Protests helped make show a hit

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — It's certainly not what they intended, but those protesting against "Desperate Housewives" are one of the reasons the show turned into a huge hit. Protests generate publicity, which in turn generates higher ratings.

The irony here is that the protests seemed to be coming from people who had never watched the show. "People wanted there to be controversy. There's a whole group of people who want the FCC to investigate and fine as many people as possible because they're just concerned that we're going to hell in a handbasket," said "Housewives" creator/executive producer Marc Cherry. "And I feel bad for them because I think, yes, there are positive ways that we can take care of the culture, but I think creating false controversy is not one of them."

But if you repeat something often enough — such as the Parents Television Council's assertions about "Desperate Housewives" — people start to believe it. Just the way the management at Utah ABC affiliate KTVX-Ch. 4 got sucked into running a warning crawl across the bottom of "Desperate Housewives" episodes, despite the fact that the station and the network air shows with content that is far more "adult."

Cherry wasn't aware of KTVX's warning and could hardly believe it. "On our show? I hadn't heard that, so it wasn't frustrating to me — until this moment. Anytime people say these things, I just feel, yeah, they're not watching the show. They're going off someone else's opinion of it."

Cherry thinks the whole controversy is "kind of silly." "Do they watch the daytime soap operas? There is absolutely nothing we are doing that has not been done ad nauseam by daytime soaps. And it's not like we're pushing the envelope like 'NYPD Blue' did. You're not seeing anyone's bare (butt) on our show."

He's right when he points out that "Desperate Housewives" is no more risque than most shows and less risque than many. "Certainly, when people talk about our skimpy lingerie . . . I would think — 'Love Boat'? Lots of gals, sitting by a pool, not wearing much in every single episode. So we're not showing more female flesh there. Adultery? Well, that's kind of a staple of the genre, so I don't see why we're getting in trouble for that.

"And then, after that, I'm kind of hard-pressed to see where we're so scandalous. Certainly, if you look at a 'Melrose Place' or 'Beverly Hills, 90210' . . . we're well within the boundaries of acceptable."