Desperate Housewives

[kyser_soze]

Didn't see it unfortunately but given the most vocal critics I'm leaning toward dilutes reason:

watched 5 minutes then turned off

So out of a 24 hour series you made your entire judgement based on 5 minutes viewing? Kinda like reading the first page of a book and deciding it's crap really...

 

[Maggot]

I also thought it was slightly David Lynchy, 'cos there was darkness and creepyness.

The dead persons commentary and suburban setting reminded me of American Beauty - only not as good. It had it's moments but it's not 'appointment tv' imo.

I got thoroughly pissed off with the amount of commercial breaks during this programme. Three breaks in 15 minutes FFS

 

[djbombscare]

I cheated and watched the next one on E4 straight after


I dont actually knoiw what to make of it all really. I liked it especially the women who goes around making cakes and pot pourri etc for everyone. I think thats probably why I like it. I watched it and sort could associate a lot of the characters with people who lived around me. The nosey old bag, the man eater woman, etc etc

I'm thinking give it time to develop a bit and it'll be compelling viewing.

 

[vibes]

Some bits were boring, some funny. Seems to be enough different storylines going on to keep up the interest. I will watch it again. Theres bugger all else on tv.

 

[goldenecitrone]

So out of a 24 hour series you made your entire judgement based on 5 minutes viewing? Kinda like reading the first page of a book and deciding it's crap really...

But if the first page of a book doesn't get you interested then you're not likely to read on. I could look at the first page of a million books and tell you if they were any good or not.

 

[kyser_soze]

Not at all. If you read a books dust jacket and decide that you don't like the genre, story or author, you wouldn't read it. I think it's pretty sad that you'd reject a book based on the first page.

 

[Ms T]

I loved the bit whre the stressed out mum follwed her friend's advice to pretend to abandon her horrendous triplets by the roadside and ended up having a fight with that woman who threatened to call social services.

I don't remember that -- did you watch the second episode on E4 straight afterwards?

 

[Vash]

It was similar in style to six feet under unfortunately for me it came across as souless as the women it depicted who all had a stepford wives creepyness about them.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Not at all. If you read a books dust jacket and decide that you don't like the genre, story or author, you wouldn't read it. I think it's pretty sad that you'd reject a book based on the first page.

Depends how much you trust your own critical faculties I suppose.

 

[Louloubelle]

I don't remember that -- did you watch the second episode on E4 straight afterwards?

yes


sorry, I forgot about that, I won't put any more spoilers in

 

[andy2002]

"the show thats been taking america by storm..."

say no more

Yeah, because Americans don't know anything about quality TV, do they? I must have imagined Seinfeld, Arrested Development, Nip/Tuck, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Shield, The West Wing, OZ, CSI, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Frasier, Cheers, Buffy, Alias, Roseanne, Soap, Scrubs, MASH and Larry Sanders then.

Thought Desperate Housewives was great fun. Bree, the Stepford Wife, and Lynette, the mother with the badly behaved kids, are my fave characters so far. Some great scenes, intriguing characters and a lovely mystery to boot!

 

[j6ango1977]

This new program on C4 looks like quite a good replacement for Sex In The City.

Yes and oh god help us. absolute garbage. However it does seem to be a good observation on shallow american suburban life. Everyone is so attractive, well off and oh so unhappy. It makes me sick, 'oh im so attractive, I am sucessful, I have a nice car, I have a big house, I have a nice family but I'm oh so miserable'. Can't stand this typical american tripe. I can see the screenwriters are trying to put a messege across about suburban America but I honestly don't want to see extremely attractive, rich yanks on my TV all the time whining how unhappy they are. Sex in the city, The OC, Nip/Tuck and now this they need to put all these shows into a capsule, put them on top of a Saturn 5 rocket and then shoot them off into the sun

 

[mysterygirl]

I watched it, and found it OK, mildly entertaining & amusing but undemanding (fine by me at that time of night!). I shall most likely watch it again, but not cry if I miss it. I used to 'take or leave' Sex and the City too but I ended up quite liking that. Maybe this will be the same, who knows?

 

[Stobart Stopper]

I thought it was really good, but I couldn't stay awake for the second part on E4.

 

[rennie]

one was in melrose place (the red head) the ex career woman ive seen on us TV before but cannot remember where n the ex model, she looks familiar but i don't know

 

[ChrisFilter]

watched the first 15 minutes, didn't reckon much so whacked on 24 series 3 dvd, and watched the last 4 episodes...i've watched the whole series in the past 5 days...

i got series 3 for Xmas.. managed to curtail my addiction to a couple of epsiodes a night!

 

[Space Girl]

I really liked it, I'm even going to plant some wysteria outside my front gate now

 

[Stigmata]

i got series 3 for Xmas.. managed to curtail my addiction to a couple of epsiodes a night!

Our copy was a present for my dear mother, so I have to watch 2 episodes a night before I go back to University! The twist around episode 6 was one of the best they've ever done, up there with the Victor Drazin twist in the first series.

 

[belboid]

the first part was enjoyable tosh, but nothing more. Well scripted, nicely paced, tho none of the characters really look that interesting so far. I hope the secret actually livse up to its billing, and isn't just 'oh my god she had a secret abortion (and, uhh, buried it under the swimming pool...)' or something.

i would have thought that someone would have asked 'how the hell does a plumber* afford a place on this street - living here was meant to be an escape from commoners like them'. Hopefully one of the husbands will bring this up shortly.

The model is rosie from 6feet under

*I know he's not really/just a plumber, but according to the rest of the street he is, so shouldn't be able to afford the place.

 

[kyser_soze]

i would have thought that someone would have asked 'how the hell does a plumber* afford a place on this street - living here was meant to be an escape from commoners like them'. Hopefully one of the husbands will bring this up shortly.

This searching question has been asked in pretty much all the broadsheet previews, and the answer is:

The same way Rachel, Ross and Co. in Friends can afford their Grenwich Village apartments, how Carrie could afford her SoHo loft and so on ad nauseum.

Mate of mine has a theory on this - you only really ever see this on US TV shows (Brit shows, say This Life or coupling, are more realistic in this respect) because in the US the character forms are archetypes, and because of this the locations must be archetypes as well. Similar Brit comedies take part of their character from the location they are in, and Brit writers also know that using a similar mechanism wouldn't work - we're more prepared to accept such fantasy from the US because let's face it, Friends set in property that they could actually afford wouldn't be friends and wouldn't work.

Likewise, a Brit series set in the same style wouldn't work - hence, all our great sitcoms are set in semi-real environments. Look at Shameless and The Rolyle Family for example - UK humour is class based and as such the location is a part of that. HUmour isn't as class based in the US, and US audiences maybe have a higher tolerance for willing suspension of disbelief than the UK does.

 

[Lollybelle]

Here's the IMDB page which links to the other programmes the women have been in. I recognise the 'mum' blonde from Magnolia, and the 'puttanesca' blonde from Knots Landing! Teri Hatcher obviously from Superman and it looks like the model wasn't actually in Six Feet Under even though she looks a lot like her.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410975...XRlIGhvdXNld2l2ZXN8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=1

I agree with the comment about the muscles! Those women look so slim and toned it must take a lot of work.

As far as the programme itself goes, it was exactly what you'd expect - a lot of gorgeous American women, some shagging and some bitchiness and a few giggles along the way. Not lifechanging TV but there's nothing wrong with enjoying something harmless and frivolous.

 

[PacificOcean]

Just to add it was made for the mainstream ABC channel and not HBO like Six Feet Under and Sex and the City, et al.

Which makes it's surreal quirkyiness more surprising.

 

[Ms T]

Tony Soprano's girlfriend, the one who killed herself, is one of the main characters

Really? Which one? And which one was in Six Feet Under?

 

[belboid]

This searching question has been asked in pretty much all the broadsheet previews, and the answer is:

The same way Rachel, Ross and Co. in Friends can afford their Grenwich Village apartments, how Carrie could afford her SoHo loft and so on ad nauseum.

I dont think that that actually works in this case - the fact that the plumber is clearly more than just a plumber and is up to something allows him the 'secret wealth' to live there. The problem is that none of the others would realise that he had such money and so would question how he could do so. The street is full of posh snobs who would object strongly to someone so common being there (or would if he werent so darned sexy), and he is clearly going to be despised by most of the husbands who are afraid of being cuckolded by him. But maybe that one will come up in later episodes.

Mate of mine has a theory on this - you only really ever see this on US TV shows (Brit shows, say This Life or coupling, are more realistic in this respect) because in the US the character forms are archetypes, and because of this the locations must be archetypes as well. Similar Brit comedies take part of their character from the location they are in, and Brit writers also know that using a similar mechanism wouldn't work - we're more prepared to accept such fantasy from the US because let's face it, Friends set in property that they could actually afford wouldn't be friends and wouldn't work.

Likewise, a Brit series set in the same style wouldn't work - hence, all our great sitcoms are set in semi-real environments. Look at Shameless and The Rolyle Family for example - UK humour is class based and as such the location is a part of that. HUmour isn't as class based in the US, and US audiences maybe have a higher tolerance for willing suspension of disbelief than the UK does.

interesting theory - very largely true as well, I think. How many british sitcoms have succesfully had US versions made of them - Steptoe & Son is the only one I can think of!

 

[belboid]

Really? Which one? And which one was in Six Feet Under?

blimey - the 6FU one has been answered twice (assuming we got it right that is). The ex-model. (oops, a look on imdb implies we got it wrong!)

 

[kyser_soze]

My vote for a 2nd or 3rd season castr member - either as a character sister or new arrival, the beyond adorable Denise Richards....

 

[Ms T]

blimey - the 6FU one has been answered twice (assuming we got it right that is). The ex-model. (oops, a look on imdb implies we got it wrong!)

Exactly. I don't think she looks anything like the woman in 6FU.

 

[kyser_soze]

I dont think that that actually works in this case - the fact that the plumber is clearly more than just a plumber and is up to something allows him the 'secret wealth' to live there. The problem is that none of the others would realise that he had such money and so would question how he could do so. The street is full of posh snobs who would object strongly to someone so common being there (or would if he werent so darned sexy), and he is clearly going to be despised by most of the husbands who are afraid of being cuckolded by him. But maybe that one will come up in later episodes.

He's a drug dealer or a pimp.

 

[belboid]

Exactly. I don't think she looks anything like the woman in 6FU.

aye, according to the imdb page edie and bree were both in Knots Landing!!, but none of the rest (other than teri hatcher) seems to have been in much familiar at all. Oh, and the mother was in a series of Frasier.

 

[Brainaddict]

I thought it was watchable but nothing special - not as funny or original as it wants to be.