‘Desperate Housewives’: What to Expect on Season 8

With the eighth and final season of Desperate Housewives debuting on Sunday at 9 p.m. on ABC, the season will find the series revisiting old storylines and bringing back some familiar faces from seasons past.

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“We’re kind of just diving into the DNA of the series a little bit,” executive producer Bob Daily tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Are there any unanswered questions floating around out there? Any characters we need to check in with one more time?”

THR spoke to Daily and several of the cast members who gave us a preview of what viewers can expect during the show’s final year.

— Mary Alice is back. “We’re tying back into her story arc from Season 1,” Daily says. “Without giving anything away, Mary Alice is connected to the mystery, but that’s all I can say.”

“I think it’s great,” says Brenda Strong, who plays Mary Alice. “It’s the smartest way to end the series, to finish where you began. I think it really cements it in the psyche of the audience and gives them a sense of completion.”

— Susan and Carlos find common ground. Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) feel deep guilt over last season’s murder and become closer over their mutual feelings. “It’s interesting. First Mike doesn’t know what’s going on,” James Denton, who plays Susan’s husband Mike, says. “Then he thinks she’s having an affair. So, it’s kind of this fun marital thing where one person can’t tell the other person something and they draw conclusions.”

Over at Gaby’s house, Carlos’ guilt will affect his relationship with Gaby and the kids. “Carlos is immediately affected by this cover up and murder,” Eva Longoria, who plays Gaby, tells us. “So, Gaby tries to spice things up by taking pole dancing lessons and it doesn’t quite turn out the way she plans.”

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— Susan goes back to school. “She was sort of the most reluctant member of this group going forward and covering up the murder,” Daily says. “Which leads her down a new path. She has decided to throw herself back into her art. She’s going to take art classes at the local college taught by a temperamental painter played by Miguel Ferrer. It’s fun stuff for her, but also he’s looking to bring out a deeper side of Susan.”

— Bree’s romance becomes complicated. “Bree’s dilemma is the fact that she’s falling for a cop and trying to cover up this crime that she was sort of the ringleader on,” Daily says. “So her thing is instead of balancing work and pleasure, it’s balancing crime and pleasure.”

“Good timing on that one,” Marcia Cross, who plays Bree, jokes. “I think we’ll figure out if that’s really a big love for her or if she’s able to let it go.”

— You either love or hate Renee: Renee has her eye on a new neighbor played by Charles Mesure, but he’s not an easy fish to catch. “She’s working hard to make it happen and it’s not happening easily for her,” Vanessa Williams, who plays Rene, says. “And she’s not used to that and that’s where the comedy ensues and it gives her something to pursue.”

On top of that, Kevin Rahm is back for Season 8 as Lee, and Renee begins to overstep her bounds with his adopted daughter. “There’s some definite run-ins with Renee,” Rahm says. “I go to her for help and I don’t like the help I receive. And it gets dark.”

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— Lynette and Tom continue their separation. “Tom moves out of the house and he’s looking into dating,” Felicity Huffman, who plays Lynette, says. “And as you know, Lynette is really jealous and that just sends her into a spiral. Lynette puts her toe in the [dating pool] a little bit, but I think that’s more Tom’s thing.”

“That’s what the separation was about, to go out, see other people, see if after 20 years if they’d still choose one another,” Doug Savant,  who plays Tom, tells us. “So, you don’t know unless you test the waters.”

Meanwhile, the kids aren’t taking their parents’ breakup well. Charlie and Max Carver, who play the Scavo twins tell us, “We’re never easy. I definitely know our little brother and sister are devastated on the show.”

— One or more characters will meet their end. “There’s always a death,” Daily says. “Yes, I guarantee there will be at least one death this year. There’s one planned already and who knows, there could be more.”

Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter: @TheRealJethro

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