ABC network president Paul Lee and creator Marc Cherry have agreed to end the show in May 2012, at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season and the show’s seventh. Official announcement will come at the Alphabet’s Television Critics Assn. confab Sunday.
Cherry has long wanted a firm end date for the highly profitable series ever since he saw Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse get one on “Lost,” but former ABC topper Steve McPherson was vehemently opposed. Now, however, with Lee in charge, Cherry will get his wish and craft storylines to a fitting conclusion.
Desperate Housewives,” since its launch in 2004, has been a huge cash cow for ABC and is also a major hit overseas. The actresses from the show who have remained throughout the run — Felicity Huffman, Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria — have also seen their careers blossom.
There has been no specific talk of a spinoff series featuring any of the characters, but that always remains a possibility for fall 2012.
