'Desperate Housewives' Creator Marc Cherry Adapting Maid Drama for ABC

Marc Cherry is swapping the Desperate Housewives of Wisteria Lane to maids in Beverly Hills. The Desperate Housewives creator is developing Devious Maids, an hourlong drama set up at ABC through his deal with ABC Studios. The network has given a script order to the project. Loosely based on the Televisa format The Disorderly Maids of the Neighborhood, Cherry's Maids would revolve around four Latina women who are maids in the exclusive Los Angeles community. STORY: 'Desperate Housewives' Stars React to News of the Show Ending Cherry will write and executive produce the project through his Cherry/Wind Productions shingle alongside Housewives EP Sabrina Wind. David Lonner, John Mass and Larry Shuman are also attached as nonwriting EPs. The Televisa format revolves around five housekeepers who work in a quiet condominium where nothing happened until the day the residents decided to build a swimming pool. After a drought prompts a water shortage and the tenants begin clashing, the housekeepers find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery. Devious Maids joins Cherry's faith/musical drama Hallelujah, starring Terry O'Quinn and Jesse L. Martin, which is being redeveloped after it failed to earn the series order in May. STORY: ABC Chief Paul Lee: 'We Wanted to Make Sure ['Desperate Housewives'] Had its Victory Lap' Desperate Housewivesis currently airing its eighth and final season on the network, with Season 7 averaging 12 million viewers, down from the nearly 24 million that tuned in for Season 1, according to Nielsen. Cherry is repped by Paradigm. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit Related Topics Desperate Housewives Marc Cherry TV Development