“Come Back To Me” boasts more series-best work from Marcia Cross thanks to a delicious rivalry with sex worker housewife Maisy Gibbons. The tenth episode of Desperate Housewives, “Come Back To Me,” again finds us in awe of Marcia Cross’ ability to wring moments of brutal honesty from campy melodrama. Here, Bree discovers Rex has certain needs… sexu…

“Suspicious Minds” focuses on Gabby (Eva Longoria) as she attempts redemption only to have the world pulled out from under her. Desperate Housewives’ ninth episode, “Suspicious Minds,” Eva Longoria’s Gabrielle Solis takes center stage. That, again, causes Joey and Clarence to marvel at how critics and audiences took Longoria for granted in the orig…

With the Oscars behind us, it’s time to turn our focus to the 2025 Emmy Awards. We kick things off with a look at Drama Series. The Contending’s own Jalal Haddad joins Joey, Megan, and Clarence to kick-start our look at the 2025 Emmy race. We start with the Drama Series category where only Apple’s Slow Horses remains in contention out of last year’…

The Contending welcomes Christine Estabrook, Desperate Housewives’ very own Martha Huber, as we look at her final episode, “Guilty.” Desperate Housewives Episode Eight, “Guilty,” is another thematically heavy episode. It also marks the final live appearance of one of Season One’s most beloved characters, Martha Huber. In “Guilty,” Bree and Rex deal…

Members of The Contending gather to say goodbye to Oscars 2025 and react to the Oscars show: the winners, the speeches, and Conan. Oscars 2025 is over and done with, so The Contending team members gather to put it to bed in our annual Oscars Show Post Mortem podcast. We review the overall show and its many performance numbers. Also, we weigh in on …

On this week’s podcast, Jalal Haddad joins us as we make our final (we think) predictions for the 2025 Oscars. It’s basically pencils down time, folks. It’s time to make our final predictions for the 2025 Oscars. The Contending contributor Jalal Haddad joins us at the very last minute to review and predict all 23 categories at the 97th Academy Awar…

Desperate Housewives Episode Seven, “Anything You Can Do,” brings the theme of competition to the forefront. Lynette finds herself in direct competition with not only other housewives but also her own husband, Tom. However, her body can’t keep up with her life’s demands, pushing her further into an abusive ADD medication nightmare. Then, after anno…

On this week’s podcast, we review the latest seasons of The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. Plus, we weigh in on the SNL 50 live special. The third seasons of two Emmy-favored series drive our conversations this week. Showtime’s Yellowjackets attempts a soft reboot to restore its luster after a mixed second season. We talk about changes within the s…

Desperate Housewives Episode Six, “Running To Stand Still,” could have a surrogate title: “Bree Van de Kamp and the Sex Surrogate.” In this hallmark episode, Rex tries to convey the root of his marital issues and pins it all on Bree’s sexuality. Not to be outdone, Bree confronts him in his shabby hotel room but is unable to relinquish all elements …

The clothes make the man, woman, prince and pauper, but what does The Academy look for when it comes to Best Costume Design? For me personally, I love talking to costume designers, because of how tied their work is to an actor’s personal choices of a character’s arc. Costume designers work closely with their cast members to talk about silhouette, c…

This weekend offered something for literally everyone, and we’re here to break it all down for you. First, is Emilia Pérez really dead? Or is DGA / PGA / CCA winner Anora now the de facto Oscar winner? Then, Megan attended the SCAD TVfest in Atlanta. What upcoming television shows did she see while there? Next, Clarence […] The post Podcast: Weeken…

Before Megan ventures off to Atlanta to cover this year’s SCAD TVfest, we take a look at Max’s new drama series, The Pitt. Does it have the right stuff to be considered an Emmy player? The series calls back to a time when medical dramas were prominent on television, but the format of The Pitt […] The post Podcast: Our First Impressions of ‘The Pitt…

We’re breaking into another episode of Desperate Housewives. This week, Joey and Clarence tackle “Come In, Stranger,” the fifth episode of the series. We open with a strange break-in, discovered by Susan. Naturally, it’s Mike Delfino at the center of the crime, and Susan’s discovery of a screwdriver leads her to explore a new relationship with […] …

This week, we’re using this episode to kick off a side piece podcast series dedicated to the Oscars 2025 craft nominees. First up are the Original Song and Original Score categories. Joey, Megan, and Clarence chat about the merits of each nominee, predict the front runners, guess as to who could be the potential spoilers, […] The post Oscars 2025: …

Do you like mincemeat pie? Mrs. Huber (Christine Estabrook) sure does, and she’s not afraid to make it both into a pie and into a tortured but hilarious metaphor! Yes, it’s time for our latest episode of Desperate Housewives Revisited covering Episode 4, “Who’s That Woman?” In this episode, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) faces tough decisions […] The p…

On Thursday, The Academy will unveil their nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards in 23 categories. It’s finally time for The Contending to lock in their final predictions, so most of the team gathers around the Water Cooler to weigh in on the frontrunners and potential spoilers for nominations. Plus, it’s a tight two hours! […] The post Oscars 20…

In our third episode of Desperate Housewives Revisited, we revisit Episode 3, “Pretty Little Picture.” It’s a lop-sided episode with Susan and Bree boasting the best material and Gabby and Lynette relegated to B-minus plot lines. After realizing the pending date of Mary Alice’s dinner party, the women decide to honor her memory by hosting […] The p…

Welcome to 2025! Kind of sucks so far, but we’re keeping our positivity up by listing out most anticipated films and television shows of the new year. What makes our list that’s also on yours? We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. […] The post 2025: Looking Ahead To Our Mo…

Welcome back to the second podcast in Desperate Housewives Revisited, a look back at the Emmy-winning first season of the enormously successful and Emmy-winning ABC dramedy series. This week, we take a look at Episode 2, “Ah, But Underneath.” The episode establishes a routine that the series will follow throughout its run: a few moments […] The pos…

This week, we recap last night’s Golden Globes and do a deep dive on a few Oscar categories, namely Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Picture. Fair warning: there’s a lot of Demi Moore on this podcast. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the […] The post 2025 Golden Globes: Breaking Down …