ABC's "Lost" wasn't the first show in recent seasons to play with flash-forwards -- Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica" beat it to the future -- but it's "Lost" that's apparently responsible for "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry's decision to age his cast five years over the summer.
Cherry, who said he'd “wanted to pare down to the point where everyone’s problems were small but still very relatable,” had originally thought about jumping the show ahead eight years, but "once someone explained to me how the actresses would react to being eight years older," he thought, "OK, maybe five."
Taking into account that they are actresses, Cherry's "Housewives" don't seem to consider the situation desperate.
"I think it's great. I think it's giving all the characters an opportunity to be something they've been," said Teri Hatcher.
Eva Longoria Parker, whose once-glamorous character got an anti-makeover in the last few minutes of last season's finale, seems particularly gleeful about getting to play off something beyond her beauty. (She does look terrific in shorter hair, by the way.)
"I love it because I come to hair and makeup now, and it's like 10 minutes instead of two hours," she said. Nevertheless, "it's a challenge, because there are levels of frumpiness," and the five-years-later Gabrielle hasn't completely given up hopes of holding on to her looks.
But it was Felicity Huffman, Cherry indicated, who automatically accepted the idea, describing her as "low-maintenance."
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