Many of the Desperate Housewives secrets involving Mary Alice Young and Mike Delfino will be revealed during the May sweeps, when ABC airs this season’s final episodes.
Desperate creator Marc Cherry told some 600 fans Tuesday night that they won’t have to wait until next season to learn the truth about Mary Alice’s apparent suicide and the real reason for dangerous hunk Mike Delfino’s presence on Wisteria Lane.
But some secrets will remain a mystery until after the summer hiatus, Cherry said during a sold-out Q&A session with the show’s cast and producers, sponsored by the Museum of Television and Radio in L.A. That's not surprising, since both Cherry and ABC want to draw viewers back to that network's biggest hit in years.
He also said that two Desperate Housewives are based on creator Marc Cherry’s mom, who hails from conservative Orange County, Calif.
Lynette Scavo, the desperate mom played by Felicity Huffman, is based on the Mrs. Cherry that her son remembers from his childhood. A scene where she kicks her kids out of the car, then drives off to scare them into behaving, was based on an incident on a roadway in Oklahoma, Cherry said.
Bree Van De Kamp, the passive-aggressive perfectionist played by Marcia Cross, represents the contemporary Mrs. Cherry. That may explain the origin of a storyline where Bree learns that her son Andrew is gay -- Cherry is openly gay.
The Q&A, which was moderated by Carrie Fisher, was part of the Museum of Television and Radio’s William S. Paley Television Festival.
Fisher began the session by referencing her battle with substance abuse, which was chronicled in her semi-autobiographical novel and film, Postcards From the Edge.
“My name is Carrie and I’m an alcoholic,” she told the crowd, using the format for introductions at 12-step meetings. “That’s how I got here – That’s how I got anywhere.”
