Desperate Housewives Exclusive: Which Former Friend Is Heading to Wisteria Lane?

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Michael Ausiello

A familiar friend is making a play for newly-single Tom Scavo.

The ABC soap has inked a deal with ex-Friends actress Jessica Hecht to join the cast in a recurring role, TVLine has learned.

Hecht — fondly remembered as Susan, the lesbian spouse of Ross’ ex-wife Carol on the much-missed NBC sitcom — will play a love interest Doug Savant’s imminent divorcé.

In Housewives Season 7 finale, Tom and Lynette (Felicity Huffman) announced that they were sticking a fork in their nearly 20-year marriage.

Hecht’s more recent credits include recurring gigs on HBO’s Bored to Death and AMC’s Breaking Bad.

Housewives eighth (and final) season launches on Sept. 25.

Tags: ABC, Desperate Housewives, Doug Savant, Friends, Jessica Hecht

Comments (55)

what a ridiculously misleading headline
Comment by andy – August 18, 2011 04:11 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- I agree, something’s been off with the people running this site lately.
  Comment by Dick Whitman – August 18, 2011 04:18 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- It’s almost as bad as when they had a headline about a new role for a “former Lost star” when it was a guy who was had 3 minutes of screentime in the entire series.
  Comment by Don Draper – August 18, 2011 04:52 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - If it bothers you so much Dick/Don, don’t let the door hit you…. The world has enuf negativity, some of us don’t need to hear grown “men” be bitchy in a TV blog message board. Get stones.
    Comment by Danyelle – August 18, 2011 04:56 PM PDT Reply To This Post
    - I like how you pick on us when every comment on here is about how misleading the headline is.
      Comment by Don Draper – August 18, 2011 05:03 PM PDT Reply To This Post
      - “Us”? Hilarious. Two comments so close together, both with same harping, both using Mad Men character names. But you’re separate people, OK. So you’re delusional *and* bitchy men.
        Comment by Danyelle – August 18, 2011 05:59 PM PDT
      - Really, Danyelle? You know what’s hilarious? That you *actually* believe that someone would use the names of the same character from Mad Men to post as two different people.
        
        And I don’t find any of our comments “bitchy”, your “don’t let the door…” comment on the other hand…
        Comment by Dick Whitman – August 18, 2011 06:58 PM PDT
      - Hmmm, I do hate the negativity. But Danyelle, you “get some stones” tack is a wee bit overboard.
        
        The headline is deliberately misleading. It’s always been a thing with Ausiello that he will shamelessly exaggerate and/or take liberties with his headlines.
        
        You come to the sight enough, you know what to expect.
        
        Plus the fact that the front page view made it clear it was a female casting and Monica already has a gig, Rachel is probably too big for tv/too hot for Tom Sciavo and Phoebe, well it *could* have been Phoebe I guess.
        
        Except for the little picture of Jessica Hecht that was on the front page too.
        Comment by ultimate troll – August 18, 2011 09:46 PM PDT
      - You’re right for the most part, ultimate troll, but as other posters have pointed out, not all of us saw the picture because we got the info through a tweet or some other sort of feed. All Ausiello’s tweet had was the headline, so we didn’t see the pic and didn’t even know that it was a female “former Friend” before clicking on the article. I actually initially believed perhaps it was Chandler or Ross doing a guest spot for an episode or two, because as you said, it didn’t seem to fit with the girls of Friends and Joey already has a show.
        Comment by Don Draper – August 19, 2011 12:32 AM PDT
    - Please, Danyelle, are you new to the internet?
      Comment by Dick Whitman – August 18, 2011 05:22 PM PDT Reply To This Post
      - Apparently she hates Mad Men because out of all the people posting about how deceiving the headline is, we are the only “bitchy men.”
        Comment by Don Draper – August 18, 2011 06:54 PM PDT
She’s more like a friend of a friend of a Friend.
Comment by Michael Sacal – August 18, 2011 04:20 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- Not even that close…friend of a friend of a friend. She’s twice removed, she doesn’t count as a “Friend.”
  Comment by theW4 – August 18, 2011 05:14 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - She (Susan) is a friend of a friend (Carol) of a Friend (Ross). She’s once removed.
    Comment by Michael Sacal – August 19, 2011 05:47 AM PDT Reply To This Post
How exactly is the headline misleading when the picture directly under the headline shows who the headline is about?
Comment by Jeff – August 18, 2011 04:25 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- because he tweeted just the headline and the link.
  Comment by megan – August 18, 2011 04:38 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- Because many of the readers here – especialy the more enthusiastic – don’t saw that picture beforehand because we use Twitter or RSS to keep informed about updates. And this kind of tactic seems kind of disrespectful. But then again I’m obviously not the intendet targetaudience for this site: I would have read an news about DH anyway. Insted, I clicked a little more enthusiasticaly and now am terribly annoyed. Again.
  Comment by Bernd – August 18, 2011 04:53 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - LMFAO!!! I don’t what’s funnier – “tactic” “disrespectful” or “we use Twitter or RSS to keep informed about updates”.
    
    Ribs tickled, thanks!
    Comment by ultimate troll – August 18, 2011 09:49 PM PDT Reply To This Post
    - OMFG!!! I just reread it and totally missed “terribly annoyed”!!
      LOLZ x a billion!
      
      You are on a roll tonight Bernd.
      Comment by ultimate troll – August 18, 2011 09:50 PM PDT Reply To This Post
Wow – they should almost print an apology for misleading us with that awful headline.
Comment by Dr. Matt – August 18, 2011 04:25 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- They already did. I think it was very sincere too. They even included victim statements from others like yourself who were so butthurt over it.
  Comment by Dr.Ress – August 18, 2011 09:52 PM PDT Reply To This Post
I figured it was going to be Janice! ‘-)
Comment by Tammy – August 18, 2011 04:27 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- That was my first thought too — I did not “fondly” or otherwise remember Jessica Hecht’s character on Friends. I do remember her from other series though.
  Comment by Snsetblaze – August 18, 2011 09:07 PM PDT Reply To This Post
I remember that end in the Season 7 finale, Tom and Lynette were getting separated and taking a break. They were not getting divorced.
Comment by Khaatim Boyd – August 18, 2011 04:28 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- I remember that too… i think they won’t divorce because it’s the last season and they are the favorite couple!
  Comment by silly – August 19, 2011 12:23 AM PDT Reply To This Post
Please change the title, so misleading. When you say FRIEND we assumed its one of the main six , and I hoped it would have been Courtney Cox doing a Guest stint since Cougar Town is mid-season. I don’t even know who this secondary actress is.

How about “Random women who was on Friends now another Random role on DH”
Comment by Fringe_southAfrica – August 18, 2011 04:33 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- that’s exactly why they do it, and it’s really annoying.
  Comment by Dick Whitman – August 18, 2011 04:57 PM PDT Reply To This Post
THEY WERE ON A BREAK!

And, yeah, I thought it was Janice at first, too.
Comment by Cy – August 18, 2011 04:35 PM PDT Reply To This Post
She is not remembered fondly by many for that role.
Comment by A – August 18, 2011 04:39 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- She certainly was not, she was horrible to Ross most of the time, as though his presence in his own sons life was a major inconvenience to her! She basically claimed ownership of Ben, as if Ben was her child, especially in the birth and naming episode. Poor Rossy. He just sat and took it, too.
  Comment by Sarah – August 18, 2011 05:15 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - YES! Always bugged me when they were arguing about the baby’s last name and it was taken as a given that hers would be one of them but Geller, oh no! how dare he.
    Comment by Mikos – August 18, 2011 09:56 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- LOL at “they were on a break”!!
  Comment by Me – August 20, 2011 09:50 AM PDT Reply To This Post
Seriously? She was in 12 of the 238 episodes….Gunther had a bigger part….
Comment by Scott – August 18, 2011 04:45 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- Gunther was in 130 more episodes than this “former Friend.” 13 actors were in more episodes than her.
  Comment by Roger Sterling – August 18, 2011 05:30 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - yes, whatever happened to Gunther. He was actually quite funny.
    Comment by Vanny – August 19, 2011 03:15 AM PDT Reply To This Post
Gunther would be great!
Comment by theW4 – August 18, 2011 05:12 PM PDT Reply To This Post
The question on the headline is a trick question because the answer is None.
Comment by Michael Sacal – August 18, 2011 05:17 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- You win, sir.
  Comment by Dick Whitman – August 18, 2011 05:21 PM PDT Reply To This Post
It’s not TVLINE’s fault if you morons thought Lisa, Courtney or Jennifer would be joining Desperate Housewives.
Comment by dee – August 18, 2011 05:45 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- Really now? Name calling? Alrighty then.
  
  It’s obvious by the comments that most went to this story just to see which of the actual stars of Friends was coming on the show. Yes, the headline was rather misleading because I’m sure a lot of us wouldn’t have even read DH news without an interesting headline like this.
  Love you, TVLINE peeps, let’s just try to make the headlines slightly more honest from here on out, k? Thanks!
  Comment by Danielle H. – August 18, 2011 07:05 PM PDT Reply To This Post
  - How can you love TVLINE but not at least suspect that the headline was just them being cheeky like they’ve been from before they were even here?
    Comment by ultimate troll – August 18, 2011 09:59 PM PDT Reply To This Post
She’s NOT a former Friend – how ridiculous. The only Friends were the six lead characters.

And Tom Scavo is not an imminent divorce – he and Lynette are only separated.
Comment by Miffy – August 18, 2011 06:40 PM PDT Reply To This Post
what a ridiculously misleading headline
Comment by Stephen – August 18, 2011 07:44 PM PDT Reply To This Post
Wow. The twitter headline was soo misleading, I feel a little tricked.
Comment by Beka – August 18, 2011 07:56 PM PDT Reply To This Post
I hope Tom and Lynette DON’T reunite by the end of the series. She is an emasculating shrew and he can do better.
Comment by Sivat – August 18, 2011 08:06 PM PDT Reply To This Post
Worse than the wrong headline — not just misleading, but wrong — is the phrase “fondly remembered as Susan”. Fondly? Really? By whom?
Comment by april-ann – August 18, 2011 08:56 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- I agree. She was Susan was a horrible character that I don’t think anyone liked. And before some people get bent out of shape, it had nothing to do with her being lesbian. It was how she treated Ross and openly despised him. To this day I don’t understand Susan’s hostility towards Ross; if anything it should be the other around since Susan stole Ross’ wife and got to live with and see his son everyday.
  Comment by Timothy – August 19, 2011 12:37 AM PDT Reply To This Post
I have to agree with many of the posts on here…misleading headline. Poorly written, trying to be clever but it just didn’t work! I hope TVLINE isn’t turning into zap2it.
Comment by matt – August 18, 2011 09:06 PM PDT Reply To This Post
- You just gotta love a poorly written article that took 2 people to write.
  Comment by tripoli – August 18, 2011 10:40 PM PDT Reply To This Post
Well I guess since “Rachel” is heading to Days of Lives, they had to bring in the guns and get “Susan”. FAIL!
Comment by Brendan – August 18, 2011 09:23 PM PDT Reply To This Post
“Hecht — fondly remembered as Susan” – don’t remember her fondly thanks. In fact, she was the most unlikable character next the her wife. I even preferred Janice to her…
Comment by vanny – August 19, 2011 03:13 AM PDT Reply To This Post
Sigh … final season … it went by so fast. How many people would love to see Carolyn Bigsby return? I know she died, but it’s television … maybe she could appear as a zombie, with Edie Brit … “Walking Dead” on Wisteria Lane. LOL
Comment by Danny – August 19, 2011 06:01 AM PDT Reply To This Post
No no no! Laura Leighton should play Tom’s love interest. Then, William H. Macy will play Lynette’s.
Comment by Marc – August 19, 2011 06:09 AM PDT Reply To This Post
Marc, great idea! I wonder if “Pretty Little Liars” would allow Leighton to do an arc and “Shameless” would let Macy do something for the show, too. Genius!
Comment by matt – August 19, 2011 07:30 AM PDT Reply To This Post
it gets better and better with the misleading headlines… I would have accepted if the character was let say one of the obviously, but also if it was the actress who played Janice or one of the Geller parents or even Tom Selleck who was monica’s lover for almost the entire season 3 etc…

But this one if kind of a stretch!!!
Comment by melanie – August 21, 2011 08:03 AM PDT Reply To This Post

Desperate Housewives Exclusive: Which Former Friend Is Heading to Wisteria Lane?

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