Nicollette Sheridan Set to Leave Desperate Housewives

Nicollette Sheridan plays Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives, perhaps the most openly promiscuous of all the characters on the show. TV Guide first broke the news that Sheridan would be leaving the show. Perhaps her departure will bring in some new blood - and new energy - for a show that appears to be struggling to come up with new story lines and ways of keeping the existing characters fresh and compelling.

The show has already veered to a "5 years in the future" storyline in an attempt to re-instill some of the mystery and angst that had helped to keep the first few seasons of the show interesting. Of the five major characters on the show, it was widely believed that Edie Britt would be the first to go. While she helps to keep the show spicy, Sheridan's character didn't resonate with most women the way many of the other characters do.

It will be interesting to see who might be available to take the place of Edie Britt - or if one of the other existing characters will be elevated to fill equivalent story lines. Also of interest will be how the show's writers will choose to end Sheridan's run on the show. If the past is any indication, the writers are certainly not afraid of killing off characters - or of putting them in situation where they are eventually forced into exile from Wisteria Lane.