Desperate Housewives Africa

Desperate Housewives Africa
Genre	Mystery Comedy-drama Soap opera
Based on	Desperate Housewives by Marc Cherry
Written by	Debo Oluwatuminu Tari Ekiyor Tosin Otudeko
Screenplay by	Debo Oluwatunmi
Directed by	Quinty Pillay
Starring	Michelle Dede Kehinde Bankole Nini Wacera Omotu Bissong Joseph Benjamin Marcy Dolapo Oni Linda Osifo Jason Nwoga Femi Branch Ben Touitou Nonso Odogwu
Narrated by	Marcy Dolapo Oni
Theme music composer	Michael Ogunlade
Country of origin	Nigeria
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	23 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mo Abudu
Producer(s)	Quinty Pillay
Location(s)	Lekki, Lagos State[1]
Editor(s)	Yemi Jolaoso Abimbola Taiwo
Camera setup	multi-cam
Running time	~45 minutes
Release
Original network	Ebony Life TV[2]
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Original release	30 April 2015 – October 29, 2015
Chronology
Related shows	Desperate Housewives
External links
Production website

Desperate Housewives Africa, also known as Desperate HWA, is a Nigerian comedy-drama-mystery television series that premiered on Ebony Life TV on 30 April 2015.^[2] The show features an ensemble cast, which includes: Joseph Benjamin, Kehinde Bankole, Omotu Bissong, Nini Wacera, Michelle Dede, Marcy Dolapo Oni and Linda Osifo.

The show was shot in Lekki. It is a Pan-African adaptation of the American series, Desperate Housewives, that aired from 2004 to 2012; the show has been minimally adapted to African themes; from character names to the main plot but the main characters play the same roles as the characters in the original version.^[1]

Plot

A look at the seemingly normal suburban lives of African women as they seek to live out their aspirations through their families, career and relationships, set in the middle-class development on Hibiscus Lane on the Lekki Peninsula in Lagos. It begins with the shocking suicide of Rume Bello (Mary Alice Young); a beautiful housewife, known for her warmth and generosity. In death, Rume delves into the lives of the friends she left behind – commenting from her now elevated perspective. Her intimate circle of friends who are confused by her death, are introduced. Tari Gambadia (Susan Mayer) who is divorced, single-mother looking for love; Funke Lawal (Lynette Scavo) a corporate high-achiever turned stay-at-home mum of four children who create a huge scene at Rume Bello’s wake seriously embarrassing her; Ese De Souza (Bree Van de Kamp), a devout and perfectly groomed housewife and mother of two teenagers, who is dealing with the outcome of her family’s rejection of her façade and standards; Kiki Obi (Gabrielle Solis), ex Nollywood actress and trophy wife whose marriage to a rising movie financier Chuka Obi (Carlos Solis) fails to satisfy her deepest needs, and she turns to her personal trainer, Tai Etim (John Rowland) to alleviate her boredom. We are also introduced to the neighbours on the Lane including Rhetta Moore (Edie Britt) a twice-divorced real estate broker with a voracious sexual appetite, who aggressively competes with Tari for the affections of handsome newcomer, Larry Izama (Mike Delfino) who we later discover came to Hibiscus Lane with a hidden agenda. Tensions rise as Kay De Souza (Rex Van de Kamp) asks his wife Ese for a divorce; Chuka Obi treats his wife Kiki like she is on his payroll; Shina Lawal (Tom Scavo) is oblivious to his wife’s frustration and growing desperation; Deji Bello (Paul Young), Rume’s now widowed husband, seems to express his grief by suspiciously digging up his garden. Rume narrates the series from her vantage point, giving an insight into the lives, mysteries and conflicts of these four intriguing women.

Cast

The main cast for the first season of the show had 13 cast members.

Actor	Character	Season
		S1 [3]
Michelle Dede[4]	Tari Gam	Main
Omotu Bissong[5]	Funke Lawal	Main
Nini Wacera[6]	Ese De Souza	Main
Kehinde Bankole[4]	Kiki Obi	Main
Linda Osifo[4]	Rhetta Moore	Main
Mercy Dolapo Oni[4]	Rume Bello	Main
Nonso Odogwu	Kayonde De Souza	Main
Femi Branch	Deji Bello[7]	Main
Joseph Benjamin [7]	Chuka Obi	Main
Jason Dwoga	Larry Izama[7]	Main
Samuel Robinson	Akin Bello[7]	Main
Susan Pwajok	Aisha Gambandia	Main
Ben Touitou[7]	Tai Etim	Main
Ifeanyi Dike, Jr	Leo De Souza	Main
Ozzy Agu	Shina Lawal	Supporting
Omolara Akinsola	Esther Benson	Supporting
Moyosore Okisola	Tobi Lawal	Supporting
Emmanuel Osawaru	Tope Lawal	Supporting
Imolejesu Noah	Tola Lawal	Supporting
Esther Ubong-Abasi	Katherine De Souza	Supporting
Shaffy Bello-Akinrimisi	Agnes Bassey	Supporting
Blossom Chukwujekwu	Lekan Phillips	Supporting
Carol King	Abike Haastrup	Supporting
Lemmi Ilemona Adejo	Solomon Haastrup	Supporting
Katung Musa Aduwak	Dunlandi Gambadia	Supporting
Tina Mba	Furo George	Supporting
Amaka Anioji	Nnena Okafor	Recurring
Ayo Liyado	Father Ajayi	Recurring
Nicole Vervelde Keza	Amanda	Recurring
Faith Emmanuel	Bose	Recurring
Gregory Ojefua	Private Investigator	Guest
Victor Edogun	Dr. Ajala	Guest

Production

Auditions for various roles were announced in December 2013. Mo Abudu the CEO and executive producer led the production.^[8] Directed by Quinty Pillay, the cast members were mainly from Nigeria.^[9] The names of the cast were changed from names in the original show, in order to have African names. Michelle Dede plays Susan Mayer while Nini Wacera a Kenyan actress plays the adapted version of Bree Van de Kamp, as Kehinde Bankole plays Gabrielle Solis.Omotu Bissong plays Lynette Scavo, Mercy Dolapo Oni plays of Mary Alice Young and Linda Osifo plays Edie Britt.

The supposed 'husbands' that depicted the original version were, Joseph Benjamin playing African version of Carlos Solis, Larry Izama plays Mike Delphino, Femi Branch plays Paul Young,Ben Touitou plays African version John Rawland,Ozzy Agu plays Tom Scavo and Samuel Robinson plays Zach Young .^[10]

On July 30, 2015, the show went for a production break in order to replenish the remaining nine episode.It took over from September 3, 2015 from the fifteenth episode of the first season.

Broadcast

Desperate Housewives Africa premiered across the African continent and beyond on Ebony Life Television that is available on Multichoice dish, DSTV Channel 165 on 30 April 2015.^[11][12][13]

Season	Timeslot (WAT)	# Ep.	Premiere		Finale		Rank
			Date	Premiere share	Date	Finale share
1	Thursdays 9 pm	23	April 30, 2015[14]	N/A	October 29, 2015	TBA	TBA

Series overview

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	23	April 30, 2015[15]	October 29, 2015

Episodes

No. in Series	No. in Season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Pilot"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	April 30, 2015
2	2	"Ah, But Underneath"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	May 7, 2015
3	3	"Pretty Little Picture"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	May 14, 2015
4	4	"Who is that Woman"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	May 21, 2015
5	5	"Come In, Stranger"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	May 28, 2015
6	6	"Running to Stand Still"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	June 4, 2015
7	7	"Anything You Can Do"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	June 11, 2015
8	8	"Guilty"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	June 18, 2015
9	9	"Suspicious Minds"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	June 25, 2015
10	10	"Come Back To Me"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	July 2, 2015
11	11	"Move on"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekitor	July 9, 2015
12	12	"Everyday and a Little Death"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	July 16, 2015
13	13	"Your Fault"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	July 23, 2015
14	14	"Love is in the Air"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	July 30, 2015
15	15	"Impossible"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	September 3, 2015
16	16	"The Ladies Who Lunch"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	September 10, 2015
17	17	"There Won't Be Trumpets"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	September 17, 2015
18	18	"Children Will Listen"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	September 24, 2015
19	19	"Live Alone and Like It"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	October 1, 2015
20	20	"Fear No More"[16]	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	October 8, 2015
21	21	"Sunday in The Park with George[17]"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	October 15, 2015
22	22	"Goodbye For Now"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	October 22, 2015
23	23	"One Wonderful Day"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	October 29, 2015

References

1. "Desperate housewives Africa set in Lagos". News Ghana.
2. "Desperate Housewives Africa coming to Ebony TV". Channel 24.
3. "Desperate Housewives Africa actors unraveled". Ebony life TV. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
4. "Desperate housewives". cosmopolitan.ng. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
5. "Omotu Bissong". buidcv.net. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
6. "Nini Wacera lands a role in Desperate housewives". nairobinews.nation.co.ke. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
7. "Desperate housewives male vast revealed". Soda sand popcorn. April 14, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
8. "Africa's most successful women". forbes.com. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
9. "Desperate Housewives is here". bellanaija.com. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
10. "Desperate housewives Africa adaptation cast". Ebony Life TV.
11. "Desperate housewives premieres at Ebony at 10pm CAT.".
12. "Desperate housewives Africa to debut in 44 countries.".
13. "Desperate Housewives Africa to premiere this summer.".
14. "Premiere in two weeks". indiewire.com. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
15. "DHWA premiered with private screening". ebonylifetv.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
16. "DHWA fear no more". ebonylifetv.com. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
17. "Desperate HWA Sunday in the Park with george". ebonylifetv.com. Retrieved October 16, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Desperate Housewives Africa at the Internet Movie Database
• Desperate Housewives Africa on Twitter
  
• Desperate Housewives Africa on Facebook