"Desperate Housewives" Time-Jump Inspired by "Lost" Flash-Forward

Of all the news emanating from the Television Critics Association press tour after the Emmy nominations were announced and dissected, the nugget I found most interesting came from Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, who admitted he got the idea for last May's season cliffhanger by watching another ABC show.

"I was so impressed," Cherry said, "with the bold stroke that Damon [Lindelof] and Carlton [Cuse] had done with doing the flash forward in Lost the previous season finale. And I was kind of looking for something for my show. I felt the 'soap' had really started to build up, and I kind of wanted to pare it down to where everyone's problems were small but very relatable.

"And I thought, 'How am I going to do that?' And I thought, 'Oh! Let's just go forward in time. Let me change everyone's lives completely!'

"I was originally going to do an eight-year jump," Cherry continued, "but then when someone explained to me how the actresses would react to the idea that they were eight years older, I thought, 'Maybe five. Maybe I could get away with five.' " Presto: Bree is a Martha-Stewart type success, Susan has a new man, and Gabrielle has two young daughters, and has sort of let herself go.

Lost co-executive producer Cuse acknowledged Cherry's confession good-naturedly, but not without throwing a playful jab in his direction.

"He's also going to have a polar bear on the show next year," Cuse joked.

Reviving continuing series is no laughing matter, though. Lost reinvented itself brilliantly with that flash-forward device, and even worked its way back into best drama series Emmy contention as a result. Desperate Housewives already was doing a fine job of reviving itself last season, and time will tell if this Lost-inspired time jump is another step forward creatively as well as chronologically.

Time will tell, in fact, in a few months, unless someone can figure out how to time-jump ahead to September 28, the night Desperate Housewives returns. Meanwhile, Lost won't return until midseason, in 2009. Stay tuned, and be patient.