I hesitate to tell you that "Desperate Housewives" is back, because they would imply that it went away last season. And, while Season 2 was not up to the incredibly high standards of Season 1, a lot of the criticism the show endured was just the typical backlash against a hit.

Well ... that whole Betty Applewhite thing didn't work out, did it?

The good news is that the third-season premiere (Sunday, 8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) is a hoot. Creator/executive producer Marc Cherry delivers on his promise to make the show funnier this season — there's some great stuff featuring Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) and her maid/surrogate mother/husband's mistress, Xiao-Mei (Gwendoline Yeo); Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and the mother of her husband's illegitimate daughter; and Bree (Marcia Cross) and her new love, creepy Orson (Kyle MacLachlan).

Let me remind you, however, that this is not a show for the kids.

Also, the mystery isn't neglected. The show opens with a flashback in which Orson apparently murders his wife, then flashes forward six months to show us Orson proposing to Bree.

Looks like "Desperate Housewives" is off and running again.