Five seeks to emulate Desperate Housewives with suburban drama

by Sam Matthews, Brand Republic 15-Jul-05, 11:00

LONDON - Five is hoping to cash in on the success of US series 'Desperate Housewives' which airs on rival Channel 4 with a Home Counties comedy-drama version called 'Suburban Shootout'.

The eight-part series, created by former BBH ad executives Gary Martin and Roger Beckett, will see two wealthy fortysomething housewives fight each other for the control of the fictional country town of Little Stempington.

Camilla appears to be more like a Mafia boss than a housewife while her neighbour Barbara does everything in her power to stop her power-crazed friend.

The two housewives and their teenage children have yet to be cast.

'Suburban Shootout' is the first venture between Five and Paramount Comedy after signing a co-production deal earlier this year.

The series, made by independent production company Feelgood Fiction, is set to air on a primetime, post-watershed slot on Five in January and repeated on Paramount Comedy.

Five and Paramount's commissioning editor of comedy Graham Smith said: "This is a very exciting project to kick off this joint venture between Five and Paramount Comedy."

The first series of dark comedy 'Desperate Housewives' secured around 5.5m viewers an episode and helped Channel 4 score its highest January viewing figures in five years earlier this year.

In the US, it is ABC's highest-rating show, pulling in around 22.8m viewers an episode.

The second series has already been acquired by Channel 4 and is set to return early next year.

Recent reports have suggested that series two could be the last as former Bond girl and 'Superman' actress Terri Hatcher, who plays central character, Susan Mayers has hinted she wants to leave the show to concentrate on making movies.

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