"Desperate Housewives" Spoilers: Shocking 4th Season Finale Twist (UPDATED)

Marc Cherry and his team of writers who put together those hilarious storylines on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" are, according to a story reported by TV Guide this morning, about to pull a "One Tree Hill" in the closing moments of the 4th season finale.


The shocking twist which is still on the drawing board (it appears ABC has leaked the information to generate mammoth ratings for the 2-hour May 18 season ender) would fast-forward the show five years into the future in the closing moments of the episode — and stay there when it returns for a 5th season in the fall.


Brilliant? Stupid? It certainly is a risky move. But it worked for "One Tree Hill" which used to be on the bubble before its ratings perked up this year after it sent its characters four years into the future. But can the same trick work for TV's hottest serialized drama?


Obviously some of the roles will need to be recast. For instance, could the same actors continue to play Lynette's children in the year 2013? And if they are recast, would the teen actors that replace them really click with the audience? Then again, Cherry and the gang could always kill those little rascals off, I suppose.


Having a 5-year old child around the house would of course open up a lot of possibilities for Teri Hatcher's clumsy character Susan. Would the teens like Julie Mayer or Andrew Van De Kamp, now in their twenties, still live in Fairview? Would Bree and Orson continue to take care of Danielle's son Benjamin? Would Gaby and Carlos last in their second marriage? And how does the resolution of the Mayfair mystery play into all of that?


Plus, with so much time missing between the seasons, I guess that next year's mystery could be: how the characters got to where they will be in 5 years. And we could find out in a series of "Lost" style flashbacks.

The more I think about it, the more I love it. So I'd say the idea is brilliant, but as always - it'll all depend on the actual execution. I'm certainly keeping my fingers crossed they get it right and keep the show on the top of the ratings charts.

UPDATE: According to TV Guide, the writers have not decided on the final plan for the season finale and one of the options is taking the show back 5 years into the past, before Mary-Alice committed her suicide that triggered the dramedy's original storylines in 2004.

But would going back to 2003 be enough? That would allow for only one year of storytelling leading up to the events in the show's pilot. And what do you do then? Go back to 2008 in 2009? Or rather go back to 5 years before the pilot, that is 1999? If so, hasn't a great deal of that already been covered in the 2nd season finale (remember Susan's outrageous hairstyles)?

I say, if we really have to time travel, Wisteria Lane 2013 is the way to go.

This is
TELEVISIONISTA.Net
Entertainment Exposed