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"Devious Maids" review by Suzanne
Premieres Sunday, June 23 at 10/9c on Lifetime

I've been looking forward to this show because it has so many actors I know from the soaps. Also, Desperate Housewives was very entertaining, and this is created by Marc Cherry, who also created DH, and by Eva Longoria, who starred in DH, of course, as Gabrielle.

Lifetime sent out two episodes, plus a cool promotional package with a bucket, sponge, feather duster, and rubber gloves. So cute!

Here are the similarities between this show and "Desperate Housewives". Both are set in Southern California, and both are mostly about women. Both are darkly funny soap operas. Both shows start with a woman's death. I think that's about the extent of it, from what I can tell so far.

The show is about a few families in Beverly Hills and their maids. A maid, Flora, is murdered in the first episode, and a young guy (a catering waiter, I think) is put in jail for her murder because he is holding the knife. His mother, Marisol, then gets a job as a maid with the neighbors and proceeds to investigate the maid's murder. Another maid, Carmen, gets a job with this famous singer in order to sell him her songs. Another maid, Zoila, and her daughter, Valentina, work for this divorced woman and her kids. Another maid, Rosie, is missing her son.  All of the maids are Latina and either have their own secrets or are keeping someone else's.

The characters are very distinct and interesting. Susan Lucci (Erica on All My Children) plays a sort of caricature of Erica as Genevieve, the divorced woman. The maid who's looking into the murder is played by Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz. The maid who has dreams of becoming a singer/songwriter is played by Roselyn Sanchez, whom you may recognize from "Without a Trace", among other shows. She got her start on "As the World Turns". There are so many daytime and primetime soap actors on this show.  Matt Cedeno (who played Brandon on "Days of Our Lives") plays the recording artist. Paula Garces, who is now on All My Children and was also on "Guiding Light", is the maid Flora. Brett Cullen has a long resume, but I first saw him in "Falcon Crest" many years ago. Grant Show is another veteran actor who got his start on soaps. Wolé Parks from ATWT has a small role as Sam. Brianna Brown, who was so fabulous as Lisa on General Hospital, plays Taylor.

There is a lot of humor on the show, and sometimes it's a little campy. It's very entertaining, though. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but especially fans of "Desperate Housewives" because it has the same sort of humor and mystery. It's very nice to have a show that features Latina characters, and not just as stereotypes.

MORE INFORMATION

In Devious Maids, murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families.  Class warfare has never been as fun and dirty as it is in the tony enclave where the staff is as clever, witty, outrageous and downright devilish as their employers.  Whoever holds the dirt holds the power, and before the season is over, illicit affairs will be revealed and deep dark secrets exposed as we learn the sordid details behind a shocking murder of a beloved housemaid.

Premieres Sunday, June 23, at 10pm ET/PT

BIOS:

Dania Ramírez is one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood and has co-starred in several successful movies, including the action-thriller Premium Rush, American Reunion and X-Men: The Last Stand. On television, Ramírez has appeared on the critically acclaimed HBO drama The Sopranos as Blanca, earning a SAG Award^® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She also regularly appeared in NBC’s cult hit Heroes and HBO’s award-winning Entourage. As a model, Ramírez has been the face of CoverGirl and appeared in the CIROC “Luck Be A Lady” campaign with Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.

Roselyn Sánchez first wowed audiences in New Line’s blockbuster hit Rush Hour 2 opposite Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, playing Isabella Molina, an undercover secret service agent, for which she received an ALMA Award^® nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Sánchez’s other film credits include the critically acclaimed Act of Valor; Disney’s The Game Plan; the romantic comedy Boat Trip opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr.; and Basic opposite John Travolta, Sam Jackson and Giovanni Ribisi. Sánchez also has a successful career as a singer-songwriter. In 2003, she released her debut CD, “Borinqueña,” and was nominated for a Latin Grammy^® for Best Music Video for the single “Amor Amor.” 

Mexican-Lebanese actress Edy Ganem was born in Modesto, California. Before landing the highly coveted role of Valentina in Devious Maids, Ganem was part of several independent feature films including Black Limousine with David Arquette and Vivica Fox; Like Crazy with Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones; and Lola’s Love Shack, directed by Patrick Perez, which won Outstanding Cast at the Action on Film film festival. Her recent TV credits include roles on CBS’ ¡ROB!, Fox’s The Cleveland Show and MTV’s Livin’ Loud, which was featured in the TV Festival at Cannes.  

Judy Reyes is best known for her leading role as the sassy, no-nonsense nurse Carla Espinosa on the hit comedy series Scrubs. Reyes’ other television credits include a star turn in the Lifetime feature, Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story; a recurring role as Tina on the acclaimed HBO series Oz; and roles on The Sopranos, Third Watch, NYPD Blue and Law & Order, among others. Reyes began her career in independent film and theatre and was a founding member of the Labyrinth Theater Company along with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Rockwell, John Ortiz and Lauren Vélez. Reyes has received numerous award nominations throughout her career and was most recently nominated for an Imagen Award for her work in the film Gun Hill Road. 

As the most famous face in daytime television history, Susan Lucci has held audiences spellbound for years as the sexy, sassy, beautiful “woman you love to hate,” Erica Kane, on ABC’s All My Children. In 1999, she won the Emmy^® Award for Best Actress, a historic moment not only for Lucci, but for all of television. 1999 also marked another exciting accomplishment when Lucci made her Broadway debut starring as Annie Oakley in the revival of Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, to amazing reviews. She was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 and inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2006. She was also named one of E! Entertainment’s “Top Entertainers of the Year,” one of Barbara Walters’ “Ten Most Fascinating People,” and one of VH1’s “200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons.” Her contributions to television and the performing arts have earned her countless prestigious industry awards. In 2011, Lucci released her New York Times best-selling autobiography, All My Life. 

Rebecca Wisocky honed her knack for portraying “difficult women” in the theatre playing Medea, Lady Macbeth, Goneril and Madame Defarge among others on stages in New York, regionally and abroad. She was awarded an Obie for her portrayal of Leni Riefenstahl in Amazons and Their Men. An honors graduate of NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing, Wisocky toured for years with the acclaimed Big Dance Theatre Co. and performed late-night serial comedy in Jeff Weiss’s infamous Hot Keys. She has starred in many memorable roles on television such as the Fairy Queen Mab on True Blood, Emma Smith on Big Love, and Bree’s mother on Desperate Housewives. She has also recurred on the The Mentalist and American Horror Story, among others.

Brianna Brown hails from Minnesota and made her first on-screen appearance in 1999 in the pilot episode of NBC’s Freaks and Geeks. Brown has graced the silver screen in a variety of roles, including The Animal (2001, starring Rob Schneider), Hollywood Homicide (2003, starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett), and Sam Raimi’s Academy Award^®-winning Spider-Man 2. On the small screen, she has guest-starred and recurred on many popular shows such as CBS’ CSI, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace and Shark, The WB’s sci-fi series Smallville, Showtime’s Homeland, NBC’s Joey, as well as the Emmy^®-winning Entourage on HBO and daytime’s General Hospital. Currently, she is recurring on HBO’s True Blood. Brown also formed her own production company, founded a nonprofit women’s group and is working on multiple projects on-screen and off-screen. 

Prior to joining the cast of Devious Maids, Drew Van Acker recurred on the past two seasons of Pretty Little Liars as Jason DiLaurentis. Van Acker also starred on Cartoon Network’s 2010 live-action Tower Prep as Ian Archer, a rebel who works to master a mysterious unique ability. Van Acker was first seen as Ryan Welling on TheWB.com’s The Lake.  

Actress Mariana Klaveno has made a lasting impression as Lorena, Bill Compton’s “maker” on the award-winning True Blood on HBO. Before portraying a seductive and manipulative vampire, Klaveno grew up in rural Washington State on a family-owned and operated farm. After graduating valedictorian of her high school class and earning her BA in Theatre at University of Washington in Seattle, a chance meeting with acclaimed Producer/Director JJ Abrams led to her network television debut in Alias. However, it wasn’t until her standout guest performance as a modern-day Bonnie Parker on Standoff opposite Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt that people really began to take notice. Additional guest roles soon followed including ER, K-Ville, Hawaii Five-0, Criminal Minds, and a recurring role on Dexter. Klaveno has also starred in the telefilms While the Children Sleep; No God, No Master; and Innocent. 

Grant Show, best known for his role on Fox’s Melrose Place as Jake Hanson, studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Most recently, he co-starred in the hit Lionsgate horror film, The Possession, alongside Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He also starred in the first season of the CBS comedy, Accidentally on Purpose, and in the acclaimed CBS drama Swingtown, and has had recurring roles on HBO’s Big Love, CBS’ CSI and USA’s hit show Burn Notice. Show also starred in Lifetime’s The Natalee Holloway Story, LMN’s highest-rated movie ever in key demographics, and reprised his role in the sequel, Justice for Natalee. 

Paula Garcés is well known as the infamous Maria from the hit 2011 film, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, and starred in all three installments of the Harold & Kumar franchise. On the small screen, she began her career on the daytime drama, Guiding Light, and later earned ALMA Award^® nominations for her portrayal of Officer Tina Hallon on FX’s The Shield. As well as guest-starring in many hit TV shows, Garcés created “Aluna,” the first Latina video game superhero character, now played over 130,000 times a day globally on “Heroes of Newerth,” and is set to debut her ALUNA comic book series as a trilogy at San Diego Comic-Con. She also co-created and executive produced The mun2 Look for mun2, a division of NBCUniversal, for two seasons. The show featured the latest fashion, celebrity interviews and dramatic makeovers. In addition to becoming a Devious Maid, Paula has also joined the cast of All My Children, to re-launch online.

Born and raised in New York City, Wolé Parks graduated from New York University with majors in Acting and Mathematics. In 2011, he left a job in finance to pursue acting. He has had many television and film roles including Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Gossip Girl, Taking Chance and played Dallas Griffin on As The World Turns for a year. He has also played a lead on NBC’s pilot Next Caller and co-starred along with fellow Devious Maids castmate Dania Ramírez in Premium Rush.  

New York City native Melinda Page Hamilton’s star has been on the rise with memorable recurring roles on hit shows including AMC’s Emmy^® Award-winning Mad Men, the HBO series Big Love as JJ’s wife Malinda, and sexy nun Sister Mary Bernard in ABC’s Desperate Housewives. A veteran of the theatre, Hamilton starred in a run at The Old Globe Theatre, playing the title role of Cornelia in the original play Big Love, on which the hit HBO series was based. She has had starring roles at many of the country’s best regional theaters. Her other credits include Modern Family, True Blood, Castle, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, The Mentalist, Nip/Tuck, The Closer, Criminal Minds, Numbers, CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Cold Case and Without a Trace. She was also the star of Bobcat Goldthwait’s comedy feature, Sleeping Dogs Lie, which was selected in the main drama competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

Matt Cedeño was born in Washington State to an Afro-Cuban father and an Irish-English mother. After first working as a model, he went on to portray Brandon Walker on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, a role for which he was nominated three years in a row for an ALMA Award. With unique talents ranging from comedy to drama, he appeared in the 1999 film The Suburbans with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ben Stiller, and the 2000 film Price of Glory. On the small screen, he co-starred with Laura Prepon on Fox’s That ’70s Show and the Oxygen Channel film, Romancing the Bride. Most recently, he appeared on Desperate Housewives as Umberto Roswell, Edie Britt’s gay husband, and on FX’s Anger Management. Cedeño has also served as Celebrity Ambassador for PADRES Contra El Cáncer, an organization committed to improving the quality of life for Latino children with cancer.

LIFETIME TO PREMIERE ITS ALL-NEW DRAMA DEVIOUS MAIDS ON JUNE 23 AT 10PM ET/PT

LIFETIME® TO PREVIEW ALL-NEW DRAMA

DEVIOUS MAIDS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH

ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS

IN ADVANCE OF JUNE 23 PREMIERE

Network to Make Pilot of Series from Creator Marc Cherry and Executive Producer

Eva Longoria Available on myLifetime.com, Lifetime’s Video Watch App

and Distribution Partners’ VOD Services, Sites and Apps, starting June 9

Pre-Linear Availability Marks First Time a Network has

Offered a Sneak Peak of a New Program in Both Languages

NEW YORK, NY (June 4, 2013) – To support the June 23 premiere of its new drama Devious Maids, executive produced by Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria, Lifetime® will make the pilot of the eagerly-anticipated series available in English and Spanish across multiple platforms, including myLifetime.com and the Lifetime video watch app, as well as A+E Networks’ distribution partners’ VOD services, sites and apps, beginning June 9.  The multi-platform initiative marks the first time a network has offered a pre-linear sneak peek of a new program in both languages.  Post premiere, the network will make each episode of Devious Maids available in both English and Spanish across these platforms the day after its Sunday 10:00pm ET/PT airing.

For its linear telecast, Devious Maids will be available in Spanish to standard definition viewers via the second audio program service.

Regarding the announcement, Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, General Manager, of Lifetime, noted, “We are thrilled to work with our distribution partners on making Devious Maids available in both English and Spanish to maximize the show’s crossover appeal among the broadest range of their customers.”

Devious Maids’ all-star cast, Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Dania Ramírez (Entourage), Roselyn Sánchez (Without a Trace), Edy Ganem (Livin’ Loud) and Judy Reyes (Scrubs), portray five maids with ambition and dreams of their own while working for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.  In the series, murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families.  Class warfare has never been as fun and dirty as it is in the tony enclave where the staff is as clever, witty, outrageous and downright devilish as their employers.  Whoever holds the dirt holds the power, and before the season is over, illicit affairs will be revealed and deep dark secrets exposed as we learn the sordid details behind a shocking murder of a beloved housemaid.

Devious Maids’ centers on a close-knit group of maids who are bonded together by their jobs, life struggles and the melodramatic “upstairs-downstairs” universe that engulfs their employers.  Rosie (Ramírez), a widow who left her son back in Mexico when her husband died, works as the maid and nanny for a pair of self-absorbed and successful actors, Peri and Spence Westmore (Mariana Klaveno, True Blood, and Grant Show, Swing Town).  Aspiring singer Carmen (Sánchez), hopes that her pop star employer Alejandro (Matt Cedeño, Days of Our Lives) can help jump-start her career, but Odessa (Melinda Page Hamilton, Mad Men), his very loyal housekeeper and her boss, will stop at nothing to stand in her way.  Zoila (Reyes) is the senior maid for Genevieve Delatour (Susan Lucci, All My Children), a co-dependent, emotionally unstable wealthy woman.  She works alongside her teen daughter Valentina (Ganem), who has a crush on Genevieve’s handsome son, Remi (Drew Van Acker, Pretty Little Liars).

In the series premiere, the women turn to one another for support when their friend and fellow maid Flora (Paula Garcés, CSI Miami) is brutally murdered at the home of her employers, Evelyn and Adrian Powell (Rebecca Wisocky, American Horror Story, and Tom Irwin, Grey’s Anatomy), at one of the largest society events of the year.  Meanwhile, newcomer Marisol (Ortiz) is hired to clean the home of Taylor and Michael Stappord (Brianna Brown, Homeland, and Brett Cullen, Damages), a newlywed couple with a complicated love history.  But Marisol has ulterior motives and when someone she loves becomes wrapped up in Flora’s murder, she goes undercover to learn the truth. 

Inspired by the hit telenovela, Ellas son la Alegría del Hogar, Devious Maids is produced by ABC Studios.  The series was created by Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) and is executive produced by Cherry, Sabrina Wind (Desperate Housewives), Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Paul McGuigan (Scandal), Larry Shuman (Kissing Miranda), David Lonner, John Mass and Televisa USA’s Paul Presburger and Michael Garcia.

ABOUT ABC STUDIOS 

ABC Studios is a leader in the development, production and strategic distribution of entertainment content across broadcast and emerging digital platforms.  The studio is the key content provider for the ABC Entertainment Group, having produced multiple seasons of hit series, including “Scandal,” “Once Upon A Time,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost,” “Castle” and “Revenge”; as well as “Army Wives” for Lifetime and “Criminal Minds” for CBS.  These hit series have supplied the company's distribution pipelines worldwide with programming and related product lines.  ABC Studios will continue to produce memorable television programming for the 2013-14 television season, including eight new series for ABC and the summer series “Mistresses”;  along with “Perception” on TNT, “Cougar Town” on TBS,  new drama “Devious Maids,” premiering June 23 on Lifetime, and “Intelligence,” premiering on CBS next season.

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families.  In 2012, as a result of its aggressive triple threat programming strategy doubling its amount of original programming spanning scripted dramas, reality series and movies, Lifetime posted its strongest year-on-year growth among the key demographics in 10+ years, while also reaching its youngest median age in 16 years.  Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks.  A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

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