Nicolette Sheridan May Be Off "Desperate Housewives"

NEW YORK — When Edie packed up and left Wisteria Lane at the end of Sunday's "Desperate Housewives," viewers were caught by surprise.

The sudden exit of the neighborhood's blond troublemaker has fans wondering how this plot twist will affect the ABC hit series, and whether Nicollette Sheridan, who has played Edie during its four seasons, will be back.

For weeks, rumors swirled that Sheridan was out of the show. Both ABC and Sheridan's publicist, Nicole Perna, have been tightlipped in response to inquiries about her imminent departure.

But creator and executive producer Marc Cherry was slightly more forthcoming. Yes, Edie's gone, he told The Associated Press on Friday. Then he added: "She won't be back for a few years."

What could that mean? Hadn't Cherry already announced he will bring his series to a close at the end of the 2010-11 season, just three years from now?

"We do three more seasons and then it's done," he said with a chuckle. "I will tear down all the sets personally.

"I want to be sure that when we leave the air, people still care."

But right now, what viewers really care about is Edie's future _ if any. Could her return in what Cherry carefully described as "a few years" have anything to do with another recent rumor that "Desperate Housewives" will adopt a "flash-forward" narrative device (akin to the storytelling style on "Lost"), which could restore Edie to the show as seen a few years hence?

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"I only address one rumor at a time," Cherry replied.

Edie bolted on Sunday's episode when the titular four housewives _ Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle _ faced her down after she had pulled one too many schemes against them.

"We're done," Susan (Teri Hatcher) told her. "From now on, you are invisible."

"And we're gonna make sure every woman in a 5-mile radius knows the kind of c--- you pull," said Gabrielle (Eva Longoria).

Edie tried to apologize.

"Did you hear something?" Bree (Marcia Cross) said as the women strode away. "Neither did I."

A few minutes later, viewers saw Edie toss a suitcase into her sports car and drive away.

"A climactic scene," Cherry told the AP.

But as the show nears its two-hour season finale next Sunday, fans are desperate to know: Is Sheridan done? Or is she still part of the show?

"We'll have to wait until next season and see," Cherry replied.

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Comments

[mondobleu]

Can't blame her for leaving. She's the only woman in the show without a constant story line. She has been a prop for a long time.

[wayoutleft]

edie will reappear next year.

[CoulterIsASuccubus]

Who cares? Let her go. She can follow the brilliant egomaniacal career paths of Shelley Long and David Caruso....only thing is she's getting a bit long in the tooth and starting a decade or two too late. In ten years, she'll be lucky to be the NEW Martha Raye hocking denture glue or adult giggle pads. Seeya Nicolette!

[JanetE]

OK, I just read the first several posts here and you guys are all so negative. Wassamattah? Gas prices too high? War wearing you out? Boyfriend/­Girlfriend cheated on ya? Obama's doin' OK, isn't that what makes your world go round?

I mean why all the negativity?

I think this is a great show as is Brothers & Sisters. I enjoy them both.
Life is short. Be happy. Smile. Geez.

Now I'm finally beginning to get the idea of the general type of people who would go for such an inexperienced suit. People who just want change. Change, for change's sake. Life is bad and we just want change. Now I get it.

[CharlottesvilleVA]

When one candidate runs on and represents change and the other (actually, the other TWO) runs on and represents the status quo, and this during a time when people are becoming more and more disillusioned with the way things are, it seems as though there may be quite a few things you don't get. People are going for an "inexperienced suit" because he stands for something and has had the same general message since Iowa. The "experienced pantsuit" changes direction every week, crafting a new message for each state, or for each setback, or for each opinion poll result, or for each news cycle. We're tired of that kind of "leadership." We need a president who acts, not one who just reacts.

[mlaiuppa]

In TV Soap Opera land....a few years could be next week.

[luckyoldson]

LiberalBuzz says: "BUT there reaches a point when the soap operas go from fun to pure ridiculousness..."

Good lord...they "start" operating under that premise.

You know, as in..."Soap Opera."

[theidaexpress]

I can't wait to not hear her whiny voice anymore. She never fit in the show anyway.
http://www.theidaexpress.com

[luckyoldson]

Right.

None, nada...

There's no doubt she had absolutely nothing to do with the success of the show...and they're not using this to garner more publicity.

Duh.

[writerforhire]

Nicolette, throughout the entire run, never really got the meat parts. She, as a single, was always cast as the female that everyone loves and then hates or loves to hate and an easy target. The meat seemed to always and consistently fall on one plate with others getting a healthy vegetarian diet. Nicolette got the scraps. This is unfortunate. She is a hot commodity and I am sure she has something in the wings. So cheers to you! Break out the champagne! You're on to better things!

[LiberalBuzz]

I used to love watching the show. Good old backstabbing and kids you hate. BUT there reaches a point when the soap operas go from fun to pure ridiculousness. DH reached that point in the third season although it was headed there in the second.

When they start doing things no reasonable human would do, THEN the show has jumped the shark. While daytime soaps do this on a regular basis, one does hope that evening ones, will try to stay above the sheer idiocy that permeates daytime soaps.

DH unfortunately went with the daytime soap opera way of writing. So I stopped. And I have to admit Sheridan's character became grating with her unrelenting idiocy of trying to undermine everyone all the time. THAT got old.

Well it was fun to begin with but it's gotten daytime soap opera now. Love Terri Hatcher though,

[MsLiz]

"Love Terri Hatcher though"

She's real and she's fabulous.

[jgalvan]

Too many shanks for one street?

[kellygrrrl]

the past few weeks I have felt that the Writers (on all shows) never really came back from the Strike

[happycat]

I think that is absolutely true. It's as if they have tried to get out as many episodes as quicky as possible with writer's block.

[kellygrrrl]

"I want to be sure that when we leave the air, people still care."

ooop! too late

[jennylens]

PART THREE: Once upon a time they all appeared a bit more caring for each other and stronger due to each other's friendship. This once exciting, touching, poignant and sometimes wise show is rapidly going down the tubes with silly and repetitive story lines and characters. I might still watch it, but as background noise, rather than something that could make me laugh, think and cry without wondering what happened to its writers and point of view that makes it silly (without the humor) and irrelevant. I previously raved about it, now I wonder what is going on. There's a fine line between reality and fantasy, satire, social commentary and just plain stupidity. Sometimes the show crossed all those lines in one evening, which balanced it out. But lately, it's just plain boring, silly and a disappointment.

[jennylens]

PART TWO: Once upon a time Lynette was wise and strong (or so we have been told), but now she's just a doormat for Tom, his possessive immature moods, and his bad seed offspring from another woman. Why is Gaby so enamored of her lying, drug-dealing tenant, flip-flopping about turning her over to the police and what is so wrong with betraying the tenant whom she just met?

Bree's son drunkenly killed Carlos' mother with a car, yet she won't forgive her husband Orson who had a reason to run down Mike. The reason is one that should touch Bree's heart: he did it to protect his crazy, possessive, jealous mother. He's been racked with guilt, which is more than Bree, who has never thought twice about covering up her son's murdering the mother of the husband of one of her best friends. A bit hypocritical, yes? Plus Bree said she'd take Orson back, so why drag it out? Writer stuck for story line?

The ONLY character true to form is Susan, being pushed around by her wacky mother-in-law, yet not saying anything directly due to her love of Mike, yet encouraging Mike to stand up to his quite unreasonable and nasty mother. That woman reminds me of one of Bree's former mother-in-laws, played by an actress (Shirley Knight) who looks like Mike's mother-in-law.

[jennylens]

PART ONE: I was so proud of Edie for standing up to Bree. Bree deceived her: she is the baby's great aunt! I loved Sheridan's assertiveness and calmness. Edie's tried to gain their friendship and acceptance. I loved what Edie told Gaby about being nicer to Carlos or Gaby might lose him to a more caring woman. Edie is by turns one of the most mature characters, a successful, single woman looking for love yet being shunned by those who don't bother to try to understand her and betray her at every chance.

I was shocked at the ending. Worse, I couldn't believe that Lynette, who once was an executive at an ad agency, is being manipulated by a child and her husband has turned against her. Tom owes a lot to Lynette cos he's been the biggest child on that series. If I were Lynette, I would have taken up with that young, hunky, sweet chief. She could have legally gained custody of the children due to Tom's illegitimate affair/daughter and irresponsibility at the ad agency and their restaurant. Usually the children go to the wife in such cases, and the case could be made, esp with help from her friends' testimony.

[happycat]

I totally agree. I think that Tom is being a total jerk to Lynette for allowing his disturbed daughter to treat his wife that way. Lynette has always been there for Tom, the reverse cannot be said.

[gonavy]

That is, perhaps, the only realistic thing about the show.