Despite the fact I don't anticipate ever watching the show, I enjoyed Declan Lynch's review of the first episode of Desperate Housewives in the Sunday Independent.
Lynch refers to the program as "TV chiklit". He also notes that although men and women may both be watching, their motivations for watching are vastly different.
Apparently it clashes with the football on American TV, and a dip has been noted in the football figures. Industry insiders reckon that the guys are checking out that Fifties fantasy of sex-starved suburban housewives grabbing any guy who comes to the door.The same newspaper has an article by Victoria Mary Clark in which she pretty much confirms Lynch's observation about how women will view this show. I have no doubt he's right about the male perspective.
So we have a situation of men regarding this as a cheap porno production, while women connect with it as mainstream entertainment, recognising many of the attitudes and feelings, enjoying the humour, and yes, the occasional romp with a tradesman.
Here is a show which brings men and women together, only to find that they're not seeing the same things at all.
Women would have watched this program no matter what these women who play the main roles looked like. The fact that each of them is fairly attractive ("Yeah, I've seen the ads") is how the television producers make this into "entertainment for everyone". Well, almost everyone.
