Thanks to my affinity for poor television (I enjoy mind-numbing reality shows…I can admit it), and the persuasion of my friend, Tara, (plus my natural love for Lifetime) I gave Devious Maids a chance last night.
And guys, I’m just going to tell you, it wasn’t terrible.
I could blame my enjoyment it on the aforementioned reasons for watching, or the fact that it was 12 a.m., but, Lifetime did a good job in picking up a show ABC passed on.
The show is a combination of “Horrible Bosses,” and “Real Housewives,” but with a maid’s perspective, which makes sense since writer Marc Cherry’s last t.v. endeavor was Desperate Housewives.
The cast is incredibly seasoned, and the general background stories are good, but despite a climatic beginning, the story waned a bit, which has potential to be problematic.
These maids put up with everything from husbands trying to seduce them to wives who think they are on a better level. But, the sassiness and different storyline of each maid gives you one, if not multiple, likable characters. While the outside lives of the maids may be simple or boring, their work lives bring much more drama than most.
There’s plenty going on, between husbands trying to seduce them to protecting their own, there’s good writing and strong acting. Unlike recent Lifetime shows that have pulled actors and actresses unknown to many, the star power is not lacking for Devious Maids.
There’s Grant Show, who has been in a few Lifetime movies, including Sex and the Single Mom. He has also had appearances in the television shows Burn Notice, Private Practice, Big Love and oh, you know, Melrose Place.
Drew Van Acker, also known as Jason on Pretty Little Liars, takes on the role as Remi, the hot, rich son of…wait for it, Susan Lucci. Her first appearance on the show is under the bed, upset after the pool boy dumps her. (Is there a better way for Lucci to appear in a show, really?) But she’s not the only cast member to bring soap opera power. Briana Brown, the 6-month wife of a husband who still tries to please his ex-wife, had a 200+ episode stint on General Hospital.
And then there are the maids. Rosie (Dania Ramirez) has the tug-at-your-heart storyline. While she works to make money to bring her son to the United States, her boss finds facials more important, leaving her baby in Rosie’s care. There’s Carmen, (Roselyn Sanchez) who has taken a maid job with the hopes of getting her pop star boss to notice her talents, and has no intention of ever cleaning his house. She spends her time trying to outwit said-star’s one-woman firewall. Zoila ( Judy Reyes aka Carla on Scrubs) has enlisted her daughter, Valentina to help, which is fine with her since she likes the boss’s son. And then there’s Marisol (Ana Ortiz), who is new to the world of maids. We learn at the end of the first episode she has her own agenda, and it does not involve Windex.
There was a lot to take in during the first episode, between character backgrounds and setting up over-arching story lines, there were times when the show moved too quickly.
So here’s my biggest issue: I expected there to be more maid-to-maid interaction. We are given a few scenes where the women are hanging out at a park together, but aside from that, the majority of the show is based on the maids’ lives at work. Which is entertaining, but somewhat overdone. I want to see the devious maids, not the lacking bosses.
But, I’ll give any new show a few more views before I cast an actual judgment. Devious Maids airs at 9 p.m. CDT on Lifetime.
Glitter and Gridiron 