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Scripted and produced by “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry, “Devious Maids”
It’s apparently about the lives and loves of the best-looking domestics ever to swing a mop in Beverly Hills.
... has amusing touches, but is relentlessly arch and tongue in cheek in a way that seemed fresh when “Desperate Housewives” began in 2004, but now is less so. That tone has been used to good effect so often on shows like “Ugly Betty,” “Drop Dead Diva” and “Suburgatory” that it has grown a little stale, even on Lifetime. …
... "Devious Maids" is just unfortunate — a silly, hyperactive version of "Downton Abbey," relocated to Beverly Hills and populated with as many cliches and stereotypes as can fit upstairs and down. … It would be great to report here that "Devious Maids" is not that bad, except that it is, despite a lot of real talent …
... The actresses do a good job, too. It’s just a shame they have to do it in a largely dull, predictable show where it’s impossible for them to shine, no matter how hard they clean and scrub. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... Devious Maids has the potential to be better than "Desperate Housewives," but it can realize that potential only if it finds its own substantive identity instead of being just a recycling of the "Housewives" template. …
... does the campiness outweigh the social commentary? Of course — it’s still a prime-time soap … In the first two episodes, the show has enough momentum to offer some promise, even if Cherry’s vehicles tend to start strong and go off the rails quickly. But given the ability of his previous “Housewives” to dig deeper than many dramas, it feels right to give this series the benefit of the doubt.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... a sudsy hoot. It's a well-executed soap with a heaping helping of Mr. Cherry's trademark humor … lacks the novelty that made "Desperate Housewives" noteworthy upon its premiere, but this new series benefits from the ability to start fresh and unencumbered from the tangled web of soapy plots that dragged on "Housewives" as it aged. …
... can be a chore to sit through because of the constant verbal abuse and humiliations these women endure on their jobs. You naturally want them all to move on to better positions — but, of course, that would mean the end of the show. For those viewers who toil in dead-end jobs, “Devious Maids” will cut like a real-life horror show.
... The new show feels predictable and weary from the start, since the tone so closely resembles the old show, which was played out when it left the air in 2012 after eight seasons. …
... In the second cable series within a month depicting the class divide between the unhappy rich and the equally conflicted domestics who tidy their fabulous homes if not their messy lives, both extremes of the economic scale are patronized with cartoonish levels of camp and melodrama. …
... Had Marc Cherry's Desperate Housewives follow-up Devious Maids premiered on ABC in season, as he'd hoped, it might have been quickly dismissed as slight, derivative and repetitive. Here, however, on Lifetime on a summer Sunday -- well, all those things still apply, but it's also easier to appreciate the show's own virtues while enjoying its Desperate roots. …
... Terrifically cast and cleverly constructed, the show has “hit” written all over it …
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
Big History 1.x
Big History 1.x (Blu-ray)
Donkey Kong Country: Legend of the Crystal Coconut
Dennis The Menace Vol. 1
Flintstones Kids: 10 Episodes
In The Heat of the Night 2.x/3.x
In The Heat of the Night 6.x
In The Heat of the Night 7.x
Looney Tunes Double Feature
Rogue 1.x
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Mayhem
Transformers Armada: The Complete Series
Trinity 1.x
Vikings The Real Warriors: The Complete Series
This Week
Breaking Amish 1.x
Pac-Man & The Ghostly Adventures: Ghost Patrol
Siberia 1.x
Transformers Rescue Bots Vol. 4
TV Guide Spotlights
Next Week
Californication 6.x
Continuum 2.x
Crime Stories: The Complete Miniseries
Dragons: Defenders of Berk Vol. 1
Here's Lucy: The Complete Series
Kennedy's Brain: The Complete Miniseries
Key & Peele 1.x/2.x
Little House on the Prairie 1.x (Blu-ray)
Mapp & Lucia: The Complete Collection
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: A Dash Of Awesome
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXIX
The Spider: The Complete Miniseries
Veep 2.x
Veep 2.x (Blu-ray)
William & Mary: The Complete Collection
April 1
Action: The Complete Series ($9.98)
The Client List 2.x
The Dick Van Dyke Show: Classic Mary Tyler Moore Episodes
George Gently 6.x
Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 2.x
I Dream of Jeannie 1.x/2.x ($14.98)
Power Rangers 13.x-17.x
Power Rangers Turbo Vol. 1
Psych 8.x
Star Trek Enterprise 4.x (Blu-ray)
T.J. Hooker 1.x/2.x ($14.98)
April 8
Ben 10 Omniverse: Duel of the Duplicates
The Big Valley 2.x
The Bobby Darin Show
Doctor Who 2.x Vol. 1
Earthflight: The Complete Series
Earthflight: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Holliston 2.x (Blu-ray)
Mayberry RFD 1.x
Pound Puppies: A Perfect Match
Power Rangers Megaforce Vol. 3
April 15
Anger Management Vol. 3
Anger Management Vol. 3 (Blu-ray)
The Beverly Hillbillies 4.x
The Bletchley Circle 2.x
The Bletchley Circle 2.x (Blu-ray)
The Cosby Show 3.x/4.x ($13.48)
Married With Children 3.x/4.x ($13.48)
Newsradio 1.x/2.x ($14.98)
Petticoat Junction 3.x
The Practice 8.x
Ripper Street 2.x
April 22
Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
April 29
Dynasty 8.x
Godzilla: The Complete Series
Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series
Mr. Selfridge 2.x
Mr. Selfridge 2.x (Blu-ray)
SpongeBob, You're Fired!
May 6
Adventure Time Vol. 6
The Andy Griffith Show 1.x (Blu-ray)
Ben 10 & Friends
China Beach 3.x
DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures Vol. 2
Eureka 3.x
The Honeymooners: The Classic 39 Episodes (Blu-ray)
I Love Lucy 1.x (Blu-ray)
Laverne & Shirley 8.x
Little House On The Prairie 2.x (Blu-ray)
Looney Tunes Center Stage Vol. 2
The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis 3.x
Poirot 12.x
Poirot 12.x (Blu-ray)
Rookie Blue 4.x
Transformers Energon: The Complete Series
May 13
Afterlife 1.x
Barney Miller 5.x
Eastbound & Down 4.x
Eastbound & Down 4.x (Blu-ray)
League Of Super Evil 2.x
League Of Super Evil 3.x
Longmire 2.x
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Vol. 8
Orange Is The New Black 1.x
Orange Is The New Black 1.x (Blu-ray)
Raggedy Ann And Andy: Four Episodes
Scooby-Doo Field Of Screams
Transformers Armada Vol. 1
Transformers Energon Vol. 1
May 20
Batman The Brave and the Bold 1.x
Call The Midwife 3.x
The Dick Van Dyke Show: Episodes Only
Call The Midwife 3.x (Blu-ray)
Dalziel & Pascoe 9.x
Doctor Who: Enemy of the World
The Moneychangers: The Complete Miniseries
Nikita 4.x
Nikita 4.x (Blu-ray)
Waking The Dead 9.x
Warehouse 13 5.x
Warehouse 13: The Complete Series
May 27
An Adventure in Space And Time
The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Series
Cimarron Strip: The Complete Series
Falling Skies 3.x
Falling Skies 3.x (Blu-ray)
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries 2.x
Pioneers of Television 4.x
Suits 3.x
The Universe 7.x
June 3
The Adventures of Batman: The Complete Series
The New Adventures of Superman 2.x/3.x
Power Rangers Turbo Vol. 2
Pretty Little Liars 4.x
Rawhide 8.x
Star Trek: The Next Generation 6.x (Blu-ray)
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Chain of Command (Blu-ray)
June 10
The Chisholms: The Complete Series
Ray Donovan 1.x
Ray Donovan 1.x (Blu-ray)
Transformers Animated: The Complete Series
June 17
Red Shoe Diaries 1.x
Regular Show 3.x
This Is America, Charlie Brown
Tosh.0 Vol. 4
June 24
I Spy: The Complete Series
NYPD Blue 6.x
July 15
Derek 1.x
