because really, the house in The Sopranos is everything I kinda hate in a house. It's pretty much a standard suburban McMansion, so that means my exploration would really be to make fun of it. I get that it's not a great idea to criticize Carmela's decorating or Tony's house in general, but it's a risk I'd be willing to take.

Mad Men

Don Draper's apartment in Mad Men looks amazing. It's not the biggest home on this list, but it's so perfectly set in its time, it would be amazing to spend a few hours in listening to some jazz and smoking cigarettes.

Dallas

Southfork Ranch is a real place. It's a popular spot in Dallas to hold weddings and other events. That means that exploring the house, which is home to the Ewing clan in Dallas is possible, but I'd want to go back in time and see it as it was when the Ewings lived there (on the show anyway). There would be so much to see across all of the property.

The Simpsons

There are few addresses as famous as 742 Evergreen Terrace. It's not the grandest house on this list, obviously, but still, it's just so iconic. I can just see myself having a Duff on the back patio while Homer relaxes in his hammock, or lying on the floor with Lisa and Bart watching the latest episode of Itchy & Scratchy. Maybe even helping Marge in the kitchen cooking pork chops for dinner.

Dexter

Okay, I'll admit, this one is the most depraved choice on this list. Checking out Dexter's apartment from Dexter is sure to be disturbing and morbid, so it's the kind of place where it's good to keep in mind this is all fictional! Demented and sad, but fictional!

Seinfeld

Jerry's apartment on Seinfeld is probably the smallest home on this list. It's really just the kitchen and living room open-plan space (that doesn't actually make sense) and Jerry's bedroom, but there is always some cool stuff in the background, like Superman memorabilia and cereal boxes. Those are worth exploring, right? Maybe not, but Kramer may have the hot tub open in his apartment.

Charmed

Like a few others on this lit, visiting nd exploring the house on Charmed is less about the house - though it does look stunning - and more about learning about what is really going with these three witches. It has to be fascinating to see how they live when they aren't fighting demons and the like.

The Nanny

I'll admit I'm pretty fascinated by huge New York City apartments. It's just so different from how most people live in the city. The opulence and ease of living in multi-story dwellings in the city must be amazing, and the home on The Nanny certainly fits the bill like others on this list.

Desperate Housewives

This entry isn't about one house, it's about all the house and the neighborhood that makes up Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives. There isn't anything particularly special about any one house, but wow what a subdivision to live in! My suburban street was nothing like this... or maybe it was and I was just ignorant of it. Probably not.

The Crown

There are a lot of palaces and castles in Netflix's The Crown and all of them are real places, though none of the show was actually filmed in them, of course. Of all the castles and palaces that Queen Elizabeth is seen in on the show, the coolest and most interesting has to be Balmoral, her castle in Scotland where she ultimately died in real life. That's the castle and grounds I want to explore.

Billions

Even by TV show standards, Bobby Axelrod (Damien Lewis) on Showtime's Billions has a ridiculous beach house in the Hamptons. I mean, it looks like a country club clubhouse or a hotel, it's insane. It feels like you could spend a month there and never hang out in the same room twice.

Ozark

I've been to the Lake of the Ozarks a bunch of times in my life and while it's a super fun place, you don't really think of it as having interesting houses. On the show Ozark, the Byrdes definitely live in one that you wouldn't ever expect to see there, and it's based on a real place there. It's exactly the kind of house I love. It's also one of the few places that is actually based on a real thing at Lake of the Ozarks, as the show was primarily shot in Georgia.

Beverly Hills, 90210

As someone who grew up watching Beverly Hills, 90210 every week, this is definitely a very personal choice. I just always thought the house was really nice looking and I'd love to spend some time hanging out with the Walshes.

Arrested Development

Yes, it's only a model house, and yes, it's basically cheap construction of plywood and chewing gum, but still, the house in Arrested Development would be a wild place to hang out for a while. You could look for George in the attic, or count the number of blue handprints on the wall... there's just so much. I wouldn't mess around with the cornballer though.

Falcon Crest

One of the wildest wealthy fictional families on TV in the '80s was the Channing/Gioberti clan on Falcon Crest. It's a show that no one talks about anymore, but the house, set in a fictionalized version of Napa Valley is amazing and really, we should be talking about it as the star of the show, though Jane Wyman is pretty fantastic on the show too.

While there's always a ton of TV shows on the air at any point, certain titles manage to rise to the top and become bonafide sensations. Desperate Housewives was one of those shows, becoming wildly popular and inspiring Bravo's Real Housewives series (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription). I've been rewatching the show with my Hulu subscription, and I've got to say I'm really loving it the second time around. Seriously, it holds up!

As a kid, I watched Desperate Housewives during its original run on TV, but I stopped sometime after a hurricane tore through Wisteria Lane. I wasn't sure if the early aughts humor would translate nowadays, but it definitely does. And every episode I'm impressed by just how strong the performances from the Desperate Housewives cast are.

While Desperate Housewives has plenty of high stakes drama and dramatic twists (I mean, it literally opens on a suicide), the show is largely a dark comedy. And the four starring women, as well as Nicolette Sheridan's Edie Britt, are firing on all cylinders while embodying their characters' specific quirks. But if there are two performances that have been especially wowing me as I re-watch the series, it's been Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria.

Desperate Housewives was a star-making moment for Eva Longoria, who recently appeared in Only Murders in the Building. Gabrielle Solis is a constant scene-stealer, with Longoria finding a way to make her endlessly likable despite the character's vain and self-centered tendencies.

While Teri Hatcher doesn't seem like she wants a reboot, I can't imagine the show without her. She does pretty outstanding physical comedy as Susan Mayer, going through countless pratfalls and shenanigans amidst the high stakes drama of the Wisteria Lane. Although back in 2018 Hatcher expressed interest in returning, so maybe there's hope she'll change her mind.

Since I watched the show's original run for years, there are certain events and plot points that I remember. For instance, Gabrielle's affair with John the Gardener or the episode where Laurie Metcalf is a shooter in a grocery store. But there's also a lot I don't remember, and jokes that probably went over my head as a young person watching the series with my family.

Desperate Housewives really does have such a unique tone, which is also why I've been binge watching for my second viewing. From Danny Elfman's iconic theme song to the production design, the show is equal parts camp and drama. And so while the cast are all comedic forces, they also get to have some moving scenes as well when things go wrong or the titular Wives.

Only time will tell if a Desperate Housewives reboot happens, but fans shouldn't expect for it to pop up on the 2025 TV premiere list. For now, the original series is streaming on Hulu.

As reboots, revivals, sequels, and prequels continue to take over television, a reboot of ABC's soap dramedy Desperate Housewives has not yet happened. There have been talks about a potential DH revival or reboot over the years since the series ended in 2012 after eight seasons, even despite some reported backstage drama between actress Nicollette Sheridan and showrunner Marc Cherry. Teri Hatcher shared her thoughts on a possible comeback, and she definitely makes a good point.

Hatcher portrayed one of the aforementioned housewives, Susan Mayer, for all eight seasons. Like much of the Desperate Housewives cast, she’s remained pretty busy since the finale, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t think about Wisteria Lane from time to time. In 2018, she admitted she wanted a Desperate Housewives revival, but while speaking with Swooon recently, it seems like her mindset has changed, and I can’t say I blame her:

Throughout much of the series’ run, Susan was with James Denton’s Mike Delfino, whom she married and had a son with. Mike was killed in a drive-by shooting in Season 8 after he pushed Susan out of the way, courtesy of a loan shark. It was a heartbreaking scene, and even though twelve years have passed, it's hard to imagine how her story would continue. It wouldn’t make sense to have with someone else since, as Hatcher said, Mike was the love of her life.

It's hard to picture where she would be now. It does sound like Desperate Housewives still means a lot to Teri Hatcher, but when you really think about it, there’s no reason to have Susan involved because it’s quite possible that she has closed Wisteria Lane’s chapter in her life. However, if there is ever a Desperate Housewives reboot, it’s also possible that a non-series regular role could make sense.

Desperate Housewives was a massive hit when it aired and topped ratings for a year from 2007 to 2008, but thanks to streaming, the series has found a new audience years later. The series is streaming with a Hulu subscription and is also available with a Prime subscription, which has probably only heightened fans' appetites for a reboot. If one were to happen, there are several different directions that it could go. A prequel, sequel, or completely fresh series are all options.

Depending on what type of reboot it would be, Hatcher may not even be needed but that doesn’t mean that fans can’t still hope, regardless of her thoughts. She seems pretty adamant about it, though, so fans shouldn’t count on seeing Susan returning to Wisteria Lane in the near future, whether or not there's another Desperate Housewives show.

Moms are strong by nature but TV's toughest moms rule their roost with high standards, great expectations and strong discipline. From sitcom staples like Roseanne Conner and Clair Huxtable to dramatic dames like Cersei Lannister and Cookie Lyon, these iron-fisted mamas don't get the credit they deserve when it comes to their strict and stern parenting styles. Here are 32 of our favorites. 

Roseanne Conner (Roseanne)

The fierce working-class "domestic goddess" at the center of the ABC sitcom Roseanne was always crazy-quick with a wisecrack and was never one to hold back an opinion. But though known for her loud, sarcastic and domineering nature, Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) was always loving and protective towards her four kids, daughters Becky (Lecy Goranson and Sarah Chalke) and Darlene (Sara Gilbert), and sons D.J. (Michael Fishman) and Jerry (Cole and Morgan Roberts).

Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show)

Despite having to juggle raising five children, maintaining a household and continuing a successful law career, The Cosby Show's Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) was always a vision of class and composure. While her husband Cliff was the more fun-loving and boisterous parent, Clair was the disciplinarian of the Huxtable residence and was assertive in teaching her kids about responsibility and respect. 

Peggy Bundy (Married... With Children)

With her refusal to cook, clean or cater to her boorish husband Al (Ed O'Neil), Peggy Bundy (Katey Sagal) from the beloved blue-collar comedy Married... with Children was TV's ultimate anti-housewife. Where other small-screen moms used their iron fist to ensure order and discipline, Peg unapologetically prioritized her own couch-sitting, Oprah-watching "Me Time" over traditional parenting and domestic work. But that doesn't mean she didn't regularly make time to voice her opinions about her lackluster hubby and kids Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Bud (David Faustino).

Wilma Flintstone (The Flintstones) 

When you're married to a literal caveman, it's no surprise that Wilma Flintstone had to be level-headed and strong-willed for the sake of her family. Throughout the classic cartoon series The Flintstones, the Stone Age mama was tender and caring to her hubby Fred and daughter Pebbles but was known to utilize a firm hand — and a frying pan — when things got a little too rambunctious in her household. 

Claire Dunphy (Modern Family)

Often regulated to being the strict mom opposite goofy dad Phil (Ty Burrell), Claire (Julie Bowen) is the hardworking and often anxiety-ridden head of the Dunphy household. In trying to wrangle her husband and three children — Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter) and Luke (Nolan Gould) — The Modern Family matriarch can regularly be neurotic and controlling but every ounce of that effort clearly comes from a place of love. 

Jessica Huang (Fresh Off The Boat)

Just as her husband Louis (Randall Park) described her, Jessica Huang (Constance Wu) from the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat is "aggressive yet elegant." No-nonsense, traditional and very competitive, she pushes both her spouse and their sons Eddie (Hudson Yang), Emery (Forrest Wheeler) and Evan (Ian Chen) to succeed in their careers and academics, respectively. For example, she's plenty pleased with Evan's future plans of becoming "doctor/president," but less so when Eddie reveals that he wants to go to culinary school instead of college.

Cersei Lannister (Game Of Thrones)

Like many things in her life, Cersei Lannister's (Lena Headey) relationship with her children throughout Game of Thrones was often fueled by her own pride and need for power. However, that doesn't mean that Cersei wouldn't kill for her kids — and she did. When it came to the safety of Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) and Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), she parented with a leonine fierceness, to the danger of her enemies. 

Florida Evans (Good Times)

First introduced as a feisty maid in Maude, strong-willed Chicago mother Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) is the heart and soul of the original Good Times. Despite considerable financial issues and a never-ending list of chores and responsibilities, Florida always kept her household in line, offering up stern but loving discipline and instilling valuable morals in her three children J.J. (Jimmy Walker) Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis), and Michael Evans (Ralph Carter). 

Lois Wilkerson (Malcolm In The Middle)

As the mother of five highly mischievous and unruly young boys, we really can't blame Malcolm in the Middle's Lois Wilkerson (Jane Kaczmarek) for being a touch stubborn, overbearing and hotheaded. Lois genuinely cares about her children, but her idea of discipline is jokingly dubbed "sadistic" by the boys: "Your punishment isn't over until that bathroom floor is so clean you'll be eating off it. Which is what you'll be doing for the next three weeks," she memorably punished son Reese in Season 6. 

Norma Bates (Bates Motel)

Now, we're certainly not suggesting that Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) had a healthy parenting style throughout the A&E horror drama Bates Motel, but she certainly was a devoted, if domineering, mother to Norman (Freddie Highmore). Norma can be clingy and critical of her son — and has especially harsh opinions about the girls Norman hangs out with — but she always does everything in her power to protect him. 

Emily Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)

It seems like the only people Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) is more judgmental of than her own daughter Lorelai (Lauren Graham) — no picnic in the mom department, herself — are her maids, who she seemingly hired and fired every other episode of Gilmore Girls. The wealthy matriarch of the eponymous family is known for her high standards, snooty attitude and controlling nature: a textbook example is forcing Lorelai and granddaughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) to attend Friday night dinner at her home every week, no exceptions. 

Debra Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond)

A classic example of a TV mom having to play the "bad cop" to a "fun dad" type is Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) from Everybody Loves Raymond. While husband Ray (Ray Romano) often gets up to nearly as many hijinks as their kids Ally (Madylin Sweeten), Geoffrey and Michael (Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten), Debra is all business. She's responsible, hardworking and not afraid to speak her mind — except, it seems, when it comes to her meddling mother-in-law Marie (Doris Roberts). 

Harriette Winslow (Family Matters)

The matriarch of the Winslow family (largely played by Jo Marie Payton but replaced with Judyann Elder in Family Matters' final season) knows order and discipline: she left the police force when she became pregnant with her eldest, Eddie (Darius McCrary). Raising three kids, Harriette is regularly the voice of reason in the Winslow household but is a sharp-tongued disciplinarian when she needs to be. 

Colleen Donaghy (30 Rock)

Portrayed by the legendarily brash Elaine Stritch, the mother of Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) always dishes out tough love when it comes to her son. With just one of her many characteristically biting quips (“Don’t talk to me like that Jack. I breastfed you for nine years!”) Colleen is able to instantly turn her slick, successful businessman of a son into a fearful little boy. 

Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)

The Goldbergs' Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) puts the "mother" in "smother" — hugs are mandatory and she can often be found meddling in various areas of her kids' worlds, from school to sports to social life. But the snuggies-loving matriarch can be strict, tough and opinionated, not only when it comes to her children Erica (Hayley Orrantia), Barry (Troy Gentile) and Adam (Sean Giambrone) but also herself: "I have failed as a mother!" is the character's main catchphrase. 

Galina ‘Red’ Reznikov (Orange Is The New Black)

Yes, even prisoners need a mother figure and Litchfield Penitentiary has Red (Kate Mulgrew). Compassionate but very cunning — this is a woman who was in cahoots with the Russian Mafia, after all — she rules her block of the prison with a watchful eye, explicitly prohibiting her girls from partaking in drugs whilst running a well-oiled smuggling ring to get them the contraband goods they need. 

Vivian Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

Firstly, we're specifically talking about Aunt Viv as portrayed by Janet Hubert for the first half of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. (Daphne Maxwell Reid took over the role in season four after Hubert was dismissed from the show.) As no-nonsense as she was nurturing, Hubert's take on the character was more fiery than her successor, a strong, confident university professor who wasn't afraid to lay down a hard lesson to her three children, her students or her troublemaking nephew (Will Smith). 

Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)

Marge is the blue-haired, bee-hived moralistic center of the Simpsons family. With a fam that includes an oafish husband like Homer, a notorious prankster like Bart and an eternal infant like Maggie, The Simpsons matriarch has to run a tight ship to maintain order in her antics-filled household. She doesn't approve of the kids' violent video games or cartoons, has followed Bart's whereabouts through his cell phone and is always pushing her family to go to mass. As Homer says of his wife: "If it were up to [Marge], all we would ever do is work and go to church."

Violet Crawley (Downton Abbey)

Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Dame Maggie Smith), is not exactly known for being a cuddly grandmother sort. Instead, the stately Downton Abbey matriarch is defined by her dry wit, direct nature and deep investment in maintaining the family's traditions, honor and legacy. 

Barbara Howard (Abbott Elementary)

Barbara Howard (Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph) didn't just raise kids of her own at home — she's raised whole classrooms full of impressionable youngins as a kindergarten teacher at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School for the past two decades. Super old-school (no, she will not be learning that new teaching technology, thank you very much) and strictly religion, she's the kind of teacher who quiets rowdy classrooms the second she steps foot into them. 

Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

As both a mother to teen daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) and little Gracie Belle (Madilyn Landry) and a counselor at Dillon High School to countless students, Connie Britton's tough yet compassionate Tami Taylor regularly guided the youth with equal parts firmness and fairness. Through five seasons of Friday Night Lights, she was a sounding board and a calm authority, but always with a little bit of Southern sweetness sprinkled on top. 

Jill Taylor (Home Improvement)

The lion-hearted leading lady of the Taylor family, Jill (Patricia Richardson) raises her three sons Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Mark (Taran Noah Smith) with a stern hand and Type-A attitude while also remaining lovingly perceptive and good-naturedly allowing for silly moments. However, you know that when she addresses her husband Tim (Tim Allen) or her sons by their full name, somebody is definitely in trouble. 

Cookie Lyon (Empire)

Talk about one tough cookie: Empire's queen bee Cookie Lyon (Taraji P. Henson) tells it like it is, demands respect and doesn't tolerate nonsense in any aspect of her life, including when it comes to her children Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal (Jussie Smollett) and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray). She can be extremely headstrong and brash, but she definitely has a caring and compassionate side and she always puts her family first. 

Sophia Petrillo (The Golden Girls)

Sarcasm and sass certainly seem to be genetic in the Petrillo household: both mom Sophia (Estelle Getty) and daughter Dorothy Zbornak (Bea Arthur) possess each personality trait in spades. As Dorothy's actual parent and the surrogate mother of her roommates Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) and Rose Nyland (Betty White), Sophia doles out wisecracks and criticisms often — about Dorothy’s lack of love life, Blanche’s promiscuity and Rose’s stupidity — but beneath all of her hilarious put-downs beats a lot of love. 

Nalini Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)

Never Have I Ever's Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan) can be hard on her teen daughter Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) but her overly strict and at times overbearing nature stems from not only her traditional Indian upbringing but also her sheer love and concern for her child. (As fans no doubt remember, Nalini lost her husband to a heart attack before the start of the series, a trauma which sparked temporary paralysis in her daughter.) Sometimes it's hard for her to show tenderness, but her heart is always in the right place. 

Olivia Walton (The Waltons)

Yes, Olivia Walton (Michael Learned) is an exceedingly sweet and compassionate lady, but there's one area of her life in which she does not play around: her parenting. She prompts all seven of her children (John-Boy, Jason, Mary-Ellen, Ben, Erin Walton, Jim-Bob and Elizabeth) to have good manners and posture, requires them to read the Bible and never miss Sunday service, and will resort to scolding her children if they misbehave. 

Carmela Soprano (The Sopranos) 

Steely and steadfast, Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) is like any good Italian-American mom: she's armed with a deep sense of obligation to her family, works hard to create a (somewhat) stable environment for daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and son A.J. (Robert Iler), and can make a mean lasagna. With her husband Tony (James Gandolfini) busy with Mafia business, Carmela does the lion's share of the parenting and when it comes to chastising her children, she's proven to be just as formidable as her spouse.

Thelma Harper (Mama’s Family)

Known simply as Mama, Thelma Harper (Vicki Lawrence) from the NBC sitcom Mama's Family headed her household with a sharp wit, an acid tongue and a quick temper. Bluntly outspoken and hilariously grumpy, the series version of the character was actually reportedly softer-edged than the original iteration conceived for The Carol Burnett Show. And despite Mama's frequent bickering and bad attitude, all of her cooking, cleaning and curmudgeonly care is clearly out of love.  

Gemma Teller Morrow (Sons Of Anarchy) 

A more hard-edged mama than her other famous TV mom character Peg Bundy, Katey Sagal's Gemma Teller Morrow is unapologetic about how protective she is of not only her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) and grandchildren but also her surrogate family, the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. Equipped with equal parts savagery and vulnerability, she's adapted to her gritty environment and can be tough, competitive and manipulative in the lengths she'll go to to defend those she loves.

Penelope Alvarez (One Day At A Time)

Don't let her quirky, fun-loving demeanor fool you — as One Day at a Time's main madre Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) is quick to remind you, she's a "total badass." As a single Cuban-American mother, a nurse practitioner and a former Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, "Lupe" has a strong work ethic and sense of discipline, which she makes sure to instill in her children Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz).

Evelyn Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Son Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) doesn't jokingly call her "the queen of darkness" for nothing. Yes, the wealthy and five-time-widowed Evelyn (played by Holland Taylor) can be quite cold, callous and critical when it comes to her sons Alan and Charlie (Charlie Sheen) and grandson Jake (Angus T. Jones). She majorly disapproves of Alan's failed marriages as well as Charlie's personal hobbies — granted, the latter is drinking, gambling and womanizing, so she might be onto something. 

Lynette Scavo (Desperate Housewives)

Having to deal with four demanding children (Porter, Preston, Parker and Penny) as a stay-at-home mom while her husband Tom (Doug Savant) is at the office every day, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) is understandably stressed much of the time, which tends to manifest itself as a neurotic and controlling nature. She also often tends to go over the top when it comes to disciplining her children — for example, she once ditched her kiddos on the side of the road to teach them about following orders. 

The notion of a TV show going through cast changes for one reason or another isn’t all that unusual. In some cases, an actor might choose to leave a show in order to pursue other opportunities. And, at other times, a character naturally runs their course and is written out, leading to a star being ushered out of a production gracefully. However, there have been a number of instances in which an actor has dramatically exited a popular show for more salacious reasons. And we’re going to talk about a number of those situations.

Mackenzie Phillips (One Day At A Time)

Mackenzie Phillips dealt with substance and alcohol abuse during her tenure on One Day at a Time. As her problems increased and she allegedly became erratic on set, the actress was fired after the fifth season of the Norman Lear-produced sitcom. After voluntarily receiving treatment, Philips was invited back to the series at the start of Season 7. But, as mentioned in her Biography special she was fired one more time early in Season 9.

Delta Burke (Designing Women)

Designing Women cast member Delta Burke, who played breakout character Suzanne Sugarbaker, left the beloved CBS comedy after its fifth season. At the time, Burke was having issues with series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. While appearing on the Glamorous Trash podcast years later, Burke said she and the EP “tried to kill each other” but “survived.” They eventually patched things up and teamed up again for a short-lived spinoff series, Women of the House.

John Amos (Good Times) 

Fans, like myself, would probably argue that Good Times – one of the greatest sitcoms of all time – changed tremendously after John Amos’ James Evans Sr. was written out following Season 3. That creative decision was the result of Amos being incredibly vocal about his frustrations with the direction of the show and even threatening the writers. As the actor explained during an interview, series EP Norman Lear called him up personally to tell him he’d been fired. 

Rob Lowe (The West Wing)

Before he dazzled on Parks and Recreation and after rising to prominence as a “Brat Pack” member, Rob Lowe starred on The West Wing. The show was originally set to center around his character, Sam Seaborn, though the focus shifted early on. Feeling underutilized as time went on, Lowe left the show after four seasons.

Roseanne Barr (Roseanne)

Roseanne Barr’s eponymous ABC sitcom was revived for a tenth season that aired in 2018, and it saw considerable success. Following its renewal, Barr was fired after posting a tweet about former government official Valerie Janet that was condemned as being racist. Her dismissal led to the cancellation of Roseanne and the conception of a spinoff sequel series The Conners.

Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air)

Two actresses portrayed Vivian “Aunt Viv” Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the first being Janet Hubert. By the NBC sitcom’s third season, she and lead actor Will Smith began to butt heads. Both were also dealing with situations in their personal lives. Ultimately, Hubert left Fresh Prince due to getting an unsatisfactory new contract offer and, years later, she and Smith made amends during the show’s 2020 reunion.

Kevin Spacey (House Of Cards)

House of Cards experienced a significant shake-up after Kevin Spacey was accused of being inappropriate towards actor Anthony Rapp while he was still a minor. Netflix eventually cut ties with Spacey and, as a result, he was replaced as the lead of the show by co-star Robin Wright.

Charlie Sheen (Two And A Half Men)

When it comes to an exit from a TV series, few get more dramatic than Charlie Sheen’s departure from Two and a Half Men. During the eighth season of the hit CBS show, he made headlines for partaking in wild parties and even entered rehab. Sheen’s fate was sealed, however, when he made disparaging remarks about series co-creator Chuck Lorre. Men would continue for four more seasons, with Ashton Kutcher taking over as co-lead.

Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) 

There are a lot of moving parts to Katherine Heigl’s Grey’s Anatomy exit, but it was truly set in motion after the actress kept her name from Emmy consideration in 2008. Heigl did that because she didn’t think the work she’d done for that particular season was Emmy-worthy. In 2009, the Izzie Stevens actress accused series creator Shonda Rhimes and the producers of initiating long work hours for the cast and crew. And, in 2010, amid Season 6 of the drama series, Rhimes released Heigl from her contract early.

Valerie Harper (Valerie/Valerie’s Family/The Hogan Family)

Amid the second season of Valerie, lead actress Valerie Harper became engaged in a salary dispute with both NBC and production company Lorimar. It was after that season that the Emmy winner was fired, and she ultimately sued both of the aforementioned companies for breach of contract. The series aired for four more seasons – and had two more names. But, ultimately, Harper won her case and was awarded $1.4 million and future show profits.

Robert Downey Jr. (Ally McBeal)

Robert Downey Jr. had experienced a number of personal issues by the time he was cast for Season 4 of Ally McBeal, and they continued throughout his tenure. During that season, he was arrested in November 2000 for drug possession and was taken into custody again under suspicion of being under the influence in Culver City in 2001. With that, Downey was fired from McBeal.

Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)

In 2017, amid the MeToo Movement, Jeffrey Tambor was accused of inappropriate behavior by his former assistant. Shortly after, one of Tambor’s Transparent co-stars accused him of misconduct as well. Amazon, which had renewed the Emmy-winning dramedy for a fifth and final season, officially fired Tambor in early 2018. His character, who was the lead, was ultimately killed off in the musical series finale special.

Esther Rolle (Good Times)

Esther Rolle took issue with some of the creative decisions made on Good Times, not unlike her co-star, John Amos – who was fired after Season 3 even though Rolle was more publicly vocal about her disdain. Given her discomfort, Rolle left after the fourth season when her contract expired. She did, however, return as a main cast member for the sixth and final season. 

Suzanne Somers (Three’s Company)

Some TV devotees may not be aware that Suzanne Somers exited Three’s Company after five seasons due to a salary dispute with ABC’s execs. Her attempts to renegotiate a new deal proved to be unsuccessful, and her contract was not renewed. Throughout the remainder of the show's run, Somers' Chrissy Snow would be succeeded by two other characters.

Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill)

Many were likely surprised when Chad Michael Murray was one of two major stars to exit One Tree Hill ahead of its seventh season. At this point, there’s been no clear reason as to why Murray, who played Lucas Scott parted ways with the show. Some contend that he was ready to leave, but Murray was even recorded saying that the network wanted to drop him to save money.

Lori Loughlin (Fuller House)

Veteran actress Lori Loughlin was starring on Netflix’s Fuller House when she was indicted as part of the 2019 college admissions scandal. In 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and was sentenced to two months in prison. Given her legal woes, Loughlin’s Aunt Becky was excluded from the sitcom’s final season.

Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy)

It was in October 2006 that Isaiah Washington made headlines after it was reported that during an on-set conflict with Patrick Dempsey, he insulted their fellow Grey’s Anatomy co-star, T.R. Knight, with a homophobic slur. Washington reportedly issued an apology though, by the summer of 2007, his contract with ABC was eliminated after Season 3. Washington did, however, reprise the role for a Season 10 episode.

Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds)

Criminal Minds fired Thomas Gibson amid production on Season 12. As has been reported, Gibson, who was directing an episode at the time, had a disagreement with the episode’s writer. The scribe was on set at the time and, during an encounter with Gibson, the actor apparently kicked him. Gibson subsequently expressed regret over his actions.

Shannen Doherty (Charmed)

Few TV deaths were more tragic than that of Shannen Doherty’s Prue Halliwell during Charmed’s third season finale. In the years since she departed the show, Doherty has claimed that her on-set tension with co-star Alyssa Milano caused her to be let go. For her part, Milano said she was “sad” that Doherty blamed her for how everything panned out.

Danny Masterson (The Ranch)

While starring on Netflix’s The Ranch, Danny Masterson was investigated by police due to allegations of assault by multiple women. Masterson was soon fired from the series amid production on Season 3 and, in 2023, he was sentenced to prison.

Ruby Rose (Batwoman)

After leading Batwoman for just one season, Ruby Rose exited the Arrowverse show in 2020. The actress initially attributed her decision to the “taxing” nature of heading up a TV show as well as an allergic reaction to the latex in her costume. However, Rose later made claims of an abusive workplace against her ex-co-stars, The CW and more. Warner Bros. TV denied the allegations as did Rose’s former scene partners.

Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley)

Laverne & Shirley lost co-lead Cindy Williams early into the show’s eighth and final season. Williams became pregnant early into production and, as she explained to Today, she wouldn’t sign a new contract due to the producers having her work on her due date. So Penny Marshall’s Laverne DeFazio finished out those last episodes without Williams’ Shirley Feeney.

Chevy Chase (Community)

It’s been well documented that Community’s Chevy Chase had creative differences with series creator Dan Harmon over his character, Pierce Hawthorne. While working on Season 4, the veteran funnyman reportedly had an on-set tirade during which he dropped the N-word. Chase departed the show shortly after that.

Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0)

Daniel Dae Kim’s exit from CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 reboot after seven seasons came down to a salary dispute with the network. After the news of his departure was reported, Kim himself (who was one of the procedural’s most recognizable stars) addressed the situation, confirming that he and the network couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal.

Lisa Bonet (A Different World)

Cosby Show spinoff A Different World finished its first season on NBC in early 1988 and, afterward, lead actress Lisa Bonet announced her pregnancy with then-husband Lenny Kravitz. The sitcom’s incoming showrunner, Debbie Allen, wanted to keep Bonet on the show and depict her character, Denise Huxtable, as a single mom. But, as Allen explained years later, series creator Bill Cosby preferred that Bonet be dropped from the show.

Columbus Short (Scandal)

After three seasons on ABC’s Scandal, Columbus Short was removed from the cast of the hit drama series. It was during that time that the actor was dealing with personal issues and was even arrested on a domestic violence charge. Short later explained that he was cut due to his struggles with drugs and alcohol.

Gina Carano (The Mandalorian)

MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano established a polarizing social media presence during her two-season stint on The Mandalorian. Among the controversial posts she shared was a message that seemingly compared being a modern-day conservative to being a Jewish person during the Holocaust. Disney and Lucasfilm fired Carano in 2021 ahead of the highly popular Star Wars show’s third season.

Nicollette Sheridan (Desperate Housewives)

Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan was written out of the show after the show’s fifth season, with her character, Edie Britt, being killed off. Several years later, the actress filed suit against Marc Cherry, the show’s creator and ABC. Sheridan alleged that Cherry assaulted her on the set and that she was fired for reporting it. Cherry provided an account of events and, in time, the harassment claims were thrown and Sheridan was unsuccessful in getting a retrial.

T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy)

In 2009, T.R. Knight – who played Dr. George O’Malley on Grey’s Anatomy – left the show after the fifth season. Knight said his reason for leaving was due to a “breakdown of communication” with series EP Shonda Rhimes, his own decision to come out as gay and more. This also all came a few years after Knight was allegedly insulted with a homophobic slur by ex-co-star Isaiah Washington. 

Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill)

Much has been said about Hilarie Burton’s exit from One Tree Hill after the sixth season. The most common assertion has been that the Peyton Sawyer actress couldn’t agree with the network on a new deal. Interestingly, while Burton recalled filming her final scene for the show, she noted that while shooting another sequence, a producer announced on set that the show was renewed for Season 7. However, both Burton and co-star Chad Michael Muray were surprised as they apparently hadn’t been offered new deals.

Justin Roiland (Rick And Morty)

Rick and Morty actor and co-creator Justin Roiland was fired from the Adult Swim show in 2023 after it was revealed that he was facing a domestic violence charge and other offenses in court. Roiland’s case was eventually thrown out later that year. However, the animator and voice actor was later accused of assault and messaging underage girls.

John Rhys-Davies (Sliders)

The sci-fi cult classic Sliders lost cast member John Rhys-Davies when the actor opted to depart after three seasons amid other cast changes. Sometime later, Rhys-Davies explained that he left due to conflicts with the writers. The veteran actor later explained that by the time he left the show, the scripts had become “incomprehensible gibberish.”

Not a TV season goes by where the average television lover can’t name at least one series that was their favorite. Whether it’s brand new or has been on the air for a while, sometimes we adore shows that everyone else seems to be high on as well, because the numbers tell us just how popular they are. With that, each season has a winner when it comes to viewership, so here are 32 TV shows that topped the ratings for a year.

Texaco Star Theater (1950-1951)

The main ratings system for television programs didn’t start until 1950, and the show that took the top spot for that first major season was a comedy/variety series that crossed over from radio: Texaco Star Theater. The show had actually moved to television two years prior and eventually became known for giving the career of comedian Milton Berle a giant boost, as the host was called “Mr. Television” because of his work here.

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (1951-1952)

Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts was hosted by personality Arthur Godfrey, who employed several “talent scouts” to bring in new singers, comedians and musicians that they thought had the goods to make it in the entertainment business, with an audience applause meter deciding the winner. The show led the ratings for just one season but ran for 10 seasons and helped to launch the careers of contestants like Patsy Cline and Don Knotts.

I Love Lucy (1951-1955, 1956-1957)

Here’s a comedy that everyone who knows their TV history will be aware of and (probably) love: I Love Lucy. The legendary series, which starred Lucille Ball (who also helped create the sitcom) as the well-meaning but trouble-making wife of band leader Ricky Ricardo (played by Ball’s real husband, Desi Arnaz) is still well-known to this day for good reason, as it was also incredibly popular while it was on the air. It was the #1 scripted show from 1951-1955, then returned as the top show overall for the 1956-1957 TV season.

The $64,000 Question (1955-1956)

If you’re guessing that this is a game show, feel free to pat yourself on the back, give yourself a gold star or both, because you nailed it! The $64,000 Question saw competitors attempt to answer questions, with the potential prize money doubling as those queries got harder and the last question having a top value of…you guessed it again, $64,000. Despite its popularity, the show only lasted from 1955-1958, due to it becoming a part of the ‘50s quiz show scandals that surprised the nation and inspired the 1994 Robert Redford-directed movie, Quiz Show.

Gunsmoke (1957-1961)

Westerns used to be all the rage on the big and small screen, and Gunsmoke (a drama focused on U.S. Marshal Matt Dillion and other denizens of Dodge City, Kansas in the 1870s) has a very good reason to be counted among some of the most famous TV westerns. Not only did the show top the ratings from 1957-1961, but it ran for 20 seasons, which made it the longest-running live-action scripted series (a record that Law & Order tied in 2010) in US history until September 2019 (when Law & Order: SVU began its 21st season).

Wagon Train (1961-1962)

Again with a Western, and it won’t be the last one you’ll see here. Wagon Train, which followed the lives of wagon train conductors and their passengers on a trip from Missouri to California, offered numerous opportunities for big names like Bette Davis and Lee Marvin to show up in guest roles, and it helped this drama to the top of the ratings for the ‘61-’62 television season.

The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1964)

And we’re back with another comedy! Even if you weren’t around for the original run of The Beverly Hillbillies, you’ve likely come across the popular fish-out-of-water sitcom in syndicated repeats while flipping channels at some point. Following the Clampetts, a poor family from the mountains of Missouri, viewers watched as they adjusted to life in Beverly Hills after finding oil on their land and moving west. The comedy was a hit with audiences, and landed at the top of the ratings for the first two of its nine seasons.

Bonanza (1964-1967)

This 1860s-set drama might have given pop culture the most famous fictional family ever to populate a Western: the Cartwrights. Viewers watched the weekly adventures of dad Ben and his three adult sons on Bonanza, as they ran their ranch in Nevada during and after the Civil War. The series ran for 14 seasons, becoming the second-longest-running Western on U.S. TV, and topped the charts for three seasons, from 1964 to 1967.

The Andy Griffith Show (1967-1968)

The last of its eight seasons saw The Andy Griffith Show as the top series in the land. Each entry followed the comedic life of widowed small-town sheriff Andy Taylor and his friends and family, which included future Happy Days star and Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard as his son, Opie, and Don Knotts as his best friend/blundering deputy, Barney Fife.

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1970)

Hosted by comedians Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was already rare for being a sketch comedy show, but its first season on the air also saw it become the only such show to lead in the ratings, which it then did for two seasons straight. Aside from featuring guest appearances from popular entertainers of the day, the series is also notable for introducing a wide audience to talents like Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin.

Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970-1971)

Unlike Westerns, medical shows have never really gone out of style, and one of the most popular of its time was Marcus Welby, M.D. an immediate hit when it debuted in 1969, the second season saw it top all others in the ratings as it followed its kind, but rule-breaking titular character as his methods clashed with his much younger medial partner, who was far more straight-laced.

All In The Family (1971-1976)

Chances are you’ve heard of All In the Family, even if you’ve never seen it, and there’s a good reason for that. The hit sitcom about working class bigot Archie Bunker and his family broke new ground for television comedies by featuring more realistic issues and discussion about controversial, of-the-moment topics. It worked, too, because the show led the pack for five of its nine seasons.

Happy Days (1976-1977)

As one of the biggest (and long-running) hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Happy Days quickly became a pop culture touchstone, even with the fact that it chronicled the family and friends of teenaged Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard, in his second hit show) in 1950s Milwaukee. Of course, not only did the comedy, which held the #1 position for the ‘76-’77 season, last for 11 seasons, but it also introduced us to Henry Winkler’s uber-cool Fonzie and led to the idea of something “jumping the shark” because of one of its infamous episodes.

Laverne & Shirley (1977-1979)

It seems only fair that another comedy set in the 1950s would take the top spot from Happy Days, especially since Laverne & Shirley was actually a spinoff of the aforementioned sitcom. Following the wholesome shenanigans of friends, roommates, and co-workers Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio, it proved almost as long-lasting and beloved as its parent series, topping the charts for two seasons in a row.

60 Minutes (1979-1980, 1982-1983, 1991-1994)

We’ve already seen some unscripted series lead the way in the ratings in the form of variety shows, but there is one news magazine that’s reliably had a grip on primetime TV over the years, as well: 60 Minutes. After coming out on top for a total of five seasons so far, it’s worth noting that the show is still going strong and doesn't show any sign of slowing down. 

Three's Company (1979-1980)

While 60 Minutes was ruling the roost during the ‘79-’80 television season, the show that first among scripted series was yet another massive hit that would become legendary. Three’s Company was farce at its best, as the friends and roommates played by John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt got involved in a number of ridiculous scrapes that had people howling with laughter for a total of eight seasons. 

Dallas (1980-1982, 1983-1984)

We’re about to enter some very soapy territory, as the early to mid-’80s were home to two of the biggest nighttime soap opera juggernauts in history. One of them, Dallas. The show focused on the Ewings, a feuding family of incredibly rich oil tycoons/ranchers who were memorably led into many schemes and/or crossed and double-crossed by Larry Hagman’s infamous J.R. Ewing. 

Dynasty (1984-1985)

What was the other mega-hit primetime soap, you ask? Well, it was none other than Dynasty. Chronicling the lives, loves and scandals of the Carringtons and their extended family, friends and business associates, the drama employed a number of salacious storylines and many on-screen brawls between leading ladies Joan Collins and Linda Evans (among others).

The Cosby Show (1985-1990)

For many years the gold standard in family comedies was The Cosby Show, and its cultural impact can’t be denied. Not only was it the first successful sitcom to focus on an affluent Black family, but it was #1 for five seasons in a row.

Cheers (1990-1991)

While not an immediate hit, the comedy set in the titular bar “where everybody knows your name” was eventually one of the biggest sitcoms of the ‘80s and ‘90s, so much so that the series finale in 1993 became the most watched single episode of television for the whole decade.

Seinfeld (1994-1995, 1997-1998)

If you were thinking that the only show to be proudly billed as being about “nothing” must land on this list somewhere, you were correct! Nearly 30 years after its polarizing finale the sitcom is still adored for everything from the Seinfeld cast to all of the ridiculous side characters that fans still love today. 

E.R. (1995-1997, 1998-1999, 2000-2001)

With a total of 15 seasons, no one who lived through the ‘90s or ‘00s can deny the power and popularity of ER. Making stars out of cast members like George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq LaSalle, Gloria Reuben and (a lot) more across its many drama-filled episodes about the staff at a fictional Chicago hospital, the show managed to capture the eyes of an adoring public and cement its place in TV history with several seasons in the top spot, though it was simply the #1 scripted show in 2000-2001, with it being bested by a series that’s still making news after its 46th season.

Survivor (2000-2001)

Congrats if you guessed that the only show bigger than ER for the '00-’01 season was the very first outing of the reality competition, Survivor. Following (usually) a new cast of hopeful winners each season and in a different tropical locale as they all try to “outwit, outlast, and outplay” their fellow competitors in a number of challenges, viewers just can’t seem to get enough, and many think it couldn’t exist without the one constant: host Jeff Probst.

Friends (2001-2002)

What is there to even say about the famed NBC sitcom about six friends living, loving, working (or not), and getting into hilarious scrapes that you don’t already know? How about the fact that despite its 10-season run and it being so comforting for millions to watch that even Selena Gomez binges Friends on her day off, that this pop culture phenomenon was only on top of the ratings for ONE SEASON?

CSI (2002-2005)

If you can count on a crime procedural to top the ratings for at least one season, it would certainly be one like CSI, which not only changed the police drama game by showing intense close-ups of bodily harm but doing it in an incredibly stylish way. It also ran for 15 seasons and launched a franchise with multiple spinoffs.

NCIS (2012-2013, 2015-2016)

Another long-time mega-hit that led to a number of also long-running spinoffs is NCIS, which is itself a spinoff of JAG. Surprisingly, this Naval crime procedural will soon be in its 22nd season and has never failed to bring in massive amounts of eyeballs, but has only stood atop the TV viewership mountain for two seasons.

Sunday Night Football (2011-2012, 2013-2015, 2018-2024)

Talk about a ratings winner! Several of the shows above came in for many seasons in second place, simply because America loves football, especially on Sunday nights. After starting on NBC in 2006, these weekend-ending NFL games have come out as the ultimate champion for a whopping nine seasons.

The Big Bang Theory (2016-2018)

The Big Bang Theory set the sitcom world on fire, leading to 12 seasons, two spinoffs and star-making turns for the cast, who played a group of nerdy young scientists looking for love and success in California while navigating their complex friendships.

American Idol (2005-2011)

Sometimes a reality competition can really grip the nation, and American Idol has done that during its 22 seasons (so far). Launching the careers of singers like talk show phenom Kelly Clarkson, EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, and country music superstar Carrie Underwood, the show was so popular that it only took two years after being canceled by Fox to begin another successful run on ABC.

Desperate Housewives (2007-2008)

The ‘07-’08 television season was a tough one for scripted shows. With multiple nights of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars ruling the airwaves, only one non-reality-competition show in primetime was mighty enough to capture enough viewers to be the top scripted series in all the land, and that was the super soapy Desperate Housewives, which helped to revitalize Teri Hatcher’s career while making actors like Eva Longoria a household name.

Yellowstone (2021-2022)

You’ll remember what a big deal football has been over the years, and only one scripted series was able to break through in the '21-’22 season to lead the season when it came to shows that need actors and dramatic plots filled with machinations, twists, wrongdoings and one attention-grabbing love story: Yellowstone, which made TV Westerns important again.

Tracker (2023-2024)

Even after all this time, we can still get some major surprises, and sometimes a show becomes a breakout hit right out of the gate. For the ‘23-’24 season, the three primetime NFL offerings took up the main top spots, but Tracker, starring This Is Us alum Justin Hartley as a loner with a troubled family who finds missing people for a living, came out on top when it comes to scripted series.

Now that you know exactly what won the ratings game and for which full seasons, maybe you’ll dedicate some time to binging some of these shows to see why people loved them so much.

There's this classic trope when it comes to any sitcom, whether it be one from the earlier ages of television to the modern sitcoms that we all know and love now – a dorky man who has a wife who is, in all honesty, way too hot for them and was a million lengths out of their league. And today we will go over the examples that I know everyone will agree with me on. 

Clair Huxtable (The Cosby Show)

Possibly one of the most known examples of a TV wife who was way too hot for her husband was Clair Huxtable on the hugely popular The Cosby Show. The character was the wife of Cliff Huxtable, who played Bill Cosby. Phylicia Rashad portrayed her and looked gorgeous throughout her run.  

Jamie Stemple Buchman (Mad About You)

Jamie Stemple Buchman was Paul's wife in the NBC sitcom Mad About You and was a main character for the entirety of the show. Helen Hunt portrayed the famous character, while her husband, Paul Buchman, was performed by Paul Reiser. 

Angie Lopez (George Lopez)

George Lopez was an iconic sitcom of the early 2000s, but while the main character of the series might be the titular man, George Lopez, to me, it was always Angie Lopez who stole the show, the wife of George. Constance Marie portrayed the character for the entirety of the show's run.

Gabrielle Solis (Desperate Housewives)

Gabrielle Solis, or Gaby, was a main character on the TV series Desperate Housewives. While the show didn't have the typical sitcom quality you would probably expect, it featured plenty of wives who were way too hot for their husbands, and Gaby was one of them. She was portrayed by Eva Longoria. 

Elyse Keaton (Family Ties)

Family Ties was a great TV series that made several big names famous, such as Michael J. Fox, Tina Yothers, and more, following the dynamics of a family household with two different political ideas. The family's matriarch was Elyse Keaton, played by Meredith Baxter, and her husband was Steven Keaton, played by Michael Gross – who couldn't come close to how perfect she was.

Wanda Mac (The Bernie Mac Show)

Another famous sitcom on this list is The Bernie Mac Show, where Bernie Mac starred as Bernard "Bernie" McCullough. And while the comedian is great, his wife steals the show. Kellita Smith played Wanda Mac and was every bit as smart as she was intelligent and beautiful. 

Theresa Russo (Wizards Of Waverly Place)

As someone who grew up watching Wizards of Waverly Place and believes it deserves a reunion, I can think of no better example of a wife way too pretty for her husband than Theresa Russo, played by Maria Canals-Barrera. Don't get me wrong, Jerry's a great guy, but he can't hold a candle to her.

Debra Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond)

Played by Patricia Heaton, Debra Barone was the wife of Ray Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond, a sitcom that ran for over two hundred episodes for several years. She's the main person who runs the household, but in my heart, she's the star of the main show. 

Claire Dunphy (Modern Family)

The Modern Family cast is filled to the brim with talent and beauty, but let's be honest – Claire Dunphy, played by Julie Bowen, was way too hot for Phil Dunphy, who Ty Burrell portrayed. But Phil also made up for it with the loving way he treats Claire, so honestly, they're the epitome of "couple goals."

Maggie Seaver (Growing Pains)

Released in the early 1990s, Growing Pains was part of a long list of sitcoms that yet again had wives who were way too hot for their husbands. Maggie Seaver of the Seaver family is one of those. She was played by Joanna Kerns, who acted alongside Alan Thicke. 

Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy)

You can't get more classic than an I Love Lucy reference where we need to talk about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Don't get me wrong, I do find Arnez at least attractive, but Lucille Ball, who played the titular character Lucy, was beautiful and had such hilarity and wit that she was the perfect lead for this series. And through everything, Ricky, her husband, always stood by her. 

Ella Payne (House Of Payne)

So many Tyler Perry movies and TV shows are out there, and House of Payne was among the most successful. In this series, Ella Payne, who was married to Curtis Payne, is the matriarch of the Payne family. Always the voice of reason, she loved her husband dearly and kept the family together when chaos would inevitably ensue, all while looking good in her older years. 

Jessica Huang (Fresh Off The Boat)

Fresh off the Boat is a modern-day sitcom that I love, and while I do love Randall Park's movies and TV shows and think the actor is great, he doesn't hold a candle to the beauty of Constance Wu. She is my queen, and I bow down to her and her character, Jessica Haung, which keeps the family moving in this series. 

Carrie Heffernan (The King Of Queens)

Look, Kevin James is a great guy. I love his movies. He's hilarious, too. But when you watch The King of Queens, you know his personality won over the beautiful Carrie Heffernan, played by Leah Remini. She is utterly perfect – but hey, she also loves the heck out of her husband, so I can't complain. I would love Kevin James, too, with how often he makes me laugh. 

Lily Aldrin (How I Met Your Mother)

Another cast I love is the How I Met Your Mother cast, and yes, I stand by the fact that Lily Aldrin was way too hot for Marshall. I mean, it's Alyson Hannigan. This role made her famous, but she is beautiful and funny, and Marshall, played by Jason Segel, is just alright, but he's nothing compared to her. 

Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Modern Family)

I mean, do I even need to give a reason for this? Gloria's looks, played by Sofia Vergara, was a running gag in Modern Family, how everyone could hardly believe that Jay (played by Ed O'Neill) could score someone like her and believe her to be a gold digger. But Gloria genuinely loved Jay, with all of her feisty self that I love – even if I think she is way too hot for him. 

Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

You can't get more classic than Mary Tyler Moore on The Dick Van Dyke Show. I mean, Dick Van Dyke was a good-looking younger man, especially in early TV standards where every leading man seemed to wear a suit. But my eyes always went to Laura Petrie, Rob's wife in the show, played by Moore. She was another level of beauty – and comedy!

Rainbow Johnson (Black-ish)

Believe it or not, Tracee Ellis Ross is the daughter of famous singer Diana Ross, and she is every bit as beautiful as her mother – talk about people that you never knew were related before. 

Ross's role in the hit TV show Black-ish as Rainbow Johnson has been hailed as one of the greatest of the 2010s in sitcoms. Her on-screen husband, Andre Johnson, who Anthony Anderson plays, is also good-looking, but Tracee is such a vision I can't help but love her. 

Rebecca "Becky" Donaldson (Full House)

Okay, so hear me out. I know that John Stamos is one of the most good-looking men alive. I get that. He even looks excellent now, decades after Full House ended. But Becky was too hot for him, and I stood by that. Lori Loughlin, an icon of the show, played her. 

April Ludgate (Parks And Recreation)

Anyone would agree with me when I say that Aubrey Plaza's best TV shows include Parks and Recreation, and her character of April Ludgate has become a mainstay in modern TV history for her sarcastic and deadpan responses. Her husband in the show was Andy Dwyer, who Chris Pratt played. 

Yes, I know what you're thinking, but the show was before Pratt joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was a time when he was just the super funny guy before turning into a space superhero. But Andy and April were cute, so I'll give them a pass. 

Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I've openly called cartoon characters hot, and I have no regrets. The people who draw these people know what they're doing. But Marge Simpson from The Simpsons is not only too good-looking for Homer but too good for him. In my rewatches of the show, she is the glue that holds that family together because the amount of drama Homer gets into regularly is almost otherworldly.

Alice Kramden (The Honeymooners)

Alice Kramden from The Honeymooners needed to be on this list. Audrey Meadows plays her for most of the show, and Pert Kelton plays her for the first nine skits of the series. However, both of these actresses are way hotter than Alice's husband, Ralph, played by Jackie Gleason – and it doesn't help that he gets literal tantrums. 

Joy Turner (My Name Is Earl)

Jason Lee played the titular character, Earl, in My Name is Earl, and he's a decent-looking guy – but have you seen his ex-wife, Joy Turner? Jaime Pressly and good god play her. I don't know how Earl scored her years ago, but somehow, they were married at one point. 

Vivian Banks (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air)

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will live on in my heart as one of my favorite TV shows because it was so funny. But I will always stand by the fact that Vivian Banks was always way too hot for Uncle Phil. Both actresses who played her, Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell Reid, were just out of this world. 

Lily Munster (The Munsters)

One of the most iconic TV shows of the 1960s had to be The Munsters, and while Herman Munster (played by Fred Gwynne) was the main character, let's be truthful here and say that Lily Munster was so much better-looking than him. Portrayed by Yvonne De Carlo, Lily Munster turned scary freaky into fabulous with her Frankenstein hair. 

Lois Griffin (Family Guy)

Family Guy has made jokes about how Lois Griffin is far too hot for her husband, Peter Griffin. And now, after growing up on this show, I can fully admit it, too. She needs someone else because Peter wouldn't do it for me, and he most certainly shouldn't do it for Lois because he often makes a mess out of everything. 

Jordan Sullivan (Scrubs)

Scrubs was another iconic TV series that was hilarious in so many ways, and in that show, we had Jordan Sullivan, played by Christa Miller. While she is the ex-wife of Dr. Cox, you can still wonder how he pulled someone like her way back when considering Cox is played by John C. McGinley who isn't as good-looking, to be frank. 

Maude Flanders (The Simpsons)

Ned Flanders is probably the most unproblematic cartoon character out there, at least nine times out of ten. He just wants to be kind most of the time and is often only driven to extremes because of Homer. But his wife, Maude Flanders, is still way hotter than him. Not sure how he got her when they were young, but I still can't believe they're a thing. 

Lindsay Bluth Funke (Arrested Development)

The entire Arrested Development cast is talented and good-looking, but Portia de Rossi played Lindsay Bluth Funke, and she was way hotter than Tobias, whom David Cross played. He can't even hold a candle to her. It's not even fair to compare. 

Cheryl Mabel (According To Jim)

Jim Belushi played the main character of According to Jim, but you want to know who played his wife, Cheryl Mabel? Courtney Thorne-Smith is a million times more good-looking than her husband.

Kate Summers (Silver Spoons)

Silver Spoons was a sitcom released in the 1980s with several plot threads, but one of the big ones was between Kate and Edward and the "will-they-won't-they" dynamic they had going on. Kate was played by Erin Gray, and Joel Higgins played Edward, and I'll be honest and say that Kate was undoubtedly the better-looking pair of those two. 

Gayle Gergich (Parks And Recreation)

The Parks and Recreation cast has plenty of great characters, but one of the best was Gayle Gergich, played by Christie Brinkley, who was Jerry's wife on the show (who was played by Jim O'Heir). The biggest reason he should be on this list is that everyone is shocked that Jerry's wife is gorgeous because he's, well, Jerry. And she's utterly beautiful. 

There are so many other sitcoms with this same trope, but this highlights some of the most famous ones. But upon writing this, I think I want to go back and rewatch some of these now. That would be great—time to hope on Netflix. 

Perhaps one of the best parts of the holiday season is the never-ending lineup of Christmas movies, especially those from Hallmark. Fans are surely sad that the network recently said goodbye to The Good Witch, which came to an end after seven seasons. However, James Denton isn't done with his TV home, as he will be reuniting with Desperate Housewives co-star Teri Hatcher in a new movie yuletide film.

According to TVLine, James Denton and Teri Hatcher will come together for Hallmark’s A Kiss Before Christmas, which is set to premiere during the network’s “Countdown to Christmas” event. Denton and Hatcher played couple Mike and Susan Delfino on the ABC mystery-dramedy. Their relationship was a little tumultuous and in the end, things didn't end pan out well for the two. Still, fans can see this new project as somewhat of a silver lining.

The Good Witch alum will play real estate development executive Ethan Holt, a married father of two teens. After learning about a promotion loss, Ethan makes a Christmas wish that totally transforms his life. This means that he's no longer married to Teri Hatcher’s Joyce but is now the CEO of a massive company. Ultimately, Ethan can only go back to his original life if he's able to convince Joyce of their actual lives. The catch? His new life starts onn Christmas Eve, and he only has until Christmas Day to make things right.

James Denton's beloved fantasy Hallmark series came to an end back in July. The actor, who portrayed Dr. Sam Radford on the fantasy dramedy, has since reflected on his time on the series and his thoughts on the cancellation. A Kiss Before Christmas will mark Denton’s first project since the show ended and, given history with the network, it’s only fitting that it’s on Hallmark Channel.

Ahead of the movie though, it's hard not to think about the relationship he and Teri Hatcher's characters had throughout Desperate Housewives’ eight seasons. The two got married twice during the show's run, once in Season 3 and again in Season 6. Sadly, Mike was ultimately killed in a drive-by shooting in the final season. While Susan begins a new life in the final moments of the series finale, her late hubby is shown to be watching over her. It was a heartbreaking and bittersweet end to a relationship that definitely meant a lot to fans and the stars themselves. But I think it's safe to assume that their story will have a much happier ending this time around.

It’s going to be nice seeing both actors together again after so long. A Kiss Before Christmas will be yet another sweet entry in Hallmark's library of holiday classics. Here's hoping it's a good one! A release date has yet to be announced for the movie, but one should arrive sooner rather than later.

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Betrayal. Heartbreak. Drama. All of this already sounds like something a show like Pretty Little Liars would have on a daily basis. And honestly, it did, which is why the original show became so popular. I swear the amount of times someone would be metaphorically stabbed in the back in this show would sometimes put Game of Thrones to shame. And now, years later, a reboot is coming soon on HBO Max.

However, just because a reboot is coming of the once-popular teen show on ABC Family (now Freeform), that doesn’t mean there are still plenty of other options for fans like you to enjoy that will have your head spinning and yelling at the TV. From riveting dramas to high school cliches, here are some of the best shows to watch streaming right now that just might remind you of Pretty Little Liars.

Riverdale (Netflix)

You want to talk about the epitome of a show that will remind you of Pretty Little Liars, look no further than Riverdale. In this CW show, we get to learn the history of the town of Riverdale, a little place north of New York City, where dastardly things happen often, surrounded by a veil of mystery, where friends from high school must come together to try and solve it.

On the surface level, this sounds like a fun little series where friends get to solve mysteries, but let me just say that the show is so much more than that, to the point where the ridiculousness of some of these plots almost feels like too much. However, once you get into it, you’ll find yourself entertained by even that. It’s definitely a great show to watch if you give it a shot.

Stream Riverdale on Netflix.

Buy Riverdale on Amazon.

Gossip Girl (HBO Max)

Another iconic teen show that is coming back with a vengeance into society is Gossip Girl. In this popular drama series, we get to see the lives of privileged teenagers in the Upper East Side of New York City, and the world of Serena Van der Woodsen and the friends around her, while the whole series is narrated by an unknown “gossip girl.”

The show made its mark in television for its not only ridiculously rich characters (I mean, this is the Upper East Side), but plenty of love triangles, twists, and the mystery of who exactly “gossip girl” is for the time the series aired. With a sequel series coming soon to HBO Max, it’s not a surprise that new fans are going to get introduced to the world of Gossip Girl, but to me, I don’t think anyone could ever quite replace that original Gossip Girl cast.

Stream Gossip Girl on HBO Max.

Buy Gossip Girl on Amazon.

Dexter (Amazon Prime)

Ah, Dexter, the show with the finale that apparently was so bad, they’re doing a whole new limited series now. I wish the creators of Game of Thrones would do that too. Either way, Dexter was an iconic series about Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst in Miami who lives a double life – as he helps investigate murders in the homicide division, he hunts and kills murderers who have escaped from the justice system.

Let me just start by saying that Dexter (the character himself) is a messed-up dude, but I really think that’s what makes this series so much fun and a great choice for Pretty Little Liars fans. It has that air of suspense surrounding it constantly, causing viewers to wonder if people will ever find out what he’s doing, and the story itself is intriguing and interesting to watch.

Stream Dexter on Amazon Prime.

Buy Dexter on Amazon.

You (Netflix)

Honestly, and some may disagree, but You is one of my favorite shows of all time and I can’t wait until You Season 3. In this Netflix original (formerly a Lifetime series), we follow Joe Goldberg. a man who falls in love very easily and crosses the line between love and obsession easily as well, often going to extreme lengths so he can keep the woman he wants and provide for her – even if that includes murder.

It’s just so good and one of the best shows on Netflix, in my opinion. I’ve watched this show’s two seasons several times now and I can’t get over the drama, the story – and just how creepy Joe is. But the thing that really draws me into this drama series is, while Joe is a horrible person, sometimes, you actually want to root for him, showing the strange and complex relationship Joe has with the idea of “love” in his mind. It’s perplexing, engrossing, and drama-filled to the point where you’ll want to re-watch the show again too.

Stream You on Netflix.

Buy You on Amazon.

Big Little Lies (HBO Max)

Sometimes, your life seems absolutely perfect, with nothing going on that could distract you. And then, all of a sudden, a murder happens and unravels your life to the point where you don’t think you could ever return to normalcy. That’s exactly the storyline that Big Little Lies follows, based on the Lisa Moriarty book of the same name.

For fans of Pretty Little Liars, this is an amazing show for you. Not only does the plot revolve around mystery and murder, something Pretty Little Liar fans know quite well, but the cast is absolutely amazing. I mean, Legally Blonde and The Morning Show’s Reese Witherspoon? Divergent’s Shailene Woodley? The Prom's Nicole Kidman? It’s no wonder this show was nominated for so many Emmys with that acting talent. Trust me, you’ll most certainly want to check out this show. It’s seriously that good. Release your inner detective and try to solve the mystery yourself.

Stream Big Little Lies on HBO Max.

Buy Big Little Lies on Amazon.

Dynasty (Netflix)

Family dramas have to be one of the oldest TV genres since the invention of the television set, and Dynasty certainly capitalizes on that. In this popular drama (a modern reboot of the classic primetime soap), a wealthy heiress, Fallon Carrington, is extremely unhappy to find out that her father (who is also a billionaire) is engaged to a rival employee at the family company. The series starts out with her wanting to find a way to separate them.

Dynasty to me is almost like how Gossip Girl is regarding wealth, but with extremely rich people. So rich to the point where it seems almost bonkers that they have this much money. But what really makes Dynasty stand out above the rest is the great casting for this, just as Pretty Little Liars had. I literally cannot picture anyone else besides Elizabeth Gillies playing Fallon. She fits the role incredibly and rocks it with flying colors, alongside her amazing castmates.

Stream Dynasty on Netflix.

Buy Dynasty on Amazon.

Desperate Housewives (Hulu)

I also felt that this was one of those shows our mothers watch religiously and I thought it was weird back then – but ever since I decided to give it a shot, I finally realized how awesome Desperate Housewives actually is. In this well-known series, Wisteria Lane is where we are, in a fictional town and state, where we get to see the lives of a group of women, seen through the eyes of their friend and neighbor who took her life in the first episode.

Let me say that if you think Pretty Little Liars is dramatic, just wait until you get a hold of the cast of Desperate Housewives. They do not hold back the drama from you. You are thrown right into the thick of it in the first episode, and it does not let go until the series finale. With eight seasons to binge, I promise you that if you begin watching this show, you won’t be able to stop.

Stream Desperate Housewives on Hulu.

Buy Desperate Housewives on Amazon.

The Society (Netflix)

For fans of teenagers who basically run the world – and let’s be honest, Pretty Little Liars is like that, where the heck are the parents? – The Society is for you. In this Netflix original, the teenagers in a town in West Ham, Connecticut must learn to try and somehow run their community when out of nowhere, the rest of their population disappears.

The mystery in of itself would be enough to draw in any Pretty Little Liars fan, but what keeps you in the story that follows and the reveals that come not that long after. But as always, The Society fell victim to Netflix’s chopping block too soon, so because of that, you might get left on some cliffhangers. Even so, the series is still worth a watch and super fun.

Stream The Society on Netflix.

Tiny Pretty Things (Netflix)

When I was first composing this list, the new Netflix series, titled Tiny Pretty Things, was one of the first shows that popped up in my mind for Pretty Little Liars fans. In this original, the premise is set in a ballet school in Chicago and focuses on the students, instructors, and everyone else that surrounds it. However, like with any high school, there is plenty of drama, alongside some love triangles and mysteries galore.

A fun fact I always like to point out with this show is that the dancing is also performed by the actors, according to Marie Claire, so not only are they great at their acting, but they can dance their butts off too. Even so, this is the series for you if you enjoy shows like Pretty Little Liars. It has everything you would expect, from the mystery of a strange death to secret relationships to scandalous secrets. The hits keep coming with this Netflix original.

Stream Tiny Pretty Things on Netflix.

Revenge (Hulu)

As the last item on this list, Revenge is certainly not the least. In this popular drama, we follow the story of Emily Thorne, a young woman who makes it her mission to avenge her father after he is thrown in prison for treason when she was a little girl, and later died while behind bars. Now, she returns to the Hamptons to get revenge for her father, starting with the Graysons.

Revenge is the perfect show for fans of Pretty Little Liars because the whole entire plot revolves around one woman trying to get revenge, going to crazy lengths to do so. However, what really makes Revenge tick is the chemistry between actors. Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe are absolutely amazing in their scenes together, and the rest of the cast shines. Plus, there are some insane twists later on down the series, but of course, I can’t say those now. You have to watch the show for yourself.

Stream Revenge on Hulu.

Rent Revenge on Amazon.

I swear, with all these Netflix TV shows and Hulu TV shows, and everything else on this list, we are truly never going to run out of television to watch. Even so, now you can see just how many options there are for Pretty Little Liars fans to enjoy. Hopefully you can find something to binge and bide your time until the new series comes out – it’s only a matter of time.

Did you ever stop to really think about how prolific Nathan Fillion is as a TV actor? I mean, you most likely realized that already from his iconic starring roles on shows like Firefly as Capt. Mal Reynolds or as the title character of crime dramas Castle and The Rookie. Not to mention, he has countless recurring spots, like on Santa Clarita Diet, and voice acting appearances, such as on Big Mouth as himself, under his belt. Yet, how many of those credits do you actually remember?

Before becoming one of pop culture’s most celebrated geek gods, the 49-year-old Canadian-born actor (who will next appear in The Suicide Squad, written and directed by his friend James Gunn) was mostly a face without a name. For instance, you may not have initially recognized Nathan Fillion as the solider Tom Hanks mistook for Matt Damon’s character early on in Saving Private Ryan or the fact that he actually voiced a few one-off characters on Justice League Unlimited before becoming DC’s go-to Green Lantern in more recent animated projects.

It may be hard to imagine, but Nathan Fillion has made plenty more underrated appearances among his sizable small screen resume alone. I could probably even write a book on the subject, but I figured narrowing the list down to just eight notably unnoticed TV roles would suffice, starting with the very first of his many voice acting credits.

King Of The Hill (Frisbee Guy)

Nathan Fillion only has one line in a 2001, Season 5 episode of Mike Judge’s hit animated comedy King of the Hill, in which Luanne (voiced by the late Brittany Murphy) hopes to essentially “reverse” her sexual history by joining a church group. During her baptism, her wet, white-robed emergence from the local lake distracts a nearby denizen (Fillion) from catching his friend’s frisbee pass, which hits him square in the head. He then approaches Luanne asking if she’d “like to play some bee,” which Henry Hill hilariously mistakes for a threat to his niece’s newfound celibacy.

The Outer Limits (Michael Ryan)

Like many A-listers can claim, the mid-90s reboot of The Outer Limits was one of Nathan Fillion’s earliest TV appearances and first sci-fi role in a career practically defined by the genre. He plays a club owner in a neutral territory of an alien-occupied Earth, circa 2056, whose former lover (Angeline Ball) seeks his help in rebelling against the invaders in this dystopian take on Casablanca from the anthology series’ fifth season.

Gravity Falls (Preston Northwest)

Another example of Nathan Fillion’s definitively strange TV roles is Preston Northwest - a snobbish, wealthy descendant of the founder of the titular town in Gravity Falls, whose sinister agendas become more apparent overtime. While Fillion voices most of Preston's appearances on the popular Disney Channel series (which ran from 2012-2016, and many describe as The X-Files for kids), the character was actually originated by Chris Parnell of Rick and Morty and Saturday Night Live fame.

Miss Match (Adam Logan)

Of course, not all of Nathan Fillion’s recurring TV spots have been particularly "strange." Take, for example, his perfectly down-to-earth role on Miss Match, which starred fellow DC movie star Alicia Silverstone in a Golden Globe-nominated performance as Los Angeles divorce lawyer turned ironic matchmaker Kate Fox. Fillion was a major presence near the end of the short-lived NBC dramedy (even in episodes that never made it to air in 2003) as Adam Logan, the estranged friend of Kate’s on-and-off beau, and soon-to-be ex-husband of a divorce client, who later becomes her romantic foil in another awkward love triangle involving her friend Victoria (Lake Bell). Sounds like something right out of Desperate Housewives, does it not?

Desperate Housewives (Dr. Adam Mayfair)

Speaking of ABC’s hit primetime soap opera, Nathan Fillion would appear in several episodes of Desperate Housewives (mostly in Season 4, which aired from 2007-2008) and, once again, as a guy in an awkward love triangle named Adam - the biggest difference being his career in gynecology. Fillion would actually reprise the role of Dr. Mayfair (who apparently changed his practice) opposite his Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog co-star Neil Patrick Harris in the second episode of Harris’ webseries Neil’s Puppet Dreams.

Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place (Johnny Donnelly)

Long before those recurring TV spots (yet another common theme in his career), Nathan Fillion landed his first starring role on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place before the title was shortened to just Two Guys and a Girl. He joined the cast in Season 2 as Johnny Donelly, a jukebox repairman with feelings for Traylor Howard’s Sharon (the titular “girl”). The ABC sitcom was also a breakthrough for fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds - who, coincidentally, would also go on to play Green Lantern, but not quite as successfully as Fillion’s voice role.

Robot Chicken (Various)

Speaking of Green Lantern, Nathan Fillion’s portrayal has become so popular since debuting in the 2011 animated film Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, he has been asked to voice the role for parodies on Robot Chicken on several occasions. Yet, Hal Jordan was not the first DC character the long-running Adult Swim series enlisted him for, nor was he the last. Fillion played The Flash in a 2007 sketch and voiced villains Mr. Freeze and Black Adam (in addition to Green Lantern) in some later DC-themed specials - meaning he can at least claim to have beaten Dwayne Johnson to the punch on a popular comic book role.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (Caleb)

You have to imagine that Joss Whedon has cast Nathan Fillion in many of his projects partially to make up for how things ended with Firefly. He got to work on that apologist effort pretty quickly after the sci-fi/western hybrid’s premature cancellation in 2002, by giving the actor a recurring spot on Buffy the Vampire Slayer the following year. His role of Caleb was very against type, however, being a preacher whose sadistic behavior and misogynistic ideals led him to become defrocked by his church, but promoted as servant to the First Evil.

What do you think? Did Nathan Fillion’s brief stint on Buffy the Vampire Slayer convince you he should play more villains, or are you more interested in seeing him become the official live action Green Lantern for once? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the beloved actor, as well as even more inside looks at the lesser-known roles of your favorite celebrities, here on CinemaBlend.

A sexy and scandalous combination of cul-de-sac comedy, soap opera theatrics, and burning mystery, it's easy to see why Desperate Housewives was one of the most popular shows of the '00s. Featuring a strong cast of award-nominated/winning actresses, including Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria, Nicollette Sheridan, and Vanessa Williams, creator Marc Cherry's mischievous and often funny look at misbehaving suburbanite housewives was an enjoyably naughty series for its eight-season run, eventually becoming the longest-running hour-long TV series featuring all-women leads. But after calling it quits in 2012, what has the Desperate Housewives cast been working on? Let's find out.

Teri Hatcher (Susan Mayer)

In the role of Susan Mayer, a divorced children's book illustrator who's known to be a bit of a klutz, Teri Hatcher played the lead in Desperate Housewives. Before she adopted this character, Hatcher was best known for her portrayal as Lois Lane in ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. She also starred in Tomorrow Never Dies, Soapdish, Spy Kids, Tango & Cash, 2 Days in the Valley, Straight Talk, and Heaven's Prisoners. Additionally, Hatcher did voice work for Coraline, and she is the author of Burnt Toast And Other Philosophies Of Life.

Following Desperate Housewives' run, Teri Hatcher did voice work for Planes and Planes: Fire and Rescue. She also had recurring roles in The Odd Couple, Jane by Design, and Supergirl. And she can be seen in Madness in the Method. Notably, in 2018, Hatcher debuted a YouTube channel called Hatching Change.

Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo)

As Lynette Scavo, a neurotic neighbor on the verge of a breakdown, Felicity Huffman won an Emmy Award, among other accolades, for playing this controlling character in Desperate Housewives. Huffman is also known for Sports Night and American Crime, as well as Transamerica, for which she was Oscar-nominated, Reversal of Fortune, The Spanish Prisoner, Georgia Rule, Magnolia, Phoebe in Wonderland, Christmas with the Kranks, and Cake. Additionally, she was seen in Netflix's When They See Us and Starz's Get Shorty. She recently starred in two new films, Otherhood and Tammy's Always Dying, both of which she produced.

Last year, Felicity Huffman gained nationwide attention for her involvement in a college entrance exam cheating scandal, where she was charged with conspiracy to mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. She later pleaded guilty to federal charges for paying $15,000 to have a proctor correct incorrect answers on her daughter's SAT. She spent fourteen days in prison. After keeping a low public profile, Huffman recently landed her latest major role with an untitled ABC baseball drama.

Marcia Cross (Bree Van de Kamp)

Playing the part of Bree Van de Kamp, Wisteria Lane's perfectionist homemaker with a less-than-sturdy home life, Marcia Cross had quite an emotional arc on Desperate Housewives. Prior to this Emmy-nominated performance, Cross starred in Melrose Place and Everwood and appeared in The Edge of Night, One Life to Live, Another World, Knots Landing, Seinfeld, Boy Meets World, Quantum Leap, and Cheers. She can also be seen in Bringing Up Bobby, Bad Influence, Just Peck, and Female Perversions.

Following her time on Wisteria Lane, Marcia Cross had a recurring role in Quantico. Most recently, she starred in The Secret of Karma. Last year, Cross faced a cancer diagnosis, though she's reportedly in remission.

Eva Longoria (Gabrielle Marquez)

In the role of Gabrielle Marquez, a bored housewife caught in a salacious affair with the teenage gardener, Eva Longoria gave a star-making performance in Desperate Housewives. Previously, Longoria starred in The Young and the Restless. Also, during the show's run, the actress was seen in Over Her Dead Body, The Sentinel, and Harsh Times.

After Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria has split her time in front and behind the camera. She played the lead role and executive produced NBC's short-lived sitcom, Telenovela. She was also an executive producer of Marc Cherry's Devious Maids. Her other television roles include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jane the Virgin, Empire, Flipped, and Grand Hotel, where she served as a producer. She also did voice work for Mother Up! — another producing credit. Her other film credits include The Bayton Outlaws, A Dark Truth, In A World..., Lowriders, Overboard, Dog Days, and Dora and the Lost City of Gold. She was also a producer for John Wick and directed episodes of black-ish, Jane the Virgin, The Mick, Grand Hotel, and Devious Maids.

Next, Eva Longoria stars in Sylvie's Love, Unplugging, All-Star Weekend, and the anthology film, Together Now. Also, she'll be heard in The Boss Baby: Family Business. Currently, she's in production on an untitled sci-fi movie from music video director Rich Lee. Additionally, Longoria is attached to produce, direct, and star in the comedy, 24-7.

Nicollette Sheridan (Edie Britt)

Playing the part of Edie Britt, a flirtatious real estate agent, Nicollette Sheridan was a main character on Desperate Housewives for five seasons. When she left the series, it wasn't on the best terms. Previously a fashion model, Sheridan also appeared in Knots Landing, Paper Dolls, The Sure Thing, Noises Off, and Spy Hard, as well as Beverly Hills Ninja, Lucky Chances, The People Next Door, and Virus. During her time on Desperate Housewives, the actress starred in Code Name: The Cleaner. Afterward, she acted in The Christmas Spirit, which she also co-wrote.

Most recently, Nicollette Sheridan was seen in two seasons of Dynasty.

Brenda Strong (Mary Alice Young)

As Mary Alice Young, Desperate Housewives' all-watching narrator after she commits suicide in the pilot, serving as the show's catalyst, Brenda Strong played an observant-yet-elusive character in her Emmy-nominated performance. Prior to this role in this hit series, she starred in Scorch and The Help (2004). The actress also made guest appearances on Seinfeld, Party of Five, Twin Peaks, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Blossom, 7th Heaven, Everwood, and Sports Night. Recently, Strong was seen in TNT's Dallas, and she was a series regular on 13 Reasons Why, where she also directed.

Outside of TV, Brenda Strong starred in films like Starship Troopers and Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, as well as Red Dragon, Spaceballs, The Craft, and Black Dog. She currently plays a recurring role in Supergirl and she narrates Blood Relatives. Additionally, Strong recently appeared in All Rise. Next, Strong stars in Deported and From Black.

James Denton (Mike Delfino)

In the role of Mike Delfino, the next-door plumber who moves into Wisteria Lane and eventually marries Susan, James Denton plays a central romantic character in Desperate Housewives. Prior to this show, Denton was seen in The Pretender, Threat Matrix, and Philly, as well as Face/Off, Primary Colors, The West Wing, and The Drew Carey Show. Following his time on this program, Denton had a recurring role in Devious Maids, and he was seen in episodes of Reba, Hot in Cleveland, and NCIS: New Orleans. He also starred in films like Grace Unplugged, Group Sex, and Lifetime's Custody. Additionally, he voiced the title character in All-Star Superman.

Currently, James Denton can be seen in Hallmark Channel's Good Witch. He also recently starred in Selfie Dad. Outside of acting, Denton plays guitar in Band from TV.

Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Carlos Solis)

Playing the part of Carlos Solis, an ex-con-turned-counselor and Gabrielle's frustrated husband, Ricardo Antonio Chavira had a prominent male role in Desperate Housewives. He was also seen in Santa Clarita Diet, Welcome to the Family, Monk, Six Feet Under, Jane the Virgin, Kevin Can Wait, and Scandal. Additionally, Chavira appeared in Being Charlie, Piranha 3D, and The Alamo.

Next, Richardo Antonio Chavira stars in Netflix's Selena: The Series, which premiered on December 4th. He'll also star in Reefa and Cosmic Radio.

Doug Savant (Tom Scavo)

In the role of Tom Scavo, Lynette's husband on the cusp of a midlife crisis, Doug Savant played a prominent male character in Desperate Housewives. Outside of this series, Savant is best known for Melrose Place. He also appeared in Knots Landing, Columbo, JAG, According To Jim, 24, CSI, Nip/Tuck, Lucifer, and NCIS: New Orleans. His notable film credits include Teen Wolf, Masquerade, First Daughter, Paint It Black (1989), The One, and 1998's Godzilla.

Earlier this year, Doug Savant appeared in S.W.A.T., L.A.'s Finest, and Dirty John. Next, he'll star in Amazon Prime's upcoming series, Tell Me Your Secrets.

Mark Moses (Paul Young)

As Paul Young, the widower of Mary Alice who finds his life spiraling after his wife's death, Mark Moses played an intense character in Desperate Housewives. During this time, Moses could also be seen in AMC's Mad Men. He also appeared in One Life to Live, as well as Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, North and South, Gettysburg, Deep Impact, Big Mamma's House 2, Swing Vote, Just in Time, and The Doors.

After Desperate Housewives' tenure, Mark Moses starred in The Killing, Homeland, The Last Ship, and La Reina del Sur. He also had recurring roles in Manhattan, Man Seeking Woman, Law & Order: True Crime, and Salvation. Earlier this year, Moses starred in Fox's Deputy prior to its cancellation. His recent film credits include Cesar Chavez and Bombshell. Next, Moses stars in Modern Persuasion and Follow Her.

Andrea Bowen (Julie Mayer)

In the role of Julie Mayer, Susan's daughter, Andrea Bowen played a concerned character in Desperate Housewives. Previously, Bowen made a splash on Broadway thanks to Les Miserables and The Sound of Music. She also had recurring roles in Boston Public, Law & Order, and That Was Then, and she was heard in Bambi II. Following Desperate Housewives, Bowen did voice work for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Stoker, and King of the Hill. Also, Bowen appeared in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Hawaii Five-0, Ghost Whisperer, Without a Trace, and Scandal, and starred in G.B.F.

Recently, Andrea Bowen appeared in Lifetime movies like Girl, Positive, Who Killed My Husband?, and Pretty Little Addict. She also starred in Winter Wedding. Recently, Bowen was seen in August's Psycho Sister-in-Law.

Jesse Metcalfe (John Rowland)

As teenage gardener John Rowland, who has an illicit affair with Gabrielle, Jesse Metcalfe played a key character in Desperate Housewives' early seasons. This performance propelled his career, notably with the titular part in John Tucker Must Die, and main roles in NBC's Chase and TNT's Dallas. Additionally, before Desperate Housewives, Metcalfe starred in NBC's soap opera, Passions.

His other notable film credits include God's Not Dead 2, The Other End of the Line, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, and Escape Plan 2: Hades. Moreover, Metcalfe recently starred in Christmas Next Door, Christmas Under the Stairs, and A Beautiful Place to Die: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery and Riddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vinyard Mystery. He also produced the latter two. Additionally, he starred in Hard Kill and Cover earlier this year. And he was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars this season.

Currently, Jesse Metcalfe plays the lead role in Hallmark Channel's Chesapeake Shores. Next, he'll star in Ships in the Night: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery and The Latin from Manhattan.

Vanessa Williams (Renee Perry)

Playing the part of Renee Perry, a narcissistic partygoer disenchanted by her lifestyle who moves to Wisteria Lane, Vanessa Williams became a main character for Desperate Housewives' final two seasons. A musician and Miss America contestant prior to acting, she gained acclaim for Soul Food and Ugly Betty, earning three Emmy nominations for the latter. Additionally, Williams starred in South Beach, Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies, Daytime Divas, and 666 Park Avenue. And she acted in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Shaft (2000), Johnson Family Vacation, and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, as well as Light It Up, Dance With Me, And Then Came Love, Eraser, and Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Currently, Vanessa Williams lends her voice to T.O.T.S. She was also a contestant on this year's RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race and won. Recently, Williams starred in Hulu's Bad Hair and appeared in Twenties.

Who's your favorite Desperate Housewives character? Let us know in the comments!

Since its debut on FX in 2011, American Horror Story has become an epicenter for several career breakouts (such as Evan Peters) and resurgences (such as Oscar-winner Jessica Lange). One of the most notable stars best known as a series regular on Ryan Murphy’s twisted anthology series is Sarah Paulson.

In addition to playing a wrongfully institutionalized journalist, the headmistress for a school of witches, and a two-headed traveling sideshow act to name a few of her American Horror Story roles, Sarah Paulson won an Emmy and Golden Globe for The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story and is set to play Nurse Ratched in a series prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Those are her only her TV roles, whereas on the big screen she has been a psychiatrist with questionable intentions in Glass, an expert mover of stolen items in Ocean’s 8, and one of the first victims of a deadly natural phenomenon in Bird Box.

However, for all her notable roles in movies and TV shows that you remember, there are just as many that you might not, even if the titles still ring a clear bell. Take a deeper dive into Sarah Paulson’s story with these 10 overlooked performances.

Merlyn Temple (American Gothic)

More than a decade before her breakout role, Sarah Paulson's first major TV performance was as the spirit of a young woman named Merlyn Temple in different kind of American horror story, yet one equally scandalous, scary, and addictive. Unfortunately, American Gothic, an acclaimed supernatural soap opera also starring a Gary Cole as a wickedly powerful sheriff, was cancelled by CBS in 1996 after only 22 episodes.

Annie (What Women Want)

In 2000, Sarah Paulson played Annie, the personal assistant to hot shot ad executive Nick Marshall, played by Mel Gibson, in What Women Want, which received a gender-swapped update in 2019. Recently endowed with the ability to hear women's thoughts, Marshall learns the error of his ways and, in a gut bustingly honest scene, what Paulson's under appreciated, Ivy League-educated character really thinks of him in this classic rom-com from director Nancy Myers.

Agatha Ripp (Nip/Tuck)

In her first collaboration with American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy, Sarah Paulson made a guest appearance in Season 2 of his provocative drama Nip/Tuck as a homeless prostitute named Agatha Ripp. She enlists the help of plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) to cover grisly scars on her wrists that appear to be caused by stigmata, the appearance of wounds in correlation to Jesus Christ's crucifixion, in this intriguing episode that puts its series leads to the ultimate test of faith.

Vikki Hiller (Down With Love)

In this 1960s-style romantic comedy (but with a more honest depiction of the era's sexual politics), Sarah Paulson plays Vikki Hiller, the editor of a romance advice book for women by Barbara Novak (Renée Zellwegger), making herself the target of playboy journalist Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor) who sets to prove he can make her fall in love with him. While Zellwegger and McGregor are the central romantic leads of Down with Love, from future Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, a budding romance between Hiller and Block's friend Peter MacMannus (David Hyde Pierce) is a subplot worth rooting for.

Miss Isringhausen (Deadwood)

In the second season of HBO's hit historical crime thriller, Sarah Paulson joined the cast of Deadwood as Miss Isringhausen, hired by Alma Garret (Molly Parker) as a tutor for Sofia Metz (Bree Seanna Wall), but Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) suspects otherwise. She tells him that her true motive is to frame her employer of a murder that Swearengen committed, but then correctly guesses that she actually works for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, something the crooked saloon owner despises.

Dr. Caron (Serenity)

While Sarah Paulson had a prominent recurring role on Deadwood, she did not return to reprise her character for the feature-length continuation of the series. She did however experience the reverse of that situation by playing Caron, a medical professional from an outer space search and rescue team, in Serenity, the feature-length continuation of Joss Whedon's short-lived sci-fi series, Firefly.

Dr. Ellis Grey (Grey’s Anatomy)

Years after her brief medical role on Serenity, Sarah Paulson briefly appeared on the popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy, but not as an original character. The 2010 episode "The Time Warp" takes a look at Seattle circa 1982, at which point Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) mother, Dr. Ellis Grey (Paulson) was treating a patient with AIDS while the disease was still in its infancy.

Dr. Ellen Dolan (The Spirit)

Two years before she played a doctor in that nostalgic Grey's Anatomy episode, Sarah Pauslon portrayed a surgeon living in the days of the femme fatale in her first pre-Glass superhero movie role. In director Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's noir detective comic The Spirit, shot in the same style as 2005's Sin City, Paulson played the lover of the legally dead title hero (Gabriel Macht), who makes an effort to keep her man healthy, much to the chagrin of her father, Commissioner Eustace Dolan (Dan Lauria).

Lydia Lindquist (Desperate Housewives)

Speaking of programs that are narrated by a spirit, Sarah Paulson appeared in a pair of episodes of the fourth season of the primetime ABC soap opera Desperate Housewives. She played Lydia Lindquist, the youngest sister of Lynette Scavo, played by Felicity Huffman.

Mary Lee (Mud)

Sarah Paulson was a firsthand witness to the McConaissance, having co-starred in one of the films often credited as essential to the revolutionary era in the actor's career. In Jeff Nichols' Southern gothic drama Mud, Paulson plays Mary Lee, the mother of a teenage boy named Ellis (Tye Sheridan), who befriends the title character, unaware at first that he is a murderous fugitive.

Be sure to check back for more information and updates on the American Horror Story actress, as well as additional reminders of your favorite celebrities’ lesser known roles, here on CinemaBlend.

Remember when a family drama was defined as a series about a family of good-natured people struggling to overcome the obstacles of their environment? Well, considering the popularity of Ozark, starring Jason Bateman as the father of a family laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel, that definition is a rarity now.

The Golden Globe-nominated Netflix original hit is one of a longstanding trend of dramas that are now about seemingly good-natured people struggling to overcome the consequences of their self-destructive tendencies. There is something so addicting about watching despicable low-lives fixing to prolong a squeaky-clean reputation, and Ozark is just one example.

As you wait to see more of Jason Bateman and Laura Linney’s “money problems” when Ozark returns to Netflix on March 27, if you are dying to indulge in more family drama -- in some cases, at its criminally darkest -- allow us to help you narrow down your search. These are 11 recommendations that make This Is Us look like Leave It to Beaver.

Bates Motel (Netflix)

Alfred Hitchcock shocked the world with one of the most unsettling killers in cinematic history, Norman Bates, portrayed by Anthony Perkins in the filmmaker’s adaptation of Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho. Inspired by Ed Gein (like many onscreen slashers were), you have to wonder how a guy got so messed up to commit murder while impersonating his dead mother.

Bates Motel, a modern day-set prequel to Psycho, makes the typically ill-fated attempts to answer that question, but instead makes for some deliciously dark and exquisitely performed storytelling. The series, which ran for five seasons on A&E, chronicles the uncomfortably close mother-son relationship between Norma (Vera Farmiga) and teenage Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore), who own and operate an old Oregon motel where check-out time ends up coming too early for some guests. Stream it on Netflix here.

Bloodline (Netflix)

What earns someone the right to call themselves a good person? How far will someone go to protect their right to call themselves “good” and protect their family from a fate behind bars? Sometimes, people take it too far.

Behind the beautiful walls of their famous Florida Keys inn, the wealthy Rayburns are hiding dark secrets that even Sheriff John Rayburn (Friday Night Lights alum Kyle Chandler) will do anything to keep from getting out. The highly acclaimed Netflix series Bloodline, which ran for three seasons, earned a Golden Globe nomination for Ben Mendehlson’s performance as Danny Rayburn, the black sheep of the family whose return home gives their lavish existence an expiration date. Stream it on Netflix here.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO NOW)

For as good as the fictionalized criminal endeavors of Ozark do get, we understand that some of its biggest fans may also have a special soft spot for true crime. What might do the trick is this scripted HBO drama inspired by those who went to dangerous lengths all for a drink in the early 20th Century.

Boardwalk Empire stars Golden Globe-winner Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, based on real-life Atlantic City politician Enoch “Nucky” Johnson who was convicted in 1941 for conspiring with the Mob to smuggle alcohol during the Prohibition Era, an alliance that also involved gambling and prostitution. Martin Scorsese serves as executive producer of this series that unveils the dark secrets of one of the most controversial periods in America’s history. Stream it on HBO NOW here.

Breaking Bad (Netflix)

If you are a fan of Ozark, you are probably already a fan of this revolutionary AMC hit. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the reason you started watching Ozark was because of all the comparisons to Breaking Bad it received when it first premiered on Netflix. Well, I certainly cannot blame you for that.

When high school chemistry teacher Walter White (a four-time Emmy-winning performance by Bryan Cranston) is diagnosed with lung cancer, he teams up with former student Jesse Pinkman (a three-time Emmy-winning performance by Aaron Paul) to start a methamphetamine manufacturing operation in an effort to make money to leave to his family. Breaking Bad cemented creator, and former The X-Files writer, Vince Gilligan as one of television’s most brilliant, and demented, storytellers by chronicling White’s fascinating metamorphosis from simple family man to ruthless criminal mastermind over five seasons. Once your addictive binge is cured, be sure to check out Netflix’s feature-length follow-up that puts Jesse in driver’s seat, El Camino. Stream it on Netflix here.

Colony (Netflix)

The intriguing irony of Ozark is how the Byrdes’ criminal activity is actually instrumental in bringing them, somewhat, closer together. For most modern day family dramas, the result is usually the opposite, even in, say, the wake of an alien invasion, like in this exciting drama.

After an alien race has occupied Los Angeles into its own inescapable colony, Will Bowman (Lost alum Josh Hollway) reluctantly agrees to help take down a growing resistance movement, inciting divisive consequences it will have between him and his wife (The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies) and children. Colony, co-created by prolific producer Carlton Cuse, was cancelled by USA after three seasons, but has earned a small cult following for its fascinating, and culturally relevant, political themes that cleverly combine with a futuristic sci-fi tone. Stream it on Netflix here.

Desperate Housewives (Hulu)

For years, there was no topic more popular at the office water cooler on a Monday morning than whatever happened the night before on Wisteria Lane. Creator Marc Cherry made ABC’s primetime soap opera Desperate Housewives one of the most addictively suspenseful, and often hilarious, shows of the early 2000s.

After Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) mysteriously takes her own life, she becomes the narrator of the intricate lives of her friends and neighbors, including meek divorcee Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), ambitious career woman turned-stay-at-home mom Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), luxury-obsessed former fashion model Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), OCD-plagued housewife Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and sex-crazed narcissist Edie Britt (Nicolette Sheridan), who all get tangentially wrapped up in twisted situations involving infidelity, power-hungry manipulation, and murder. Who knew one picturesque neighborhood could be home to such insanity? Stream it on Hulu here.

Fargo (Hulu)

Joel and Ethan Coen became two of the hottest names in filmmaking for their Oscar-winning 1996 dark comedy Fargo, in which a financially desperate, Minnesota car salesman’s (William H. Macy) disastrous ransom scheme gets the attention of an intrepid (and pregnant) police chief (Frances McDormand). There are more twisted stories of good Midwesterners gone bad where that came from in Noah Hawley’s spin-off.

Each season of this multi-award-winning FX anthology series tells a new, star-studded story of cold-blooded, comical suspense in low temperature climates, including a hitman’s influence on a meek insurance salesman, a young 1970s couple’s fatal hit-and-run, and a struggling probation officer’s failed attempt to rob his successful twin brother. Fargo is now entering its fourth season, starring Chris Rock as the head of a black crime syndicate in 1950s Kansas City, Missouri. Stream it on Hulu here.

Narcos (Netflix)

To once again reference Breaking Bad in an article meant to have Ozark as the prime focus, in 2016, Walter White actor Bryan Cranston switched to the lawful side of the war on drugs as a U.S. Customs agent taking on Pablo Escobar in the true crime drama The Infiltrator. At that time, the Columbian drug lord was also a big name in television, thanks to this scripted Netflix original drama that chronicled his criminal exploits.

Narcos is a complex and chilling look into the violent conflicts between Pablo Escobar, and other various drug kingpins, and the law enforcement assigned to take him down, including The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal as DEA agent Javier Pena. When you are done binging all three seasons, you might want to check out its spin-off, Narcos: Mexico, which is entering its second season on February 13. Stream it on Netflix here.

Schitt’s Creek (Netflix)

In addition to its disturbing suspense, Ozark is at its juiciest when Jason Bateman’s Marty Byrde and his family experience a culture clash with the “redneck” locals, who actually turn out to be rarely what their stereotypes suggest. The redneck locals of the titular small town of comedy series Schitt’s Creek are very heavily associated with their stereotypes, and hilariously so.

In the absence of their business manager, wealthy socialites Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) and their spoiled adult children David (Levy’s real son Dan) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) suddenly lose everything, they must make themselves at home in their one remaining asset: the hick community of Schitt’s Creek, which they once bought as a joke. In case you need some comic relief from your binge of dark family drama, this beloved rags-to-riches comedy, which is currently in its sixth and final season on Pop TV, is the perfect choice. Stream it on Netflix here.

The Sinner (Netflix)

Shows like Ozark, Fargo, and Breaking Bad have taught us that sometimes a moment of desperation and a little push are all it takes to send even the meekest law-abiding citizens on a tenuous tightrope act above the law. However, this USA drama takes a more complex dive into answering the question as to why ordinary people suddenly turn to crime.

Bill Pullman’s Screen Actor’s Guild Award-nominated role as Detective Harry Ambrose is the connective tissue of this anthology series about bizarre crimes committed by unlikely suspects, such as Jessica Biel’s Season 1 character, unable to explain her brutal murder of a stranger. The Sinner, which will premiere its third season in February, is a shocking mystery thriller that will keep you obsessively guessing until the end of each story. Stream it on Netflix here.

Jason Bateman sure is great at playing a family man whose life is turned horrifically upside-down by money problems (and I’m just talking about Arrested Development), but whenever your addiction to Ozark needs a remedy, these 11 other series should be a great alternative. Be sure to check back for more updates on the Midwestern-set crime drama and other streaming recommendations here at CinemaBlend.

Desperate Housewives became an international hit almost immediately after it debuted in October 2004. The dramedy (which starred Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Nicollette Sheridan) gave viewers a very different, and certainly soapy, look at life in the suburbs, and viewers ate it up.

While Desperate Housewives either revitalized the careers of the actresses at its center or simply took them to a whole different level and made them stars for the first time, it now appears that the behind the scenes lives of at least one of those women was quite difficult for a time. Eva Longoria, who played vain former model Gabrielle Solis, has revealed that she actually suffered through bullying while working on the series.

Longoria's revelation comes via the letter of support she wrote to a judge on behalf of her former co-star, Felicity Huffman, who will be sentenced soon for her part in the college admission scandal. A few months ago, Huffman pleaded guilty to committing honest services fraud and mail fraud after paying $15,000 to have someone take the SAT in the place of her oldest daughter. Here's part of what Longoria had to say:

Well, it's certainly obvious why Eva Longoria would still be solid friends with Felicity Huffman, and why she would put in the time to write a character reference letter on Huffman's behalf before she gets sentenced. The bigger question, though, is just who bullied Longoria on the Desperate Housewives set?

While most people who read Eva Longoria's letter, which was obtained by NBC News (via TVLine), will likely jump to the conclusion that the person who bullied her was another actor, Longoria only referred to the person as "a co-worker." Technically, this could be anyone who worked on the set but didn't interact with Longoria on a regular basis.

Eva Longoria noted elsewhere in the letter that, when she booked the role on Desperate Housewives, not only was she the youngest person in the main cast, but she was also still relatively new to the business, so, logically, she would have made a prime target for a bully who was looking to intimidate someone in an effort to make themselves feel better. But, whether this was another actor or not, we will probably never know for sure, because Longoria didn't name the person.

How many people, who have just gotten a big part on a major network show, would be willing to complain about the behavior of a co-worker when it might mean that their big break could go poof almost as soon as it began? Those who find themselves bullied or otherwise harassed, whether it be at work or elsewhere, now have a lot more agency when it comes to exposing the negative behaviors of others, but back when Desperate Housewives started, it was a much harder task.

Apparently, Huffman became a friend to Eva Longoria on the set from the start, and helped her with everything from their first table read (where the whole cast and many of the creatives get together to read the script for the first time), to early award show appearances, Longoria's charity work and even later contract negotiations.

Because Longoria was the least experienced of the main cast, she was also the lowest paid. She says that when it was time to renegotiate, Huffman suggested they all negotiate together so they would each make the same amount per episode of Desperate Housewives, noting "that did not go over too well with the others," but Huffman said "it was fair because the success of the show depended on all of us, not one of us."

Honestly, if you're willing to stand up for someone when it comes to financial issues, it makes a lot of sense that you would be willing to go to bat for them when it comes to them being bullied or pretty much anything else. So, if nothing else, you can absolutely say that Eva Longoria has a dedicated friend in Felicity Huffman, and vice versa.

Felicity Huffman is scheduled for sentencing in just a few days, and prosecutors have suggested a fine of $20,000 and four months of prison time, while her lawyers have asked for the fine, along with a year of probation and 250 hours of community service. Whatever happens, it does appear that Eva Longoria will stand by the friend who helped remedy the bullying she faced all those years ago.

At this point in 2019, nothing is off the table when it comes to TV revivals, from The Twilight Zone to Ghost Hunters to other shows that aren't as creepy. Fans of ABC's Desperate Housewives, which ended its celebrated eight-season run in 2012, are experiencing a different kind of seven-year itch in wanting to see the women of Wisteria Lane return for more murderous mayhem. Creator Marc Cherry isn't exactly eager to scratch that itch, however.

Marc Cherry was on-hand at the Television Critics Association summer press tour to promote his devilish new CBS All Access series Why Women Kill, starring Elementary vet Lucy Liu and Once Upon a Time's Ginnifer Goodwin. Following the Why Women Kill panel, Cherry spoke with CinemaBlend and a handful of other outlets, and he was asked if he would be interested in a Desperate Housewives revival if not all of the main cast members such as Teri Hatcher (who'd love to come back) or Eva Longoria could return. Here's how Cherry answered:

That answer may sound disappointing to those who have been the most anxious to see more from Susan, Bree, Gabrielle and Lynette's lives away from Wisteria. However, do take comfort in Marc Cherry's assertion that the DNA of Desperate Housewives' thematic complexities are very much on display within the anthologized Why Women Kill. Even people who don't know Cherry by name could draw conclusions that both female-driven shows were drawn from the same creative well, and the fanbases will likely mesh superbly well.

Instead of a neighborhood where people end up dying arguably prematurely, the darkly comedic drama Why Women Kill centers on a single household across three different timelines, and the textured relationships of the couples that lived there during each span. From Ginnifer Goodwin's doting-to-a-fault Beth Ann to Lucy Liu's extravagant extrovert Simone to Kirby Howell-Baptiste's happily polyamorous Taylor, these characters would likely share in some hilariously boozy brunches if they ever met up with the Desperate Housewives crew.

Marc Cherry spoke further about why he's currently happy with Why Women Kill, which is his first streaming TV creation, and what he particularly doesn't want to return to in terms of Desperate Housewives storytelling.

The "shorter seasons" sentiment is something that a lot of showrunner and executive producers (not to mention actors) have talked about in terms of the advantages of what streaming has to offer over broadcast and cable television. It all depends on the project, really. With Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry had the will and the opportunity to tell a large, overarching story that lasted many years and outlasted many characters' lives. With Why Women Kill, though, he's got a different and simpler set-up (in most respects) that won't require him to keep viewers dangling between seasons.

Granted, there's a lot of fun to be had when a TV season ends on game-changing twists or cliffhangers like the ones that Desperate Housewives regularly offered up. With only ten episodes to this initial storyline, Why Women Kill won't be able to wrap up on a mystery wedding or a narrative evolving time jump. That said, Marc Cherry did note that the Why Women Kill Season 1 finale will be bonkers, so it might just be the closest fans will get to a full-blown Housewives cliffhanger.

Plus, the elephant in the room here is that the Desperate Housewives finale's final minutes did tip viewers off to what everyone was doing with Wisteria in the rear-view mirror, so a revival may need to amend some things to bring everyone together again. Now, if someone wanted to make the argument for a semi-reboot that centered on that woman who was hiding her box of secrets, that's another thing. For now, though, there's Lucy Liu as a 1980s fashionista.

Check out the tantalizing trailer for Why Women Kill below.

Also starring Alexandra Daddario, Reid Scott, Jack Davenport and Sam Jaeger, Why Women Kill will make its fashionable debut on CBS All Access on Thursday, August 15.

Desperate Housewives was on ABC for 8 seasons, and while many might consider that an awesome run for a series, others are still hungry for more. Teri Hatcher is one of the hungry ones, and made it known that if talks of a revival for Desperate Housewives went down, she'd be the first to throw her name in the mix. Hatcher shared why she's got so much love for the series and whether or not she thinks the rest of the cast would be down to return:

Teri Hatcher can't definitively say whether or not Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Nicollette Sheridan and Vanessa Williams would commit to a revival for Desperate Housewives, but that's mainly because she said she hasn't kept in touch with them. If Hatcher had, she might've known that Longoria said the exact same thing not long ago. And even though the actress is about to have her first child, Longoria seems ready to saddle up alongside Thatcher for a continuation of the series whenever that may be.

Reviving Desperate Housewives would be a smart move for ABC, as the series was a real ratings juggernaut back in the day. The show's first five seasons were among television's top 10 most-watched shows at the time, and the series has gotten a lot of viewership and acclaim from international audiences in the time since. The show also scooped up a healthy amount of Emmys, Golden Globes, and SAG awards during its run, so its safe to say critics were just as fond of the series as its audience was. In an era where shows that were less successful during their run are getting rebooted and revived every day, it's hard to imagine a scenario where ABC wouldn't try to bring the series back provided everyone is on board.

As Teri Hatcher indicated to ITV, not everyone is on board with a revival of Desperate Housewives. Series creator Marc Cherry has been vocal about not wanting to extend the series beyond the 8 seasons it already had, and without Cherry on board to write and guide some of the more dramatic moments of a revival series, the show could end up feeling a lot different than it did during its first run. That's not necessarily unusual when it comes to revivals, but with Desperate Housewives going out on such a high note, it'd be hard to imagine fans being pleased with a revival that feels less than the original show.

Desperate Housewives might not be getting new episodes anytime soon, but the entire series is available to watch on Hulu. For some information regarding new shows and revivals that will premiere in 2018, head over to our midseason premiere guide.

Tonight is the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, which inevitably means it’s the 72nd year in a row where fans of TV and cinema get pissed off that their favorite show/movie/performer didn’t get the proper recognition in marble and gold statuette form. The ceremony, which works as sort of a de facto primer for the Academy Awards (and the Emmys to a lesser degree), has definitely made some weird choices over the years, especially in hindsight.

And so we raise our glasses in jeering five of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s worst choices for Best TV Series, in both the comedy/musical and drama categories. I guess it’s a testament to the Globes that this number is so limited, although I could easily make compartmentalized soapbox arguments. Maybe next year. But for now, let’s think back to a time before Ryan Murphy became synonymous with WTF.

Nip/Tuck (2004)

Back in 2004, the world was introduced to bizarro plastic surgeons Sean McNamara and Julian Troy, two men for whom libidos and luxury were life forces. (Which of course leads to a sex doll sex scene.) I will gladly cop to falling in love with this series for its first few seasons, but things were obviously cascading off the rails as the Carver killer plotline was winding down, and each successive season seemed like a parody of everything before it. But no one could have known that going into it, when Sean and Julia were still seemingly a happy couple in Miami, and Matt wasn’t the worst character on TV. So I have no gripes with it being nominated, but winning?

What Should Have Won: Similarly, no one could have known that the also-debuting-that-year Lost would become a meandering frolic through empty mythos, but that series’ first season makes for a much better revisit than the sudsy excess of Nip/Tuck. And if not Lost, how about Deadwood or The Sopranos?

Cybill (1995)

Cybill’s first season Golden Globe win is more mind-blowing to me than it is mildly infuriating, as this CBS sitcom came during the height of NBC’s Must See TV Thursdays. How popular was this comedic block? Cybill’s four nominee competitors – Friends, Seinfeld, Fraiser and Mad About You – were all a part of the Must See TV lineup at different points of their runs, and none of them were in a creative, critical or ratings slump. Cybill was a good show that I may well think is great now if I rewatched as an older person who can better appreciate the humor, but the shadow of its dark horse win still looms all these years later. One thing’s impossible to argue, though: now that Psych is over, TV needs Cybill Shepherd to come back to network television for a lead role.

What Should Have Won: I’m a Seinfeld fanatic through and through, but arguments could be made for any of the others.

Party of Five (1995)

A CW series before The CW was even a glint in anyone eyes, Party of Five jumpstarted the careers of its young stars, who all went on to more popular projects. Though the Fox drama’s ratings were good by today’s standards, and its storylines equally melodramatic by today’s standards, the show still snagged a nomination and win for its debut season, which played a huge part in keeping it on the air for five more seasons. But the fact that it won out over Chicago Hope, ER, Murder One and NYPD Blue is worth its own nomination in a Best Comedy category. I mean, Beverly Hills 90210 and Felicity also got nominated in other years, giving young people their place in the Globes, but neither of them actually won.

What Should Have Won: My personal choice is Murder One, because Steven Bochco, but really, put a blindfold on and throw a dart and you’ll hit a better show.

Desperate Housewives (2004)

A series that definitely overstayed its neighborly welcome, ABC’s female-fronted Desperate Housewives started off extremely strong, and its debut season’s Golden Globe win was hardly a surprise at the time. (Nor was it a surprise for its second year, when I could also fight for Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Season 5.) But looking back, I can’t help but feel like Desperate Housewives’ success was a bit much, and that its win was as much a high heel in the coffin of Sex and the City as it was a victory in its own right.

What Should Have Won: I’ll be preaching “Arrested Development for all the awards” until I’m blue in the face. (Literally and figuratively.) In its inarguably brilliant Season 2, Arrested Development hadn’t yet been dealt its hardest blows from Fox and this remains one of the most rewatchable and quotable seasons of any TV show at any point in time.

60 Minutes (1978)

Now, I get that the Golden Globes have always been pretty frugal with their categories, which makes their supporting actor/actress categories more aggravating than almost anything else in the pop culture awards field. But it’s still pretty odd that the news magazine 60 Minutes got a nomination for the 1978 season – one that was refused by creator Don Hewitt (according to Wikipedia anyway) – and even odder that it actually won the award. (Neither happened before or since.) It was the first time Andy Rooney joined the show for his less intense last-minute segments, so maybe everyone thought that was enough to re-assess what we consider “drama” in labeling TV series.

What Should Have Won: Considering Battlestar Galactica’s nomination is still one of the only times the sci-fi genre has been represented, it would have been great for it to have earned the top prize. But even if Lou Grant had won, as it did the following year, I don’t think anyone would have complained.

Head to the next page for a bonus choice involving a win-worthy series that wasn’t even nominated.

Bonus Rant: Mad Men (2008)

I’ve never been a fan of Mad Men, as the entirety of it bores me despite all of the small-scale brilliance. But this is less a dispute with the smoke-heavy drama beating out Dexter, House, In Treatment and True Blood – because that all makes a certain amount of sense – and more a stupefied “huh?” directed at the HFPA for completely leaving The Shield out of the nominee list altogether. In its seventh and final season, Shawn Ryan’s dark and gritty crime drama tied up all of its frayed ends in a masterful way that serialized TV dramas so rarely pull off with dignity left intact. It should have easily been there instead of any of the non-Mad Men choices, and it arguably should have won everything. Why has no one brought a Strike Team in to take care of this problem?

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not disrobe on Christmas Eve, or assume you or your family will live to see December 26, or attempt to experience goodwill and joy on Christmas. Because Santa Claus might be coming to town.

While children equate the round, jolly sight of St. Nick’s signature red and white with unbounded happiness, adults will often skew the traditional gift-giver in very dark ways. That’s kind of what adults do, even when our childhoods were wonderful. So now that the “real” Santa Claus has come and gone, ho-ho-hopefully cleaning up his own damned cookie crumbs for once, here are eight of the worst TV Santas you could ever wake up to on Christmas morning.

Santa Ian McShane (American Horror Story: Asylum)

When children write letters to Santa Claus, they’re generally asking a magical man in the sky for toys, games and possibly pets. No one asks a psychopathic prison rape victim to be harassed, half-drowned and then crucified on a church cross. That’s what Ian McShane’s Leigh Emerson brought to his guest stint on American Horror Story: Asylum, and he looked a frightful mess while he was doing it. I’ve already lost my Christmas spirit and it’s the first entry.

Robot Santa (Futurama)

Yes, a song will certainly inspire one to regain Xmas cheer, even when it’s one being partly sung by a mass-murdering four-ton robot who is continuously putting the Planet Express crew through most joyless situations. While it would be nice if Robot Santa gave presents like the paradox-absorbing crumple zones in his head, which would help to ensure a life free from cranial cave-ins, there’s a good chance he would just judge you as being too naughty and enslave you to make his toys until your days were up.

Robot Santas (Doctor Who)

Regardless of whether an android Santa is animated or it’s a real thing, the point is to be the most ridiculously overblown version that it can be. Doctor Who’s Roboforms are a perfect example, taking the form of frozen-in-creepiness Santa Clauses and wielding wind instruments that can be used as rocket launchers and flame throwers, along with destructive ornaments. They’re terrible at killing the Doctor, but I’m betting they’d destroy a suburban household in no time. This year’s Christmas special features an evil Nick Frost as Santa, which is an infinitely more joyous choice.

Killer Santa (Tales from the Crypt)

One of the rare horror remakes that works better than its original form, Robert Zemeckis’ Tales from the Crypt episode “And All Through the House” was expertly adapted from the segment in the British feature film of the same name. It featured a pre-Dr. Giggles Larry Drake as a serial killer in a Santa suit that victimizes a woman who has just murdered her husband. I guess I wouldn’t want that woman to be bringing gifts to my house overnight either, but goddamn is Drake a freaky looking bastard with his beardless chin and messed-up mouth.

Santa Bundy (Married…With Children)

Look at that! Rather than just pile on murderers and would-be rapists, we finally have a Santa that is just a terrible human being in general, but without the criminal file to prove it. Al Bundy is just the complete opposite of what Santa Claus stands for, and is definitely not the person you’d want to send your wishes to. In one episode, he’s a mall Santa bitching about things in a bar full of mall Santas (before having his family blow his holiday mind), and in another one he becomes a surrogate Santa after the “real” one crashes into the Bundys’ backyard while parachuting. In this scenario, though, Al also doesn’t want to be Santa in your home.

Secretive Santa (Conan)

Some of Conan’s more amusing recurring stints in recent times are the “Santa’s Secrets” segments, in which Santa shows up and unleashes a series of increasingly awful skeletons from his closet. This latest set of truths include his secret cocaine occupation, the link between Rudolph’s red nose and his prostate, and the reality of Mrs. Claus just being a beanbag with a hole cut into it. I’ll admit this guy would be a fun romp at a bar, but not any place where my family is in reach.

Pedophile Santa (Desperate Housewives)

This list is really kind of a downer when you think about it, and it doesn’t get much darker than Art, the neighborhood Santa on Desperate Housewives, who is accused by that crone Mrs. McCluskey of being a pedophile. Obviously none of the parents will let their kids near him, and what a shame, since Art is such a nice guy, right? Wrong. By the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Art actually IS a monstrous pervert, and that skim milk is actually whole milk and ankle socks are actually knee socks.

Sloppy Drunk Santa (The Twilight Zone)

While this perhaps wasn’t the dawn of shitty Santas, The Twilight Zone delivered one of TV’s first worsts in department store Santa Henry Corwin, who would assumedly trade all of your children for a six-pack of cheap brew. He gets a magic sack of goods that allows him to transform both his life and anyone else’s that he wants to, so I guess he wouldn’t be the worst guy to have around the house. But they don’t show him actually sobering up before he gets whisked away as the new Santa Claus. Are there AA meetings at the North Pole?

And because it's always better when there's one to grow on, get ready for a bonus Santa on the next page.

Bonus: Terry Gilliam’s Santa (Do Not Adjust Your Set)

Santa only pops in for a few seconds in this video to steal some shit and kidnap some carolers, which makes this a fit for the list, but it’s really the rest of this amazing animation that’s worth the watch. Animated by the iconic Terry Gilliam, this vid comes from the pre-Monty Python comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set.

And with that, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a safe, non-murderously explosive day and night.

Recent repots that new American Idol judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey aren't getting along could be exaggerations, or perhaps the rumors are true that one of them could end up exiting the series if things can't be worked out at the judges table. At the very least, we may be in for a very tension-filled season come next year when the singing competition resumes. That remains to be seen, but the reports of some feuding between the two artists inspired us to reflect on some of the other behind-the-scenes feuds that have spiraled out of control and resulted in major changes to the series.

Remember when Shannen Doherty left Beverly Hills, 90210? Or when Dr. Burke left Cristina on Grey's Anatomy after the controversy involving Isaiah Washington? Just like with any work environment, not everyone is going to get along, but when it happens on a TV show, it can really leave a mark on the series involved, changing the face of the show from that point forward. Here are a some examples of memorable backstage feuds.

Two and a Half Men - Charlie Sheen

In recent years there may have been no more publicized feud than that of Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre on Two and a Half Men - if it can be called a feud. It might be more accurate to call it a train wreck. In 2012, the hit sitcom took a hiatus in the midst of the eighth season while Sheen went into rehab. Apparently it didn’t help - production was suspended not long after due to Sheen’s public slam of Lorre, the show’s creator, on a radio show in which he called Lorre a “turd”. Sheen continue to assault Lorre in an interview with TMZ and a follow-up open letter both filled with bizarre rants.

The public meltdown reached epic proportions in a hurry; Sheen took to Twitter to continue his raging assault, and Lorre and the rest of the show’s bigwigs quickly made a decision. They fired Sheen from the show two weeks after the February 24 radio interview. Sheen’s character, central to the series, was killed off. Season 9 opened with a funeral, and Ashton Kutcher was brought in to replace him. While the show has managed to move past Sheen’s departure, it will never be quite the same.

Grey's Anatomy - Isaiah Washington

Back in the earlier seasons of Grey's Anatomy, Cristina Yang and Preston Burke were the other big couple to watch on the ABC drama series. They had their ups and downs over the course of the three seasons of Isaiah Washington's run on the show, but the romance crumbled for good at the end of the third season. This came in the wake of some major backstage drama between Washington and Patrick Dempsey after actor T.R. Knight was reportedly late to set.

The details of the scuffle eventually became public and included reports that Washington used a homophobic slur in reference to T.R. Knight. Washington didn't do the best job of handling the situation afterward and even used (or repeated) the other-F-bomb when denying the reported incident to the press. Subsequently, his contract wasn't renewed after Season 3. Considering Burke was one of the key roles in the ensemble, as a close colleague to Derek and the love interest to Cristina, Washington's departure at the end of Season 3 felt abrupt, even with the widespread public reports of the backstage drama leading up to Burke's final appearance. The show went on without him, with various new doctors being introduced in seasons to follow, but it's hard not to wonder where things would have gone for Burke had Washington not left the series.

Saturday Night Live - Al Brooks

If you’ve ever seen an early episode of Saturday Night Live, you’ll know the show was really experimental during its first years. Frank Zappa brought a whole cult of people onstage and for the first season, there were several really off-putting Jim Henson Muppet sketches. Albert Brooks was on board to do these funny—and short—experimental films that also flopped, namely because they were often ten minutes long and just didn’t fit in with the rest of the program’s sketches. Albert Brooks was a big name and attaching him to SNL really helped the fledgling program, but Brooks and showrunner Lorne Michaels could not get on the same page.

By the end of the season, all of the tension, all of the heatedback-and-forths between the two men actually started showing on air. Brooks submitted a video of himself, lying sick in bed, where he complained about being overworked. He even taped a doctor verifying his sickness and passed it along to Lorne. With only a few marginal jokes, it was one giant middle finger, and Michaels, also willing to take on his foes, decided to air it, possibly because he thought audiences would turn on Brooks. Whether they did or didn’t, the comedian was gone by the end of the first season, which would have seemed crazy prior to the start date, given he was extremely famous and the main players, Chevy Chase and John Belushi, weren’t. You can read more about the controversy in Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller’s epic book Live From New York, or just catch the first season of SNL to see the thinly disguised conflict appearing through Brooks' videos.

Beverly Hills 90210 - Shannen Doherty

When Beverly Hills, 90210 started, the two main characters were wide-eyed Minnesotan newbies to the world of the wealthy. But while Brenda and Brandon Walsh were facing the culture shock of their new home, behind the scenes Shannen Doherty was quickly developing a reputation worthy of Beverly Hills diva. It didn’t take long for rumors of Doherty being difficult on the set to fly. Tabloids had Doherty feuding with just about every member of the cast, especially Jennie Garth. She was said to have argued with her over minute details such as wardrobe choices.

Tori Spelling even reported in her autobiography that the two once got into a fistfight, a statement Doherty denied. Shouting matches on the set were reported over and over – many with Doherty at the center of them. While many of the stars – including Doherty herself – publicly claimed things were being exaggerated, Doherty was written out of the show at the end of the 4th season. With Brenda gone, the Walsh twins were no longer central to the storyline, changing the direction of the series permanently. Shannen Doherty carried her bad girl reputation with her for years, and Brenda didn’t return to the 90210 zip code until the show’s reincarnation in 2008.

Community - Dan Harmon vs. NBC/Sony Pictures

The increasingly tumultuous relationship between Dan Harmon and Sony Pictures Television as well as NBC makes his feud with Chevy Chase seem commonplace (feuds with the crusty Chase are commonplace), and the brass at both networks got fed up with three seasons of fighting and finally put a nail in the creator’s coffin. The writing was on the wall at the beginning of last year when, after being constantly hounded by his bosses to make the show more accessible, Season 3 still opened with a musical number that serves as a big ‘screw you’ to all those network notes.

And it’s not like Harmon had solid ratings to back him up and the low numbers added to his management style resulted in him getting the boot. NBC briefly floated that Harmon would stay involved as a "consulting producer" but that wishful thinking was soon shot down by Harmon in his own statement; “I’m not saying you can’t make a good version of Community without me, but I am definitely saying that you can’t make my version of it unless I have the option of saying ‘it has to be like this or I quit’ roughly 8 times a day.” We’ve yet to see how the shake up will affect the on-air product but without his backbone fighting the good fight, it’s hard to imagine Community resisting the pressure to go broad.

Desperate Housewives - Nicollette Sheridan vs Marc Cherry

Edie Britt was always on the outskirts of the core group of women on Wisteria Lane, as she openly prioritized her own needs and desires above all else. But she was a part of the group, so her death during the fifth season of the series came as a surprise for longtime fans. Of course, the scandal that followed off camera was even more dramatic than Edie's death by electrocution. Following her character's death, actress Nicollette Sherdian filed a $20 million lawsuit against Desperate Housewives showrunner Marc Cherry, accusing him of assault, wrongful termination, battery and a number of other claims. The battery charge was dismissed and eventually it came down to Sheridan and ABC in a wrongful termination suit, which was later dismissed in appellate court this summer.

The rest of the cast took Cherry's side on the mater, which went to trial early this year. At that time, it was reported that Cherry killed off Edie because it was the right creative choice for the series at that time, and there were also budgetary reasons. And apparently, she had trouble with her lines, a "problem" with co-star Teri Hatcher, and Cherry testified about some other issues with Sheridan behind the scenes. So it may have been a combination of killing off the character and letting go of the actor. Either way, Edie was gone, never to return, not even for the series finale, which wasn't all that surprising given the legal issues, but fans likely felt her absence when the series wrapped up.

The Walking Dead - Frank Darabont

Conflict between network brass and creatives is certainly nothing new but the circumstances surrounding Frank Darabont’s departure from The Walking Dead are unusual because you don’t often see the person in charge of a channel’s biggest hit suddenly let go. Insiders suggests that AMC, relatively new to the original programming game, simply didn’t know how to handle their sudden rise to the top, which is how they found themselves fighting with critical darlings Mad Men and Breaking Bad as well as the unprecedentedly successful zombie drama all at once.

Three days after working Comic-Con 2011, Darabont was unceremoniously dropped from The Walking Dead in what seemed to be a dispute over money. Money for the show, not money for the showrunner. Mad Men’s hefty settlement probably had something to do with TWD’s planned second-season stripped-down budget never being revised, even in the face of great ratings and twice the number of episodes. However, Darabont’s comments about the scuffle probably didn’t help, as the apparently prickly filmmaker went public to talk about how the lack of funds will negatively affect the show. Funny enough, The Walking Dead has significantly improved since his departure but that doesn’t mean AMC was in the right... or does it?

NCIS - Mark Harmon vs. Don Bellisario

A few years ago CBS’ NCIS was on the top of the world. By 2007, the show was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) on television, and still had plenty of room to grow. That is, until lead actor Mark Harmon began having fights with creator Don Bellisario on and off set. CBS did a pretty good job of keeping the details hushed, but the two clearly could not get on the same page about how to shoot and create the hit program. With Harmon putting in long hours, what followed was a huge behind-the-scenes standoff.

The conflict was a lose/lose situation for the network. Either the show’s lead star, Harmon, was going to quit, or the show was going to be forced to displace one of television’s biggest names. CBS eventually chose the actor over the producer and fired Bellasario (I totally get it—have you ever seen Harmon’s serious face?). Heading into Season 5, there was a good chance the show could have crashed and burned, but NCIS didn’t, and the show has increased in the ratings over time. It’s a well-oiled machine, and that’s probably a testament to Bellisario’s early creative work. Just don’t tell Harmon I said that.

If ever there was a character on Desperate Housewives who told it like it was, Karen McCluskey. The resident senior citizen of Wisteria Lane didn't make any apologies about her opinions, and given the amount of drama and nosiness that went on in the ABC drama series, that kind of honesty proved to be as vital as it was amusing. So it is with great sadness that we share the news that actress Kathryn Joosten, who played Mrs. McCluskey on Desperate Housewives - among a bevy of other TV roles over the years - has passed away.

E! shared the sad news today, stating that Joosten died this morning from lung cancer at the age of 72. She was surrounded by her family and friends when she went. In addition to Desperate Housewives, Joosten's credits include appearances in Harry's Law, The Mentalist, Scrubs, Monk, My Name Is Earl, General Hospital and Grey's Anatomy. She also played the recurring role of "Old Lady God" in Joan of Arcadia. And finally, it's likely that many will remember her for her role as the President's secretary Mrs. Landingham in The West Wing.

Between her lengthy list of credits, which span decades and her distinct style of humor, I doubt I'm alone in knowing I'll always remember of her with a smile. She'll definitely be missed. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family in the wake of her passing.

(In the photo above, Joosten is shown with actress Lily Tomlin, who played Mrs. McCluskey's sister Roberta in Desperate Housewives.)

Nicollette Sheridan’s lawyers dropped a bombshell in court today that could change the outcome of the big trial. Was there a conspiracy to destroy electronic records of emails regarding the killing off of Sheridan’s character on Desperate Housewives passed between network execs? Apparently a little mistake may have revealed to a low-level employee on the show the plan to delete the records.

If you haven’t been following the trial, here’s the story in a nutshell: Back in 2008, Housewives showrunner Marc Cherry apparently gave Nicolette Sheridan what he calls a “light tap” on the head during a heated discussion on the set. Sheridan reported him for hitting her, and believes that’s why her character Edie Britt was killed off on the show. Cherry denies that the incident, and her reporting of it, had anything to do with her exit. Sheridan is suing for wrongful termination to the tune of $4.2 million as well as for battery.

Both Sheridan and Cherry have already taken the stand in the trial, but the big bombshell came this morning, when according to Deadline Sheridan’s lawyers presented evidence that an employee at the show was mistakenly included in emails discussing the deletion of all email records regarding the decision to kill off Edie Britt. The email went out right after Sheridan filed her case against Marc Cherry and ABC in April of 2010. A voicemail from the employee in question was played in court, but he has so far dodged a subpoena to appear in court. Execs on the show claimed in court that the emails don’t exist because they were keeping things confidential.

What is ABC hiding by trying to delete those emails? It might not matter, just the act of trying to hide them may be enough to convince the jury that something fishy is going on over there. The lesson here is, always check who you’re CC’ing on your emails. It could cost you. In this case, it could cost ABC millions.

The trial is expected to wrap up by the end of the week, and then it will be up to the jury to decide on Sheridan’s claims and the case of the disappearing emails.

ABC’s Desperate Housewives has had a dramatic and twisting story arch over its eight seasons, and it is sort of fitting now the show is nearing its end, a dramatic and twisting related story is playing out in the court system. Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan is fighting a second lawsuit against the show that killed her off back in 2009.

To get into the deets really quickly: Nicollette Sheridan says Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry hit her hard, once. Allegedly, Sheridan is a legendary pain on set, but that is hardly deserving of a blow to the head. Sheridan didn’t think so, either, so she reported the incident to ABC, which purportedly led to the dismissal of her character off of the show. Because of these shenanigans, Sheridan opted to sue ABC and Marc Cherry for sexual harassment as well as a sum of money that she feels she would have earned has she not gotten fired. That sum is 4.2 million.

Today, Cherry took the stand to defend hitting, errr “lightly tapping” Sheridan on the head during a backstage argument on the set of the show. The producer stuck to his guns for the duration of his questioning, stating plans to kill off Sheridan’s character, Edie, were not due to the physical incident the two got into, but were due to budgetary concerns and wanting to “improve” the show for Season 6. According to Deadline in the coming days, everyone from producers, to writers, to actors are expected to weigh in on whether or not Sheridan deserves compensation for her loss.

It is a problem Sheridan really was struck by Cherry during the taping of the program. However, I am uncertain Sheridan’s issues with Cherry wholly correspond with the fact she was killed off on Desperate Housewives. What really strikes me about this whole thing is Sheridan’s seeming disregard for her own career. Even though she did not deserve to be hit, behaving like a real pain in Hollywood is unlikely to do her any favors in helping her to garner future gigs. Maybe the actress is hoping to sit pretty on the cool 4.2 million she is asking for.

The trial is expected to conclude no later than March 12.

While football came out on top as the big winner of last night’s television, Pan Am has cause to celebrate, for delivering solid numbers and managing to top the return of Desperate Housewives, which served as the lead-in to ABC’s new drama series.

According to Deadline, NBC’s Sunday Night Football won the night as the Steelers/Colts game earned itself a 13.2 overnight rating. Meanwhile, things didn’t go nearly as well for Desperate Housewives and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, with DH down 28% from last seasons numbers, earning 9.8 million viewers for last night’s season premiere. Pan Am which debuted last night following Desperate Housewives, topped DH by more than a million viewers, earning 3.1/8 in adults 18-49.

While some may have tuned in to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to see First Lady Michelle Obama, the ratings for the feel-good home renovation series, which aired two episodes last night, were also down from last year (ratings:1.3/4, and 2.3/6).

Fox’s Animation Domination line-up didn’t do so bad, with The Simpsons up from last season’s premiere with 3/8/10 rating. While Family Guy was down from last year by 9% with 4.1/9, both series managed to win the night among non-sports programs watched by the 18-49 demo. American Dad and The Cleveland Show were about even with last season’s premieres, with 3.0/7 and 3.1/7 respectively.

Finally, CBS’ primetime took a hit, largely due to the places where football bumped things back on the line-up, The Amazing Race’ season premiere was down by 21% from last year with 3.0/7. The Good Wife was down by 12% from last year with 2.2/5, and CSI: MIami suffered a 31% drop from last year with 2.2/5.

60 Minutes’ premiere was also down in ratings with 2.6/7 for its premiere, which is a shame as it featured a segment on South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and included footage of their hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. If you missed it, you can watch it here!

Don’t expect to see Eva Longoria in line for unemployment checks now that her long-running primetime soap opera Desperate Housewives is drawing to a close at the end of this upcoming season. Instead, she’s using the newfound freedom to line up several feature-film opportunities. Let’s hope none of them is a sequel to Over Her Dead Body.

Variety actually reports that Longoria has four "diverse" projects in the pipeline for as soon as Housewives wraps. One, Long Time Gone, would pair Eva with Meg Ryan for a drama about a woman (Ryan) dealing with her husband’s infidelity. (Longoria would play the other woman.) After that, the actress is eyeing two independent films: Who Gets the Dog, about a divorcing couple squabbling over the family pet; and Four Kings, an historical drama set during the French and Indian War that also would star Brendan Fraser.

Finally, there is Child Support, an animated series Longoria would produce and star in for Hulu. She’d lend her voice to the lead character of Marley Wiener, who is described in the Variety piece as a female version of Peter Griffin, the main character on Fox’s animated hit Family Guy.

It’s hard to say which, if any, of these roles will hit. Of the four Housewives, Longoria is the one I’ll always associate with her character, Gabrielle Solis, primarily because co-stars Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross all had high-profile roles prior to the ABC soap. While Longoria has had bit parts in Harsh Times and The Sentinel, this will be her first real opportunity to define herself outside of the confines of a popular television program. It will be interesting to see how she does.

Facing slowly faltering ratings and increasingly out-there storylines, there was little surprise when ABC announced it was discussing dropping Desperate Housewives. Though the network’s program still holds a decent fanbase, U.S. interest over the years has steadily dropped. It took only a few weeks to decide the ladies of Wisteria Lane will soon be a wistful memory.

The women will be gone soon, but not before they wreak another season of havoc. Desperate Housewives has already been optioned for Season 8, so if there is any storyline that needs to be tied up, the show has been given plenty of opportunity. According to Deadline, ABC did have options on the four leading ladies to bring them back for Season 9, but ultimately, they decided it just wasn’t worth it. Word on the street is all the principal actresses are pretty shocked and saddened by the show ending.

It’s probably for the best, though. While Desperate Housewives is still pulling strong international ratings, it would only be a matter of time before the show pulled an E.R. or a Law and Order or a Grey’s, and lost American audiences completely. If ABC has a show in mind to fill the ratings niche, the network will do fine. Even if the network hasn’t found a sure thing, the cancellation will at least facilitate going in a new direction. Long gone are the days when Housewives pulled in 20 million or more viewers an episode. Plus, with showrunner Marc Cherry gone, Season 8 will be far more of gamble than a sure thing. You should gamble on the colts, not the old stallions.

One of the most melodramatic streets on television may soon see its favorite housewives moving out. According to TV Guide ABC is considering going ahead with the decision to pack the show up at the end of the upcoming eighth season.

Since it hit the air in 2004 the dramedy has been one of ABC’s most stable ratings draws, in spite of early complaints by critics in the second season that the quality of the show was sliding. Although the ratings have seen a drop out of the top 10 in recent years, Housewives continues to have a strong fan base and has become one of the most watched shows worldwide. Show creator/executive producer Marc Cherry and stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Eva Longoria all have contract options to stay on for a ninth season, but ABC may decide to go out strong in 2012 instead. They might not even wait for the new season’s dust to settle -- rumor has it a decision may be made as early as August 7th, when the network faces the Television Critics Association and sure questions about the series’ future.

Is there life left in Wisteria Lane? More importantly, can ABC risk letting the series go even before determining whether or not they can pull out a new hit to replace it this season? I suspect the rumors of an early decision will leave us unsatisfied. Housewives may have lost a good half of its viewers since it first hit the air, but with no sure replacement, I doubt ABC is in a hurry to bid adieu to its very own Fab Four in heels.

In addition to better weather, spring also brings the conclusion to many TV shows for the season (and in some cases, forever.) ABC released the season finale schedule for their current primetime line-up, which includes a double-dose of Desperate Housewives and Cougar Town.

There still hasn’t been word on whether or not freshman drama series No Ordinary Family will be brought back for a second season. From what’s been said, its chances of renewal are “iffy at best.” So you may want to enjoy what’s left of the drama series while it lasts. The season (possibly series) finale will air in just a few weeks.

Desperate Housewives is getting two-hour season finale, while comedy series Cougar Town will also double in size with a one-hour season finale later on in May.

With his days as David Silver a decade behind him, once again Brian Austin Green appears to be building some momentum on the small screen and that’ll continue this season as he joins the cast of Desperate Housewives. Read on to hear his thoughts on the role and what he has to say about the new 90210. Green was interviewed by Details.com recently. Among the topics of discussion were his thoughts on the original 90210 as compared with the CW series that’s currently airing…

That actually makes a lot of sense. Beverly Hills, 90210 was a glimpse into the glamorous world of Beverly Hills, told through the eyes of a couple of regular, middle-class kids. At least, it started out that way. But thanks to celeb-reality shows and the internet, “reality” has sort of made the concept a bit less exciting and given how dramatic and drawn out some of the tabloid stories can get, it’s a wonder shows like 90210 can top them anymore.

Green is set to play the role of a dreamy handyman on Desperate Housewives. Here’s what he had to say about the part.

Was he not supposed to be hunky in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles?

To read the full interview, check out Details.com.

We’re at the midway point of August and while that might mean the countdown to cooler weather and the return to school or work has already begun for some, it also means we’re just a few weeks away from the start of the new TV season. Up ahead is the primetime schedule for the Fall 2010 season.

TV Guide has a print-friendly calendar here. Below is the list of the returning shows this season, starting with September. Dates are subject to change as the networks make additions and last-minute shuffles. If we’re missing something, post a comment and we’ll get it added!

All times are in Eastern Standard Time.

10:00 PM

Sons of Anarchy (FX)

8:00 PM

America's Next Top Model (CW)

NFL Kickoff (NBC)

9:00 PM

Hellcats (CW)

10:00 PM

Terriers (FX) New

8:00 PM

The Vampire Diaries (CW)

9:00 PM

Nikita (CW) New

8:00 PM

Cops (Fox)

9:00 PM

America's Most Wanted (Fox)

7:00 PM

Football Night in America (NBC)

8:15 PM

Sunday Night Football (NBC)

8:00 PM

90210 (CW)

9:00 PM

Gossip Girl (CW)

8:00 PM

One Tree Hill (CW)

9:00 PM

Life Unexpected (CW)

10:00 PM

Parenthood (NBC)

8:00 PM

Survivor: Nicaragua (CBS)

10:00 PM

Outlaw (NBC) New

10:00 PM

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

The Apprentice (NBC)

10:30 PM

The League (FX)

8:00 PM

Boardwalk Empire (HBO) New

8:00 PM

Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

House (Fox)

Chuck (NBC)

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8:30 PM

Rules of Engagement (CBS)

9:00 PM

Lone Star (Fox) New

The Event (NBC) New

Two and a Half Men (CBS)

9:30 PM

Mike & Molly (CBS) New

10:00 PM

Castle (ABC)

Chase (NBC) New

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) New

8:00 PM

Glee (Fox)

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

NCIS (CBS)

9:00 PM

Raising Hope (Fox) New

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:30 PM

Running Wilde (Fox) New

10:00 PM

Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC) New

8:00 PM

Hell's Kitchen (Fox)

The Middle (ABC)

Undercovers (NBC) New

8:30 PM

Better With You (ABC) New

9:00 PM

Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Criminal Minds (CBS)

Modern Family (ABC)

9:30 PM

Cougar Town (ABC)

10:00 PM

The Whole Truth (ABC) New

The Defenders (CBS) New

8:00 PM

My Generation (ABC) New

Bones (Fox)

Community (NBC)

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:30 PM

30 Rock (NBC)

S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) New

9:00 PM

Fringe (Fox)

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

The Office (NBC)

CSI (CBS)

9:30 PM

Outsourced (NBC) New

10:00 PM

Private Practice (ABC)

The Mentalist (CBS)

8:00 PM

Smallville (CW)

Medium (CBS)

9:00 PM

The Good Guys (Fox)

Supernatural (CW)

Dateline (NBC)

CSI: NY (CBS)

10:00 PM

20/20 (ABC)

Blue Bloods (CBS) New

10:00 PM

48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

7:00 PM

America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

7:30 PM

60 Minutes (CBS)

8:00 PM

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

The Simpsons (Fox)

8:30 PM

The Cleveland Show (Fox)

The Amazing Race (CBS)

9:00 PM

Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Family Guy (Fox)

Dexter (Showtime)

10:00 PM

Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Bored to Death (HBO)

10:30 PM

Eastbound & Down (HBO)

8:00 PM

No Ordinary Family (ABC) New

The Good Wife (CBS)

9:00 PM

Stargate Universe (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC) New

8:00 PM

Human Target (Fox)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Syfy)

9:30 PM

American Dad (Fox)

10:00 PM

CSI: Miami (CBS)

9:00 PM

Scare Tactics (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Caprica (Syfy)

School Pride (NBC) New

10:00 PM

Sanctuary (Syfy)

9:00 PM

Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (Syfy)

10:00 PM

Hollywood Treasure (Syfy)

9:00 PM

Lie to Me (Fox)

On TV, Dana Delany is well known for portraying a desperate housewife. In her new film, Multiple Sarcasms, she’s still playing a housewife, but her character, Annie, is far from desperate. In fact, she’s quite the opposite; sensible and strong.

Those traits come in handy because thanks to her husband’s midlife crisis, her marriage is unraveling. Gabriel was a skilled architect and loving family man, but now he’s entirely consumed by unwarranted sadness as well as his new obsession, writing a play. While Gabriel is busy searching for a new sense of self and toiling away at his typewriter, Annie is left to care for their daughter and try to hold the family together.

Not only was Delany on hand to enlighten us on her character in Multiple Sarcasms, but on her Desperate Housewives character as well. Constantly switching from TV to film is no easy task, but Delany has the details down to a science and is able to embrace the best of both worlds.

So tell us what you like about your character.

Oh gosh. I grew up in the ‘70s so I, first of all, loved that the whole movie had that feeling, that kind of ‘70s, Paul Mazursky movie. I remember An Unmarried Woman just had a huge impact on me when I was getting out of college. What I loved about the movie was a similarity in terms of the way Mazursky’s movies used to go from screaming to laughing to crying; it would take emotional left-turns all the time. So I think my favorite moment in the movie is when Tim [Hutton] and I are fighting and then I just start laughing. And I really fought for that because I thought this is what we do in life but we don’t see that in movies anymore.

How was it working with Brooks Branch as a first time director?

Obviously you don’t know going into it what it’s going to be like, and you are thinking, ‘Wow, he’s never made a movie before,’ but it was so relaxed. What I really like about Brooks and why we’ve remained friends is he’s very collaborative and he’s got a great sense of humor. He likes the messiness of life and I do too, so he accepts that things are odd or weird, and I like that. He mixes odd choices and he goes with it and I think it’s funny, it’s good, it’s human.

Since you’ve had your stint on Desperate Housewives, what do you look for now when it comes to projects? TV is such a huge commitment.

Whether I can fit it in my schedule. That’s the main thing right now. For instance, I think I’m really only going to get two weeks to myself this year. I’m not complaining, it’s been fantastic, but my agent keeps saying, ‘I want to find you a movie,’ and I keep saying, ‘No. No, I’m going on vacation. I’m taking two weeks and doing nothing.’ I think once all this TV stuff is done I’ll be back to it.

Different people have ways of contrasting the experience of doing TV and movies; how would you describe them for you?

Everything has its own tone. Desperate Housewives is such a beast unto itself. There’s nothing like it. I don’t even know how to describe it; that takes on a whole other life of its own. I feel like this movie is a little more real and smaller. It’s not so over the top. For me, every project, it’s finding the tone, which is hard.

It’s funny because your characters in this and that are so similar in ways, but the show and the movie are so drastically different. This was a problem you’d except to see on Desperate Housewives.

Yeah, but on Desperate Housewives it would have been about the woman having the midlife crisis. [Laughs] So that’s what’s nice about it, it’s about women because we often see the man having the midlife crisis.

Timeline wise, where did this film and starting Desperate Housewives fall?

I owe it all to Tim Hutton. We had just finished working together on Kidnapped and that got canceled, and then this came up and he suggested me to Brooks and I think I left two days later to start shooting. And then Desperate Housewives came up I think a month later.

Was this at all good preparation for that?

Was it? No, I don’t think so. [Laughs] No. Very different.

What do you like about your character, Katherine, on Housewives? Do you relate to her?

Oh god no. I always have to find something, but on the outside, no. I think I’ve been lucky on Housewives because I wasn’t one of the original four women and so because of that, my character is not so iconic. I get to do all the weird stuff that Marc Cherry wouldn’t let any of the other women do, like have a nervous breakdown, stab herself and become a lesbian. If that happened to any of the other women I think people would be very upset.

I imagine Desperate Housewives is heavily scripted as compared to this film. Did you get much freedom to improvise here?

Yes, which I loved. I would like to say, when I’m allowed to improvise, I don’t take it lightly and I know what a privilege that is, so I’m very serious about it and I think that I help when I do it. It’s not about me looking better; it’s about helping the story. Brooks was great with that.

You seem like a really self-possessed person who likes to get to know yourself. How does that affect your attitude towards the industry?

I think I’m at a place in my life now where I know none of it really matters, so I always remind myself of that. I don’t take anything personally. I feel like I’m on my own path, and whether that involves acting, great, if it doesn’t, fine, because there are so many other things I’m interested in – just living, traveling, being – that I have a certain healthy sense of detachment from all of it.

Last night, I was sitting in LaGuardia airport waiting for the last flight to Detroit after a great weekend working in NYC. The flight was late – which made me miss the last flight out of Detroit to Fort Wayne, Indiana. So, while I was supposed to be watching Desperate Housewives, I was instead catching up with my fabulous husband who drove all the way to Detroit to get me. Am I lucky or what?

The ladies of Wisteria Lane aren’t quite that lucky. Or maybe if they would just stop being so dramatic about everything they would be. But a show about everyone being happy wouldn’t last too long, would it?

Speaking of being happy – did Bree forget when Susan told her that a friend sleeping with your ex is a deal-breaker for her? I guess she forgot, or maybe she is just having too much fun to care – because every time Karl gives her a ring, she runs off like a horny teenager. It’s literally only a matter of time till Karl moves on to the next gal and Bree’s left holding the baggage of an affair and a broken friendship. Pleasure is great – but it seems like you might want to think about where it’s coming from before you jump in the sack.

In the midst of getting to a rendezvous with Karl, it becomes very evident that Katherine is not all there. And I do mean mentally. It seems that the shock of Susan and Mike getting married was enough to send one of my favorite gals off the deep end. I can understand portions of it – but the delusions that Kat is suffering from are starting to borderline on straight-up crazy! After learning that Katherine is peeping on Mike, she gives her three weeks off to get well. Katherine comes back to apologize, but when she sees that Bree used her cake design (for her cake when she marries Mike), she flips. Bree ends up firing her, and it’s clear that Katherine isn’t going to take that any better than she took Mike marrying Susan.

Lynette is full on into her second trimester (which means the second three month period of a pregnancy, for the men out there), and with the second trimester comes energy, cravings, and b-o-o-b-s. Big ones. It happens to most women, and though Lynette knew it was coming (after 3 pregnancies, you get it), she wasn’t ready for them yet. None of her blouses fit, and she’s not quite sure how to hide them from the boss man – Carlos. They are impossible to hide, and Carlos thinks she got implants – and encourages her to tell Gaby about them. He also encourages her to whore them out to new clients. When she comes home, Tom admits that he loves big boobs – but he’s glad she doesn’t have them because it makes him feel like they fit together better.

Over at the Solis house, Carlos’ niece Anna is in “love” with John Roland. You might remember him as Gaby’s ex-gardener/high school boy toy. Last week he hired Anna to work in his restaurant, after Carlos gave his approval. This week, Anna does her best to get between the sheets with John. Gaby’s concerned, and John mistakes that for love. He kisses her after offering to “rescue” her from her life – and guess who pops in? Gaby runs off chasing Anna, and Gaby confesses that she and John had an affair. Anna decides to not tell Carlos, and quits her job at John’s restaurant. Gaby lets go of the old mall picture kiosk pics of her and John – tearing them up and leaving them for John to see. She also tells Carlos she’s honest-to-God happy with her life. And I believe her.

My least favorite housewife, Susan, learns even more dirt on her unconscious daughter, Julie, this week. Thanks to Andrew Van de Kamp, she finds out that not only did Julie think she was pregnant, but she’d also dropped out of medical school six months earlier, and the baby daddy was a married guy with initial “D”. That last part came after Susan ransacked Jules’ room. In the midst of the detective work, Julie wakes up and though Susan knows she shouldn’t she grills Julie on all of the things she didn’t know.

Over at the Bolen house, Oedipus Danny wants to drop out of school. His mom, Angie, feeling bad that he’s an outcast and worried that he might “get sloppy”, and bribes Lynette’s remaining twin to hook him up with a nice party. Later, we see her mystery scar again, and Danny promises her he’s going to get rich, get her scar removed, and take care of her. Now, I’ve got two boys, and when my three-year old says he’s going to marry me, I find it cute. If my teenage son was crossing that line, I might find it a little odd. At the party, Danny’s dad is hanging with the teenage girls. Danny confronts him and tells him ominously that “he knows”.

When Danny’s dad “D”ominic visits Julie in the hospital saying he misses her – it all kind of falls into place, doesn’t it?

I love Desperate Housewives and while I’d normally be moderately excited about the premiere of another season of Wisteria Lane drama, I’m doubly excited this season due to the addition of Drea de Matteo to the cast. If you’re a fan of the former Sopranos star (“Chris-ta-fa!”), you’ll appreciate the video clip we have of de Matteo from the sixth season premiere of DH.

It wouldn’t be Desperate Housewives if there weren’t some new family moving into Mary Alice’s old house, right? This time around it’s the Bolen family, which includes Angie (Drea de Matteo), her husband Nick (Jeffrey Nordling) and their weird son Danny (Beau Mirchoff). Below is ABC’s series and season description and further down are the promised video clips.

Desperate Housewives season 6 premieres Sunday, September 27 at 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC.

CLICK HERE to view the full 2009 fall TV premiere schedule.

With the death of Nicolette Sheridan’s character Edie, Wisteria Lane is short one blonde bombshell to stir things up. Rumor has it, Edie’s semi-replacement (can anyone really replace Edie?) has been cast and will appear next season on Desperate Housewives. Who is it? I’ll give you a hint, “Chris-ta-fa!” Fans of the Sopranos will appreciate the news that Drea de Matteo, is joining the cast of DH next season.

Entertainment Weekly’s Ausiello posted the news, stating that Drea will be playing the newest “vixenish housewife” as a regular character on the series. She’s set to play the wife of a yet-to-be-cast landscape designer and mother of a tightly wound son. An Italian family on Wisteria Lane? Love it!

I have to say, with the void that Sheridan’s character Edie has left on the block, bringing Drea de Matteo into the series is a brilliant casting choice on ABC’s part. I can’t wait to see what they do with her character and how the other housewives on Wisteria Lane react to her.

Sure, summer’s just beginning but it’s definitely not too early for the networks to start mapping out which shows will start when once fall rolls around. ABC posted their fall TV primetime premiere schedule for 2009 today. Strangely enough, they have Ugly Betty returning on a Friday night and I noticed their new series Eastwick isn’t up there. Has the network decided to move that to midseason? Or are they just not sure when they’re going to roll that one out for us?

Below is ABC’s 2009 fall TV premiere schedule:

Saturday, September 5

8:00-11:30 p.m. Saturday Night Football

Friday, September 11

10:00-11:00 p.m. 20/20

Monday, September 21

8:00-10:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars

10:00-11:00 p.m. Castle

Tuesday, September 22

8:00-10:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour episode)

10:00-11:00 p.m. The Forgotten

Wednesday, September 23

8:00-9:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (special day and time)

9:00-9:30 p.m. Modern Family

9:30-10:00 p.m. Cougar Town

Thursday, September 24

8:00-9:00 p.m. FlashForward

9:00-10:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy

Sunday, September 27

7:00-9:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour season premiere)

9:00-10:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives

Tuesday, September 29

8:00-9:00 p.m. Shark Tank

9:00-10:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (regular day & time period premiere)

Wednesday, September 30

8:00-8:30 p.m. Hank

8:30-9:00 p.m. The Middle

Sunday, October 4

7:00-8:00 p.m. America's Funniest Home Videos

8:00-9:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere)

Friday, October 9

8:00-10:00 p.m. Ugly Betty (two-hour season premiere)

Friday, October 16

8:00-9:00 p.m. Supernanny

9:00-10:00 p.m. Ugly Betty (regular time period premiere)

Upfront week continues with ABC’s announcement of their Fall 2009 primetime schedule. I sat looking at the release ABC sent out, preparing myself for the onslaught of vids and pics we’ll be getting to you as the day goes on, and wondered if I cared about anything. I’m looking forward to some of the new shows, but ABC as a network has really become a chick thing. So I called my wife to ask if there was anything on the fence she was worried about…she even had a hard time coming up with something.

But here’s what we now know for sure from ABC. Better of Ted and The Unusuals will be returning next season as midseason shows. And it appears that ABC hates Ugly Betty, as the network has moved the show to the dreaded Friday night slot. In it’s place is new series Flash Forward. Has the luster of the trials and tribulations of Mode worn off on the female fanbase and I hadn’t noticed, or is the show just been on an extreme decline without my knowledge?

In any case, here’s the Fall 2009 lineup for ABC’s primetime schedule. We’ll have more info on the new series’ throughout the day.

MONDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Dancing with the Stars” (two-hours)

10:00 p.m. -“Castle”

TUESDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Shark Tank”

9:00 p.m. - “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”

10:00 p.m. - “The Forgotten”

WEDNESDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Hank”

8:30 p.m. - “The Middle”

9:00 p.m. -“Modern Family”

9:30 p.m. - “Cougar Town”

10:00 p.m. - “Eastwick”

THURSDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Flash Forward”

9:00 p.m. - “Grey’s Anatomy”

10:00 p.m. - “Private Practice”

FRIDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Supernanny”

9:00 p.m. - “Ugly Betty”

10:00 p.m. - “20/20”

SATURDAY:

8:00 p.m. - “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:

7:00 p.m. - “America’s Funniest Home Videos”

8:00 p.m. - “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

9:00 p.m. - “Desperate Housewives”

10:00 p.m. - “Brothers & Sisters”

If you’ve been watching Desperate Housewives then you already know that Edie’s creepy husband Dave is well on his way to exacting his revenge. We’ve got some video clips from Sunday night’s episode, including one of Dave on his camping trip with Katherine and Mike. Spoilers ahead!

Along with Dave’s camping trip, it looks like Bree’s going to be reconsidering the future of her business because her marriage is in trouble. Below is the episode description for this week’s installment of Desperate Housewives along with a couple of video clips.

“"A Spark. To Pierce the Dark." - Life is full of nasty shocks, on ABC's Desperate Housewives, SUNDAY, MARCH 22 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET). Bree considers selling her business to save her marriage, Lynette is threatened by her new boss, boundaries are crossed for Gaby and Carlos, Katherine is caught in the most unexpected of circumstances and Edie's worst fears come true.”

Desperate Housewives airs on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Jealousy is the word on Wisteria Lane this week. Everyone is jealous of what the other people in their neighborhood have – time, love, career, etc. After the initial mini-recap of the last few weeks, we Mike, Susan and MJ at his art teacher’s class for parent’s night. His teacher shows off his artwork, and Mike admires the big muscles that MJ drew for him. Turns out that it isn’t Mike, but Susan’s friend who drinks lots of “wine and has sleepovers.” Sweet.

What a way to start the show. Bree is having loads of success with her new career. The cookbook is about to come out, and Bree gave each of her friends an advance copy. The ladies fear that Bree is going to become famous and forget them, but Katherine assures everyone that Bree will remain as stuck up as ever! Andrew calls and tells Bree that the Chamber of Commerce has declared her the Businesswoman of the Year. In her excitement, Bree discovers that Orson has been lying to her for 3 weeks about losing his job. He asks her for a job, but Katherine makes her say no. She shuts down Lynette’s Marketing help, and Orson starts sleeping in the guest room.

Mike can’t get over the painting that MJ drew, and in his worry, he buys MJ a super expensive bike, but can’t find time to teach him to ride. After a few days of begging and saying, “Pwease!”, Jackson gives in and teaches him. Mike miraculously shows up and MJ falls at Susan’s request to make his daddy happy. They end up in the ER, and the truth comes out. Mike wishes he were closer, but rent is so high he can’t afford it at all. Susan is stupid throughout this episode, and her only nice moment is when she tells Mike she doesn’t mind if he moves into Mary Alice’s old house.

Gaby and Carlos are scheming to get more action. They hook their fat daughter up with a play date, but she has a tummy ache and the other mom brings her home. She catches her parents having “blind sex” ( which is where Gaby puts on a blindfold so she can see what Carlos doesn’t see…) and gets the birds & bees talk at the ripe ‘ole age of 5. She does not keep the info to herself and gets booted from the play group. The only good thing about all of this is we actually see Juanita getting some exercise that doesn’t involve Gaby making her chase the car to get in.

Lynette is fired up about helping Bree with Marketing. She does a whole campaign, but Bree doesn’t like it. At the Chamber of Commerce dinner, Lynette gets drunk and throws a fit because her old assistant Stu is Bree’s Marketing guy. Tom and Dave are trying to get their band together, but Dave only has eyes for Mike.

Dave is so enamored with Mike that he buys the “Hudson House”, which is the new name for Mary Alice’s old digs. Dave and Edie buy it after Dave initially screams at Edie saying he’s not interested. They secretly rent it for a dirt cheap price to Mike – and by secretly I mean that Mike has no idea who hooked him up. We learn that Dave has some sort of prescription drug stash, and he takes them whenever his rage takes over.

In the end, Lynette apologizes for her outburst, and Bree apologizes to Orson with a chef hat – implying that he’s got a job. This was an okay episode, but it wasn’t my favorite. Bree is not my favorite, and this episode sort of revolved around her. Well, there’s always next week…

Things are getting tense on Wisteria Lane! In this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives, titled “Kids Ain’t Like Everybody Else,” Danielle Van De Kamp returns home with her son. Gaby and Susan have a spat over an altercation between their kids. Tom and Dave form a garage band. And speaking of Dave, Katherine and Mrs. McCluskey attempt to interrogate Edie to find out info on him.

Below are some video clips from the episode and there are also pictures in the gallery.

Desperate Housewives airs on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

It’s time, and Desperate Housewives begins with a real bang. And, I mean that very literally. If you’ve been watching the show since the beginning, you will know that the voice that begins every episode is that of Mary Alice – dear friend of the ladies of Wisteria Lane, who also committed suicide in the very first episode. Miss Mary Alice tells us the tale of Susan and M.J. and the fact that another woman named Lila gave birth to her daughter in the same hour, in the same hospital, on the same day. They left the hospital at the same time, they’ve been in many of the same places, yet they’ve never met. The one night, on Mike and Susan’s anniversary to be exact, they both leave home at the same time, and have a terrible (and I mean terrible) car crash. Yes, into each other.

Skip ahead to the present, and we see Lynette with her teenagers, Bree in her new profession (with hair that looks like a swiss cake roll), Gaby looking really frumpy and really pregnant with two chubby daughters, and Susan screwing someone who clearly is not Mike.

Bree is now a professional chef with a cookbook and a photo shoot. Her perfection is irritating to the photographer and her friends. Her dear friend Katherine is frustrated because Bree is not present for their catering business, and gets a sweet jab in about Bree pretending to be a cook. But Bree kills her with kindness when Katherine finds out Bree dedicated her book to her dearest friend.

Lynette comes to the Scavo Pizzeria to find a mini-casino run by Porter and Preston – complete with tequila shots. The stupid boys admit they’ve been doing it for a month, and somehow think that saying they have homecoming is going to get them out of it.

Now, that guy Susan is screwing. I’m more than slightly irritated, cause it sure seems like she is cheating. She’s been sleeping with the guy for four months, and she won’t let him spend the night. She won’t let him meet her friends, her son, etc. Where is Mike in all of this??? This new guy is not that cute, and I miss Mike! And the guy seems like he’s 19 or something.

And finally, we see an older bald guy being bribed to leave his rented home by Neal McDonough (aka Mr. Williams.) He seems nice, until he all but threatens the poor old guy and starts counting backwards from 5. He gives the guy a whole lotta cash, and though we don’t know for sure what happened, the old guy and Mr. Williams leave the house with the old guy’s suitcases. Mr. Williams tells Mrs. Williams that the situation has been dealt with, and when the window of the black car in the driveway rolls down, who should it be but Edie!

Now, of course, no one knows Edie is back, so she sets out in her pathetic leopard bathing suit to wash the car, a la season one. The ladies confront her, and she gladly lets them know she’s got a husband now – Susan kills me by asking, “Whose?” - HA!

Edie seems her old self when she asks Gaby what the hell happened to her. Gaby says that she had two kids, and Edie asks if she ate them for breakfast? When she says that Gaby should fix herself up even though Carlos is blind, the new husband grabs her arm and tells her to be nice. Edie apologizes and the ladies tell Dave (Mr. Williams) that they love him! This new Edie should be a trip, but quite honestly they could have left her out of the time jump.

Gaby confronts Carlos on their daughter’s eating habits and they have a little tiff over the weight issue.

Lynette asks Tom to talk to the boys, and she realizes that Tom (the high school nerd) is living vicariously through their wild twins. He laughs and says he was cool – but apparently he played the tuba in high school, and we all know what that means…

Gaby takes Juanita (the chubby 4 year old) to a birthday party, and overhears the other moms talking about Juanita’s weight. I think that was the push Gaby needed to take some action for her little girl.

And unfortunately, we have to see Susan making out with her not cute house painter/ guy she’s screwing who isn’t Mike. Lynette comes in to bitch about Tom, and the guy pops out the window in his underwear. He grabs his overalls through the window and the gay guys next door snap a pic of him standing outside. When he gets back in, he complains that they wouldn’t have to sneak around if Susan would just introduce them.

Back to Gaby and her chubster – she makes Juanita chase her home while she drives… HA!

Katherine confronts Bree because it seems that Bree included some of Katherine’s recipes in her book. Bree changed one little ingredient in each – like flat leaf rather than curly leaf parsley, and thought Katherine wouldn’t notice. Yeah, but she did.

Lynette gets some serious payback when she gives in to Tom’s plan to let the twins go to Homecoming in spite of their grounding – she gives them the keys to Tom’s convertible. Oh, Tom, don’t you know better than to cross your wife? The boys end up being over 30 minutes late, and Lynette gets to explain that she needs a backup, and their parenting style has not been working. The boys arrive home, grinding the gears on the Mustang, and Tom rips them. He steps up big time, and the boys know he means business.

Speaking of payback, Katherine gets some too, when she calls Bree on making sugar netting for some crazy cake. Bree claims in the cookbook that she can do it, but Katherine knows better – she flicks some hot sugar on the reporter who is interviewing them. Then the spun sugar sticks to Bree, and she knocks part of the cake down. Katherine steps in and shows the camera how it should be done. Yup, you know what they say about paybacks.

Carlos and Gaby have another tiff over Juanita’s weight, and it comes out that Gaby is really feeling badly because after two kids and five years she isn’t quite as pretty as she used to be – and she’s glad Carlos can’t see her.

At Edie’s Welcome Back party, Orson is singing Jim Morrison, Mrs. McCluskey jabs at Edie, and Susan’s boy toy is there. Edie and the ladies have it out – Edie accepts their apology, and they tell her they forgive her – except signals are a little crossed. Susan’s boy toy does some karaoke, and in her embarrassment, she hits the breaker to cut the lights. She tells the guy – Jackson – that there was a bad accident, and she feels really guilty, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think Mike was dead. Edie and her husband have a chat about their return, and I think more than ever that he is nutso.

The end of the show clues us in on Bree’s son – no not Andrew, the one that is really Danielle’s. Wow, I forgot about him… Anyway, Danielle took him back, and for the first time, we find out that she and Orson are back together. I wonder how they explained that to everyone?

Mike! It’s Mike. He’s not dead, and he can walk, and what the freak could have broken them up? Susan’s guilt ends up being over the woman and her daughter dying. He can’t stand her whining, and she can’t get over the guilt, so they split. They are friendly, but not a couple for sure. Susan tells Mike that she’s seeing someone – I think she said the wrong word – she meant screwing. Momentarily, there is pain evident in Mike’s eyes, but Susan still can’t believe he left.

The questions each woman is facing wraps up the show, and Mr. Williams gets a call that makes him seem even more shady. He was released, from something, and he’s got to check in with some doctor every month. He’s on meds, and he see a video of him with rage issues. Sounds like a good man for Edie. He’s got it in for someone – and that someone lives on Wisteria Lane.

Desperate Housewives - Fifth Season Premiere

Starring: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria Parker, Nicollette Sheridan, Ricardo Antonio, Chavira, Dough Savant, kyle MacLachlan, Dana Delany, Neal McDonough, Shawn Pyfrom, Brenda Strong, James Denton, Joshua Moore, Kendall Applegate

Created By: Marc Cherry

Premieres: Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 9:00 PM ET on ABC

Desperate Housewives is like a whole new show… sort of. When last season ended, we saw the story jump forward five years. Kids are grown up, the housewives are still hot and the drama is different but in a way, kind of the same. As we’re entering into the fifth season of DH, the jump forward could give the show a fresh start and a new direction, while at the same time, giving us the same comedy and drama we’ve come to love about the series.

This review is obviously going to contain some spoilers about the first two episodes of the fifth season of Desperate Housewives. As always, I won’t post any major spoilers but read at your own risk!

So the women of Wisteria Lane have all aged five years, though for the most part you wouldn’t be able to tell. Gaby is the only one who shows any signs of physical change and that has more to do with her frumpy attire and raggedy hairstyle. But let’s face it, it would take a lot more than some unflattering outfits and frizzy hair to make Eva Longoria less than gorgeous. The point is, the former model is now spending most of her time chasing after her daughters (who, if you’ve seen the previews, are actually younger than they look) and helping out Carlos, who is just as blind as he was at the end of last season.

Lynette’s kids are all five years older, putting the twins in their teen years. They were a handful when they were children and now that they’re teenagers, they’re even more trouble. Among the shenanigans they’re getting into now is a secret casino night at their parents’ restaurant, complete with bar service. Yeah. Tom and Lynette have their hands full with these two and considering they only have a few more years to instill good values in the boys, they need to get a move on it.

Bree has taken her domestic skills and turned them into a career. She’s on her way to becoming the new Martha Stewart, only her success could come at a price. There are a few people in her life that are less than supportive of the fast-track she’s on and I’m thinking by the way things are going, it’s only a matter of time until someone finds a way to sabotage her rise in fame.

Susan’s marital situation has changed and she’s got a new man in her life. I really don’t want to spoil anything for you so I won’t say what happened to Mike but as for the new guy in her life, she’s keeping him at arm’s length. Or at bed’s length as they’re sleeping together a lot but she doesn’t want more.

And as for Edie? Edie’s back! Yeah, from our perspective she never really left but from Wisteria Lane’s perspective, the blonde beauty left town after Bree, Susan, Lynette and Gaby finally shut her out. Now she’s back and she’s got a creepy new husband with creepy flesh-colored hair and his own reasons for wanting to live on Wisteria Lane.

Overall I have to say, I think the jump forward could be a good thing for the show. With so many crazy things going on in their lives, the move ahead will hopefully refresh the series and make room for new story arcs and more crazy (and often dark) drama to play out in the little cul-de-sac.

Fall’s not that far away and as the summer shows are beginning to wrap up, I’ve been finding myself wondering when to expect some of my favorite shows to return from the summer hiatus. So I figure now’s as good a time as any to get started on the big premiere schedule. We’ll be posting previews for all of the new and returning shows this season and as always, the schedule is a work in progress. We’ll probably be adding shows and updating dates/times as the fall approaches. In the meantime, get your calendar's out!

Monday, August 25

9:00-10:00 PM - AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS (series premiere) (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Deal or No Deal (NBC)

Tuesday, August 26

9:00-10:00 PM - Greek (ABC Family)

Thursday, August 28

9:00 PM - MTV's Top Pop Group (Casting Special) (MTV)

Monday, September 1

8:00-10:00 PM - Prison Break (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-9:00 PM - Gossip Girl (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - One Tree Hill (The CW)

10:00-11:00 PM - Raising The Bar (TNT)

Tuesday, September 2

8:00-10:00 PM - 90210 (Two-Hour Premiere) (The CW)

10:00-11:00 PM - The Shield (FX)

Wednesday, September 3

8:00-10:00 PM - Bones (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-10:00 PM - America’s Next Top Model (Two-Hour Premiere) (The CW)

10:00 PM - SONS OF ANARCHY (FX)

Thursday, September 4

8:00-10:00 PM - Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)

Friday, September 5

8:00-10:00 PM - Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (2-Hour Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:00-10:00 PM - Samurai Girl (ABC Family)

9:00-11:00 PM - DogTown - Saving The Michael Vick Dogs (National Geographic)

Saturday, September 6

8:00-8:30 PM - COPS (Season Premiere) (Fox)

8:30-9:00 PM - COPS (Season Premiere) (Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back (Fox)

Sunday, September 7

10:00-10:30 PM Entourage

Monday, September 8

The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated)

8:00-9:00 PM - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)

Tuesday, September 9

8:00-10:00 PM - FRINGE (2-Hour Series Premiere)(Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - PRIVILEGED (series premiere) (The CW)

Wednesday, September 9

9:00-9:30 PM - ‘Til Death (Fox)

9:30-10:00 PM - DO NOT DISTURB (Fox) (Series Premiere)

Thursday, September 11

8:00-9:00 PM - Hole In The Wall (Fox)

Friday, September 12

9:00-10:00 PM - Don’t Forget The Lyrics! (Fox)

Saturday, September 13

11:00 PM-Midnight - MADtv (Fox) (Season Premiere)

Midnight-12:30 AM - Talkshow With Spike Feresten (Fox)

11:30 PM - 1:00 PM - Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Tuesday, September 16

8:00-10:00 PM - The Biggest Loser: Families (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - House (Fox)

Thursday, September 18

8:00-9:00 PM - Smallville (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - Supernatural (The CW)

10:00-10:30 PM It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

Friday, September 19

10:00-11:00 PM - 20/20 (ABC)

Monday, September 22

8:00-10:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour performance show premiere) (ABC)

8:00-8:30 PM - The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

9:00-11:00 PM - Heroes (NBC)

9:00-9:30 PM - Two and a Half Men (CBS)

9:30-10:00 PM - WORST WEEK (series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - CSI: Miami (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Boston Legal (ABC)

Tuesday, September 23

8:00-9:00 PM - NCIS (CBS)

8:00-9:00 PM - OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS (series premiere) (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - THE MENTALIST (series premiere) (CBS)

9:00-11:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars (special performance show) (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Without A Trace (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)

Wednesday, September 24

8:00-9:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars Results Show Special (special day and time) (ABC)

8:00-8:30 PM - The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - GARY UNMARRIED (series premiere) (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00-11:00 p.m. David Blaine Special (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - KNIGHT RIDER (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Lipstick Jungle (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - CSI: NY (CBS)

Thursday, September 25

8:00-9:00 PM - Ugly Betty (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - My Name Is Earl (NBC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Survivor (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - The Office (NBC)

9:00-11:00 PM - Grey's Anatomy (special two-hour season premiere) (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - ER (NBC)

Saturday, September 27

8:00-9:00 PM Crimetime Saturday (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM Crimetime Saturday (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - 48 Hours Mystery (CBS)

Sunday, September 28

7:00-9:00 PM - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)

7:00-8:00 PM - 60 Minutes (CBS)

8:00-8:30 PM - The Simpsons (Fox)

8:00-9:00 PM - The Amazing Race (CBS)

8:30-9:00 PM - King of the Hill (Fox)

9:00-10:00 PM - Cold Case (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Desperate Housewives (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - Dexter (Showtime)

9:00-9:30 PM - Family Guy (Fox)

9:30-10:00 PM - American Dad (Fox)

10:00-11:00 PM - Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - The Unit (CBS)

Monday, September 29

8:00-9:00 PM - Chuck (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Life (NBC)

Tuesday, September 30

9:00-10:00 PM - Dancing with the Stars Result Show (regular day and time period premiere) (ABC)

Wednesday, October 1

8:00-9:00 PM - Pushing Daisies (ABC)

9:00-10:00 PM - Private Practice (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

Friday Night Lights (DirectTV's The 101)

Friday, October 3

8:00-9:00 PM - Wife Swap (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Ghost Whisperer (CBS)

8:00-8:30 PM - Everybody Hates Chris (The CW)

8:30-9:00 PM - The Game (The CW)

9:00-10:00 PM - THE EX LIST (series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - Numb3rs (CBS)

9:00-10:00 PM - Supernanny (ABC)

Sunday, October 5

7:00-8:00 PM - America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

8:00-9:00 PM - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere) (ABC)

Thursday, October 9

8:30-9:00 PM - KATH & KIM (series premiere) (NBC)

9:00-10:00 PM - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - ELEVENTH HOUR(series premiere) (CBS)

10:00-11:00 PM - LIFE ON MARS (series premiere) (ABC)

10:30 - 11:00 PM - TESTEES (FX)

Friday, October 10

10:00-11:00 PM - THE STARTER WIFE (series premiere) (USA)

Monday, October 13

9:30-10:00 PM - Samantha Who? (ABC)

10:00-11:00 PM - MY OWN WORST ENEMY (series premiere) (NBC)

Tuesday, October 14

10:00-11:00 PM - Eli Stone (ABC)

Friday, October 17

8:00-10:00 PM - CRUSOE (series premiere) (NBC)

10:00-11:00 PM - Crash (Starz)

Thursday, October 30

9:30-10:00 PM - 30 Rock (NBC)

Sunday, November 23

8:00-10:00 PM - 24: Redemption (Fox)

If you happened to catch the totally bizarre season finale of Desperate Housewives last spring then you saw that at the very end of the episode, the show jumped forward five years. The ending revealed some very interesting (to say the least) changes in some of the characters’ lives. It looks like there will be even more changes when the new season resumes, specifically with regards to some of the cast.

While it’s likely that the make-up people will be able to age up Susan’s daughter Julie to make her look a few years older but the same can obviously not be said for Lynette and Tom Scavo’s kids. Porter and Parker Scavo, Lynette’s rebellious twin sons, who were previously played by the Kinsman twins (Cheaper by the Dozen), have been recast and will now be played by Charles and Max Carver. Scavo son Parker will be played by Joshua Moore and their youngest child, Penny will be played by Kendall Applegate.

All of the newly cast kids are virtual unknowns, though according to IMDB, Applegate has a small role in the upcoming Pauly Shore (yes, he’s still around!) movie, Opposite Day. All three boys will be in their teens and Penny will be around 8 or 9 years old.

I didn’t know what to think about the season finale of Desperate Housewives, but if there’s one thing I can’t wait to see when the series resumes, it’s how bad things have gotten for the Scavos. Those twins were nightmares in their early youth. I think it’s safe to say that their teen-versions could be even worse.

Neal McDonough is moving to Wisteria Lane. ”The former Boomtown star will be joining the cast of Desperate Housewives this fall as a new addition to the neighborhood who could become more suit-clad prey for Nicollette Sheridan's man-eater Edie Britt” , reports Yahoo News. Desperate Housewives has been an obsession of mine since it started. I love the independence of the women, yet they still have men wrapped up in their lives. I identify most closely with Lynette, because I have three crazy kids who make hers look tame. But, I have to admit that this last season was starting to wear on me. It was the same thing, over and over. Someone killed someone, or was hiding something, Susan was in love with someone, and Gabby and Carlos were trying to be together without killing each other.

So, the unexpected ending to the season finale really left me with my jaw hanging open. I’d actually read about what was going to happen on a spoiler site, but forgot about it. Who the freak is Susan kissing? What happened to Mike? I can’t take the suspense!

So, where does Mr. McDonough fit in the future Wisteria Lane? He’s a great actor, and I am sure whoever he ends up with, he will bring a lot of charisma to the show. Whether he succumbs to Edie, or ends up as Bree’s newest husband, only time will tell. Personally, I can’t wait for the new season to start. I am seriously ticked about Mike Delfino’s apparent departure, though.

Spring is here and normally that wouldn’t mean all that much for TV premieres since most of the shows would probably still be airing new episodes. Spring is usually all about May sweeps but thanks to the strike, this year’s TV schedule has been all out of whack and spring truly has become the season of rebirth for scripted TV shows. For those of you who haven’t been keeping track of what’s coming back when, we’ve got the schedule all laid out for you!

Sure, there are a few series returning for a brand new season (yay, Battlestar Galactica!) but the bulk of this list (thanks in part to about.com) consists of shows that have been on hiatus due to the strike.

As usual, we’ll be updating this list fairly regularly to add on shows and premiere dates (and make adjustments if/when dates change), so check back in once in a while! Also keep an eye out for our Spring TV Previews, which will include more detailed information on each show.

Sunday, March 30

Cold Case (CBS)

The Tudors (Showtime)

Tracey Ullman's State of the Union (Showtime)

Tuesday, April 1

Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

Wednesday, April 2

The Real World Awards Bash (MTV)

Criminal Minds (CBS)

CSI: NY (CBS)

DEA (SpikeTV)

Thursday, April 3

CSI (CBS)

Without a Trace (CBS)

Rock The Cradle (MTV)

Step It Up & Dance (Bravo)

Friday, April 4

Battlestar Galactica (SciFi)

Ghost Whisperer (CBS)

Numb3rs (CBS)

Monday, April 7

Samantha Who? (ABC)

Tuesday, April 8

Boston Legal (ABC)

NCIS (CBS)

Thursday, April 10

ER (NBC)

30 Rock (NBC)

The Office (NBC)

Scrubs (NBC)

Friday, April 11

Moonlight (CBS)

Saturday, April 12

Made (MTV)

Sunday, April 13

Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Monday, April 14

Bones (FOX)

Can You Duet (CMT)

One Tree Hill (The CW)

Rules of Engagement (CBS)

Tuesday, April 15

Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

Wednesday, April 16

The Real World: Hollywood

Til Death (Fox)

Back to You (Fox)

The Big 4-0 (TV Land)

Thursday, April 17

Smallville (The CW)

Sunday, April 20

Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

Monday, April 21

Gossip Girl (The CW)

Tuesday, April 22

Reaper (The CW)

Shot At Love 2 With Tila Tequila (MTV)

Wednesday, April 23

Law & Order (NBC)

Thursday, April 24

Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

Lost (ABC)

Supernatural (The CW)

Ugly Betty (ABC)

Monday, April 28

House (Fox)

Thursday, May 8

Tougher In Alaska (History)

Thursday, May 22

So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)

Monday, May 26

The Andromeda Strain (A&E)

The writers strike is over; can I get a “woo-hoo!”? Now, with writers returning to work today, it’s time to get down to brass tacks. The staff, crew and actors of our favorite shows are scrambling to get reorganized and figure out how many new episodes, if any we can expect for the rest of the season. Luckily, E! Online’s Kristen Dos Santos has a good idea about the fates of 39, yes, 39 different series. Here we go:

UPDATE: I have just heard about the fate of NBC's Life, so now we have info on 40 different shows. Read below for the news.

24

It’s already been widely reported that we won’t be seeing Jack Bauer’s latest hellish day until 2009. Production was cut short before the completion of the 12th episode. Since there likely won’t be time to complete the full 24 episodes, it is likely that the entire season will be shelved until next year.

30 Rock

Tina Fey is a machine. She and the rest of the cast and crew are reportedly set to churn out another 5-10 episodes, to air in April and May.

Battlestar Galactica

No episodes from its fourth and final season have aired, but the hugely popular series has 14 episodes in the can. Because of the time limit, it looks as though the fourth season will be split into two mini-seasons. The first 10 of the already-produced episodes will begin airing April 4th, with the remaining episodes of the season airing either in the fall or in 2009.

The Big Bang Theory

According to executive producer Bill Prady, they’re rocketing back to our TV sets, with episodes appearing mid-March. As for the number of episodes we can expect Prady says, “Well, it all depends on how many writers we want to kill in the process. Maybe it's okay to lose a few—a noble sacrifice. Realistically, though, I'd think eight or nine.”

Big Love

Everybody’s favorite polygamists are slated to go back into production in March, with new episodes airing sometime this summer.

Bones

This series’ fate is somewhat up in the air. While one castmember is confident they will return to work within the next couple of weeks, there has been no official announcement regarding whether or not we will see any new episodes this season.

Brothers & Sisters

There are only four more episodes coming this year and will more than likely air during May sweeps.

Burn Notice

Burn Notice is actually in a pretty good position. The strike lined up almost perfectly with their hiatus and USA has bumped them up to a 16-episode season that will air this summer.

Californication

Since they (inexplicably) just won a Golden Globe, they’ll definitely be back, but there’s no word as to when.

Chuck

The Buy More gang will definitely be back—but probably not until next season. But hey, at least they’re getting a second season.

CSI: NY

There’s a possibility of up to seven new episodes this season, but this along with the possible premiere date is unconfirmed.

Desperate Housewives

Executive Producer Marc Cherry is reportedly “chomping at the bit” to get back to work. There’s a chance we can see six new episodes of Wisteria Lane hijinks by the time May sweeps rolls around.

Dexter

CBS is getting ready to air the first season. Meanwhile, Showtime is going ahead with a brand-new third season, but a premiere date has not been announced.

Dirty Sexy Money

DSM reportedly still has a few unaired episodes, but those will be the only new ones we can expect until next fall.

Friday Night Lights

Aaaaaack. The second season DVD reportedly only contains the 15 episodes that have already aired, so it looks as though last Friday’s episode will be the last of the season. Based on its continuing low ratings, there’s also a good chance it will be the last new episode—ever. Proving, once again, that TV is ridiculously unfair.

Gossip Girl

The CW lurves this show, so there’s a chance we can see as many as nine more episodes this season and will return ASAP.

Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s will go back into production immediately and produce a handful of episodes to air in April and May.

Heroes

We pretty much knew going into the strike that Heroes wouldn’t be back until next season. The plan now is to have it relaunch at the end of the summer. In the meantime, showrunner Tim Kring is taking a page from Lost producers and mapping out the series for the next several seasons. This can only mean good things after its meandering second season.

House

The docs are expected to return for a handful of episodes to air April and May.

How I Met Your Mother

While there has been no official word from CBS regarding HIMYM’s fate, executive producer Carter Bays says that they’re going to try to churn out about eight more episodes.

Life (New Info)

The NBC series starring the ridiculously hot Damian Lewis didn't exactly receive stellar ratings, but is nonetheless mercifully being picked up for a second season. However, we are unlikely to see any new episodes this year.

Lost

Lost has just started airing new episodes, and while we’ll likely get more than the eight episodes we thought, it will be less than the originally promised 16. Producers are reportedly working on an additional five episodes to bring the season total up to 13.

Mad Men

Mad Men has actually been in production for the last week, since their production company, Lionsgate, was able to sign an interim deal with the WGA. They’re currently expecting a late-summer premiere date.

My Name is Earl

EP Greg Garcia says they’re planning to produce a one-hour re-season premiere, a one-hour season finale and five episodes in between. Production is scheduled to start in two weeks, but a premiere date has not been announced.

NCIS

A writer hopes to get six more episodes produced this season, but there has been no official word.

October Road

The series had a 13-episode order, and there are three produced but unaired episodes remaining. There has been no word regarding the series future, however.

The Office

6-10 more episodes! Hallelujah! Hopefully the writers have been thinking of hilarious and inventive ways to work with/around star Anglea Kinsey’s real-life pregnancy.

One Tree Hill

The CW drama has six already-produced episodes ready to air, and the network has requested an additional five or six episodes this season.

Private Practice

Addison and the gang aren’t likely to return this season, but will be back for a second season with at least 13 episodes.

Psych

The detective show just aired its season finale and will return next season with 16 more episodes.

Pushing Daisies

The writers won’t go back to work until March, and even then they won’t be working on more episodes for the first season. Instead, they’ll be concentrating on bringing us a full kick-ass second season.

Reaper

Reaper will reportedly finish out this season with five more episodes, but any premiere dates and its fate after this season have not been announced.

Samantha Who?

The Christina Applegate show already has three produced but unaired episodes and ABC has reportedly asked them to produce another 6-8 episodes for this season. They’ve also been picked up for a season 2.

Scrubs

The strike put Scrubs in an especially bad position, with NBC not too psyched to air the remaining episodes of the comedy’s final season. Creator Bill Lawrence has vowed to write and produce the final six episodes, but where and when they’ll be shown is still up in the air.

Smallville

While no dates have been announced, the CW reportedly wants five more episodes produced this season.

Supernatural

Supernatural has been asked to produce five or six more episodes this season, but EP Erik Kripke thinks it will be more like three or four episodes.

The Tudors

Season two has already been shot and will premiere in March.

Ugly Betty

We can expect 4-6 more episodes this season, with one of them possibly being a musical episode.

Weeds

The Showtime series is currently in production and will air 12 episodes starting in July.

Women’s Murder Club

One of my guilty pleasures is in a not-so-good spot. There’s a chance that we won’t see any more episodes of the Angie Harmon show—ever.

This is what we have so far, but be sure to keep checking Blend Television for all of your prime-time updates.

Remember back before the writers strike? Yeah, me neither. It really feels like it’s been going on for my entire life. Anyway, back when we had a TV season, we had lots of new shows, with some of the best calling ABC their home. ABC recognized this and gave full-season pickups to most of them, including two of my favorites, Pushing Daisies and Samantha Who?. Now while it looks like most of those shows won’t ever see their promised back nine, we do have more good news from the Alphabet network. Nine series are being given the green light for next season.

Leading the pack of those picked up for another year are the usual suspects, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Lost (which has already been picked up for the next three seasons). ABC is also showing faith in a couple of sophomore series, bringing Brothers & Sisters and Ugly Betty back for third seasons. Rounding out the list are four brand-new shows with sadly truncated seasons. Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Samantha Who? and Dirty Sexy Money are all receiving a second shot next year.

Of the new series, Samantha Who? and Dirty Sexy Money are reported to have a few pre-strike episodes in the can that we may be able to see this season. The folks over at Pushing Daisies, however, say that we won’t be seeing any of the gang over at The Pie Hole until the fall. As of now, there’s no word on whether or not we’ll see more of Addison’s California adventures on Private Practice this season.

Not on the pickup list are Boston Legal and Men in Trees; the latter of which has something like 27 unaired episodes that ABC has inexplicably not been showing. Last year, ABC only picked up seven scripted series for the 07-08 season and they did it all in one fell swoop. If last year’s behavior is any indication, that does not bode well for these two shows.

Having never watched an episode of Boston Legal or Men in Trees, I’m concentrating on the awesomeness of Pushing Daisies being around for a full 22 episodes next season. Combined with the strike ending tomorrow, it looks like this is going to be a pretty good week in TV.