We’re starting with a cliché. A maid murdered in the first few minutes of episode one of Devious Maids. This maid happened to be involved with the husband. Before her extravagant pool party, the wife confronts the maid about her dalliance with her husband. Minutes later the maid, in uniform of course, falls into the pool bloodying the water around her. Dead. A waiter at the party, possibly framed, gets arrested for the crime. This murder mystery will stream through the episodes.
“I’ve never met a maid who doesn’t have an accent.”
Quickly moving into other stereotypes. Latinas as maids. Jealous and scheming Latinas. Carmen [the way-too-pretty-to-be-a-maid Roselyn Sanchez, Without a Trace] took her maid job for a high-profile singer in order to advance her own singing career. Not quite sure how she intends this to happen but she’s already having trouble getting through his personal assistant. Loading up her songs on his iPod? Busted. Putting her CD on his breakfast tray. Foiled again. Rosie [Dania Ramírez] works for two overly-demanding and scheming actors. She longs to bring her son to the United States and worries about losing her visa. Marisol [Ana Ortiz, Ugly Betty] has a big secret. She’s working undercover for her own family to find out who really killed the maid. Zoila [Judy Reyes, Scrubs] works alongside her daughter Valentina [Edy Ganem] for the needy and sensitive Genevieve Delatour [(Susan Lucci, All My Children] and her cute son Remi [Drew Van Acker, Pretty Little Liars]. When she discovers her daughter’s crush on Remi, Zoila says: “Rich boys never fall in love with the help.”
“I may unclog drains for a living but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” –Marisol
Executive produced by Eva Longoria and Marc Cherry [Desperate Housewives], the first two episodes show tremendous promise due to a talented cast and juicy storylines. It’s possible this may go the way of Desperate Housewives and just become way too far-fetched. Maybe that’s just what people want on Lifetime during the summer. It definitely feels like a Mexican telenovela. For now, despite a few cringe-worthy moments, these characters make you root for them to move beyond housework. In the meantime there’s a plethora of class and cultural differences to scour through.
Sneak peek of Devious Maids will be available in English and Spanish on myLifetime.com and the Lifetime video watch app on June 9.
Devious Maids premieres Sunday, June 23 at 10PM ET/PT on Lifetime.
ENTERTAINMENT REALM 
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