Nicollette Sheridan’s Desperate Housewives Exit Draws Praise

Last night’s Desperate Housewives episode will be the last to include original cast member Nicollette Sheridan, who will leave the show for good. Knowing that a special relationship was coming to an end, Sheridan said goodbye in understated fashion, while her co-stars said goodbye in their own ways. The final panel discussion about Housewives, held at the Paley Center for Media in L.A., included a review of episodes that will not include Sheridan.

According to James Denton, who plays Mike, the plumber is the object of Sheridan’s extreme desire on the show, Sheridan took a moment to address the entire cast at the discussion. Denton noted that Sheridan got the attention of the cast and said, "While you’re all together, I’m here to say thank you for everything. You guys are great. You guys are awesome." Denton then noted that "she walked out of the room and Felicity looked at me and said, ‘Classy,’ and it sure was."

Costar Teri Hatcher told People Magazine recently, "She will be missed. I feel really grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her. I made a scrapbook as my sort of parting gift, and it reminded me of how great those two characters [Susan and Edie] were together." Sheridan, when originally asked why she was leaving, said, "When the show started, it was such a different beast. It was exciting and dangerous and funny and edgy and bizarre. It started feeling a little complacent, and that was very frustrating." Protecting his show, Marc Cherry had a different spin, noting, "Edie’s already slept with most of the guys on the street and has caused about as many problems as she could."