  DESPERATE FOR ENTERTAINMENT It's that time of the year again. Time to throw that old thing away grandma, and to bask in the bright lights, and whirlwind excitement of the US pilot season. For this is the time of the year where tapes are distributed across the US, allowing urlLink nerds to upload them to the Internet so that they, and their fellow geeks can watch, critique, and endlessly bitch about what they've just watched. With this in mind, I hereby announce 2004's Televised Revolution pilot review season. And I start with the anticipated DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. Knowing nothing but the shows title, I assumed that the show would be the atypical attempt to appeal to the 35-45 year old suburban mother urlLink whitey demographic.
The same audiences that watched shows like Thirtysomething and Once & Again with glee. And honestly, I suspect that I was right on the money. It's an audience not quite satisfied with their own lives. Seeking the mature-aged soap opera to escape their existence, yet also seeking a drama to find a touchstone with their own lives. So, what's the deal? urlLink Sheryl Lee is a housewife living the perfect middle-america lifestyle.
Suburbia. The picket fence. Perfect husband and child. Spending her days maintaining her house and garden. At least until the day she shoots herself in the head. But that's not really what the show is about.
It's about her female neighbours. Four women all in their mid thirties, dealing with their husbands, children, and how this conflicts with their own wanton desires. And its American TV, which means that primarily, all they're seeking is a good rodgering. Who's in the darn thing? This is where it actually gets a little cool. With Laura Palmer herself Sheryl Lee narrating, we actually have a strong cast.
The TV geekability of the actors pedigree is high. Felicity Huffman (Sports Night), Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark), and Marcia Cross (Melrose Place) each bring a strength and strong presence to their roles. While the script serves the shows concept well enough to keep the audiences attention, it's disappointing that they're being wasted on writing that does at times just feel perfunctory. What happens in the crucial first episode? Sheryl Lee pops herself. Teri Hatcher gives a poor woman diarrhoea with her Macaroni & Cheese, later setting fire to the neighbourhood sluts curtains.
Felicity Huffman jumps into the pool at a wake. And Marcia Cross gets her ass dumped for being an uptight priss. And as any viewer of Melrose Place knows, you don't fuck with urlLink Marcia 'Kymberley' Cross . But is it any good? The show itself lacks charm. There's not really a whole lot to it and it feels somewhat bland in the same way that shows like Providence do.
There's enough to keep you coming back for more, but it's hardly a satisfying meal. That said, the cast is great, and it was just a pilot. There's certainly worse ways to waste an hour. 
