Better than Sex...

IN the US, this programme has become a more than worthy successor to Sex and the City, and regularly gains well over 20 million viewers an episode, making it one of the country’s top shows. Not bad going for a series no one wanted to make.

Creator Marc Cherry initially struggled to find anyone interested in his pet project. “I was washed up,” he says of the months before Desperate Housewives hit the jackpot.

“People just weren’t excited by my name. That’s one of the reasons I had to write something really smart. That desperation you feel permeating the script is pretty real.”

At first Cherry tried to sell it as a comedy, but when he turned it into a latenight soap opera, it was soon snapped up.

But, no matter how impressive the idea was, the right actors were needed to make it work. Luckily, Cherry and his casting directors have got the mix just right.

Before the show started, Teri Hatcher was Lois to Dean Cain’s Clark Kent in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

But for viewers of Desperate Housewives, she’s Susan Mayer, the scattiest resident of Wisteria Lane.

However, the rest of the female team were largely unknown, but now the likes of Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman are just as familiar as Hatcher.

Now they’re back for the sixth series.

The finale of the previous season ended with a couple at the altar – we saw that the groom was clearly Mike Delfino, but who was the bride? It could have been Susan Mayer or Katherine Mayfair.

Mike had proposed to the latter earlier in the series, but he and ex-wife Susan had shared a passionate kiss after he saved her and their son, MJ, from the clutches of deranged Dave (and although he was unhinged, we’re going to miss his disturbed ways).

The usually uptight Bree had begun an affair with Karl, and that gathers pace; in fact, they can’t seem to take their hands off each other.

Lynette struggles to come to terms with the fact that she’s pregnant with twins – again – and Gaby finally seems to bond with Carlos’ troublesome teenage cousin, Ana. Watch out too for a new family who are going to have a big impact on Wisteria Lane.

NOT one but two episodes of Holby City this week because there weren’t any last week due to BBC1’s football coverage.

In tonight’s episode, Donna faces up to not only heartache but also a new responsibility after her grandmother, Patti, is brought into the hospital. She’s had another stroke.

Patti was accompanied by Donna’s half-niece, Mia, and it dawns on the nurse that she will now have to take care of the youngster.

Meanwhile, Jac realises that Joseph isn’t coping with his consultant’s role, and to make matters worse, things aren’t going well with Faye either.

Hunky new locum George makes a big impression on Maria, especially when he makes a move on her, but Chrissie isn’t quite so impressed by his punctuality.

F OR some the highlight of the night, indeed week, is the return of Mad Men, the cult drama set in the macho world of a Sixties advertising agency.

Change could be ahead at Sterling Cooper. While the male employees may have sharp suits, casual affairs and the freedom to be as politically incorrect as they like, it appears they aren’t immune from one curse of 21st Century office life – redundancies.

Lane Pryce and his secretary, John Hooker, have arrived from the London branch to shake things up a bit, and have to make a decision whether Ken or Pete best deserves to stay.

It seems there’s only one way to find out – no, not a fight, but promoting them both to the same position.

At least Don is still up to his old tricks as he flirts with an air stewardess, despite having a heavily pregnant wife at home.