'Desperate' emphasizes humor, not flesh

Last week it was accusations towards SpongeBob being gay.

This week, again, ABC's hit primetime sudser, "Desperate Housewives" has been held aloft for wrong-headed public criticism.

In an Associated Press article that appeared in this paper, Syracuse University television expert Robert Thompson criticized the debate over decency standards that arose after Janet Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show in an alleged "wardrobe malfunction."

Thompson is quoted as insisting that viewers see more graphic close-ups of nude flesh on the average soap commercial, which I suppose is more or less accurate. But the story goes on to say that nothing Jackson did would compare to the "racy" content of a weekly episode of "Housewives."

Which suggests that neither Thompson nor the story's author, AP Sports Writer Eddie Pells, is actually tuning in to the show.

While certainly not something to sit down and watch with young children, "Desperate Housewives" is an enjoyably adult mix of mystery, romance and comedy from the creative mind behind "The Golden Girls," of all things.

The show focuses on the plights and perils of four neighbors on Wisteria Lane, played by Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria, as they struggle to lead their daily lives and cope with, among other things, a mysterious plumber boyfriend, a complicated divorce, four children under the age of five and the ramifications from an affair with the young gardener, all while trying to uncover the truth behind the suicide of their friend and neighbor, who narrates the series from beyond the grave …

Even the spoof Monday Night Football pregame commercial starring Terrell Owens and "Housewives" co-star Nicollette Sheridan in her character as the show's libidinous neighbor was in keeping with the show's context. Those who complained? Again, not actually watching.

The characters are strong, multi-faceted and oftentimes hilarious. Their actions, good or bad, have consequences and the television audience can tune in and not feel insulted for doing so.

Contrast all of that with Jackson's performance at last year's Super Bowl. While much has been made of the baring of the breast, it was Darby Conley's Feb. 27 comic strip, "Get Fuzzy," that put forth the most troubling of questions about that debacle, when it asked why people were more upset about the nudity than the violence of having Timberlake yank off Jackson's clothing.

Which is not to say "Housewives" isn't violent, either. We've seen a suicide, a murder and a love struck pharmacist shoot off a toe. But those discerning viewers who actually tune into "Housewives" each Sunday at 9 p.m., and it seems to be a consistently large number of people by ratings standards, know what they're getting into.

Earlier this week, TV Guide critic Matt Roush astutely answered a reader's question about the perceived immorality of the series, in his online question-and-answer session: "It's a satire about suburban life, a comedy about the desperation of people trying to live up to a certain type of community standard, and anyone who thinks (regardless of the hype) that it's all about sex isn't watching. Or at least watching properly. I empathize with people who fret about how raunchy so many things have become, but with that show, lighten up already."

Amen. If you're easily offended, don't watch the show. But don't hold "Desperate Housewives" aloft for comparison to trash when the show is really more akin to such worthwhile but edgy, adult content as "Hill Street Blues," "NYPD Blue" and "Six Feet Under."

Matthew Weaver is the Columbia Basin Herald business and agriculture reporter.