ABC / Ron TomWho's to blame for Desperate Housewives' recent ratings slip? Star James Denton believes ABC may have something to do with it.
Denton thinks the network could have done a better job at marketing the return of the series on Sunday after it was sidelined for three months due to the writers' strike. "They didn't promote it," the actor said at last night's Cool Comedy-Hot Cuisine fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation in Beverly Hills. "Nobody knew we were back. I couldn’t believe the lack of promotion."
Housewives isn't the only show Denton thinks ABC isn't giving any love to. "Grey’s has the same issue," he said. "They don’t promote them any more either."
Viewership for the Sunday premiere hit a record low for an original Housewives episode, down 15 percent from its average of 18.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Then again, it's not like Denton is completely distraught over viewership: "Sixteen million is a victory after all that time off."
—Additional reporting by Laura Lane