Housewives set for mystery plot

Season six of Desperate Housewives will feature a mystery for one of its characters in the realm of Who Shot JR? says creator Marc Cherry.

He hinted at the season’s plans in a bigger interview with The Wrap, part of which is republished here.

You wanted to set an end date for “Desperate Housewives” a la “Lost.” But the network didn’t go for it. In January Steve McPherson hinted at a new contract. Where does all that stand?

A lot changed since I said that. There was a lot of pressure on the network to keep the show going because ABC hadn’t had many hits. Then, when we debuted in season 5, and were in the top 4, I started thinking, “Oh gosh, this show has a lot of life left in it.”

Steve McPherson and I agree that we shouldn’t keep the show going for more than a couple years past my 7-year initial contract. We don’t want it to just fade away. We’ve been in negotiations. I expect to sign my new deal soon to set up a future scenario for the show. Someone else will run the show after season 7 and I will serve as executive producer from a distance.

Critics generally agreed that the show underwent a creative resurgence last season, which had a lot to do with your five-year, fast-forward plot device. Would you agree?

Yes, I think it worked well. It was a way to start fresh and let everyone start from scratch in a way.

Do you have some kind of convention like that up your sleeve for the upcoming sixth season?

Nothing that drastic. What we’ve planned is an interesting mystery storyline involving one of our beloved characters. It’s a “Who Shot JR?” kind of storyline.

Is there anything you would change in the five seasons of DH if you got a do-over?

If I knew then what I know now…I’d have not introduced the second season mystery so quickly. But I learned more on that season than any season of any show I’ve ever worked on.

To read the full article check out The Wrap.