After the series' creator claims the plan to kill off Nicollette Sheridan's character had been discussed in May 2008, Lori Kirkland Baker testifies she knows nothing about it until 7 months later.
- Mar 8, 2012
AceShowbiz - The "Desperate Housewives" trial gets a little more complicated by the day. On Wednesday, March 7, former writer Lori Kirkland Baker gave jury a different version of creator/executive producer Marc Cherry's testimony on when a decision to kill off Nicollette Sheridan's character had been made.
Cherry claimed that he made the announcement at a writer retreat in May 2008 that he had received approval to kill Edie Britt from top studio and network executives. However, just hours later, Baker testified that she didn't hear it until December 2008, months after Sheridan claimed Cherry struck her on the set.
According to Baker, she saw a note card with the phrase "Dave drinks the OJ" to refer to Britt's death in December. Though so, the former writer for the series did admit that she was not present for all discussions about plot points. She also claimed to have considered suing Cherry after she didn't get contract renewal for the sixth season.
Cherry previously testified that plots for the show's fifth season had been discussed months in advance using index cards, brainstorming sessions and assistants taking notes. One coded note related to Britt's death was the "Steven drinks OJ" message, a reference to O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of killing his wife. The character's name was later changed to Dave.
Cherry also told jurors that he had thought about killing Sheridan's character at the end of season three. He, however, didn't get a thumb up from the studio and network executives. "The scene was in my head that at some point we could kill the character," he said. "I am always looking for new ways to garner publicity for the show."
During his testimony, Cherry also said that Sheridan had been a problem on the set years before plans to kill her character was even made. He claimed that the actress, who's suing him and ABC for wrongful termination and battery, made "insulting comments" during table reads and even called star Teri Hatcher the "meanest woman in the world".
