Devious Maids

These are no longer housewives who are desperate.

Now they are maids who are devious.

Writer Marc Cherry’s latest small-screen offering may inhabit a different world to those women of Wisteria Lane, but make no mistake, this is cut from the same cloth. If you’re missing Desperate Housewives, then Devious Maids is the perfect antidote.

It has the smart, sassy female ensemble, the bright magazine-cover hues, the whimsical pizzicato music, and lashings of intrigue, romance, sex and secrets.

Like Ugly Betty this has its roots in a Latin telenovela, this time Ellas son la Alegría del Hogar, (“They Are the Joy of the Home”) and Eva Longoria, who worked with Cherry on Housewives, is one of several exec producers.

At the centre of this ensemble piece is Marisol (Ana Ortiz), a well-spoken American-born woman who seeks a job with wealthy newlyweds Taylor and Michael Stappord (Brianna Brown, Brett Cullen). In this plush Beverly Hills world of immigrants working for rich, white folk, she lacks the Spanish tongue of her peers.

But the stories give weight to other ensemble characters, such as Carmen (Roselyn Sanchez), who hopes to influence her pop star employer into fostering her musical career. Rosie (Dania Ramirez) works for LA actors, Spence Westmore (Grant Show) and his self-absorbed wife Peri.

Lastly, Zoila (Judy Reyes) is the eldest maid, working with daughter Valentina (Edy Ganem), who harbors a secret crush on Remi (Drew Van Acker), handsome son of her socialite employer Genevieve (Susan Lucci).

But the sordid melodrama begins when another young maid is murdered at the home of another wealthy couple in the middle of a lavish party. While she may have been having an affair with her lecherous boss Adrian Powell (Tom Irwin), it is a waiter found holding a bloodied knife. As you can see, it’s not exactly subtle, but Cherry is expert at such intrigue.

Devious Maids thrives on its class-lines. The affluent Americans indulge in their own problems of vanity and careers, while the Hispanic women aspire to marriage, music careers or, sadly, bringing their children from Mexico to the USA. Apologies to Gloria Estefan, Sofia Vergara and Shakira….

But the maids, who are the heroines of this tale, are also endowed with better morals and street-smarts. When they’re not listening at doorways they can solve the domestic problems of their employers with some motherly knowledge, or even manipulate them for their own secret benefit. Our 5 maids frequently support one another and gossip on their days off.

With so many Kardashian-like brunettes in similar circumstance it can be dizzying trying to keep up here (the show helps out with plenty of primary-coloured costumes when they are out of uniform). Yet while it is knee-deep in murder, passion and a flamenco soundtrack, the show keeps its tongue in its cheek to prevent it digressing into a daytime serial.

In truth we’ve seen much of it before, with more originality in the Desperate Housewives prototype, and it suggests Marc Cherry is unwilling to write from another palette. But Devious Maids sets its world up so well that it’s easy to lose yourself in its muchacho melodrama.

Devious Maids airs in double episodes from 8:30pm Thursday on Universal.