Tuning In

’Desperate’ times

It’s another Sunday night, another May sweeps and another “Desperate Housewives” finale.

Fans of the series have grown accustomed to the expected cliffhanger, but with few interesting plot twists this season, even the show’s many loyalists have started to ask, “Is it worth it?”

Has the once edgy and must-see show jumped the shark?

Some longtime viewers — this writer included — think so. Yet producers (surprise, surprise) and others see it differently.

Grand plans apparently are in the works — and they once again involve the show’s resident femme fatale, Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan).

When Edie packed up and left Wisteria Lane at the end of Sunday’s episode, viewers were caught by surprise. The sudden exit of the neighborhood’s blond troublemaker has fans wondering how this plot twist will affect the ABC hit series and whether Miss Sheridan, who has played Edie during its four seasons, will return.

Rumors have swirled for weeks that the former “Knots Landing” star was out of the show. ABC flacks and Miss Sheridan’s publicist, Nicole Perna, have been tight-lipped in response to inquiries about her imminent departure.

However, creator and executive producer Marc Cherry was slightly more forthcoming. Yes, Edie’s gone, he told Associated Press. Then he added: “She won’t be back for a few years.”

What could that mean? Hadn’t Mr. Cherry already announced that he would bring his series to a close at the end of the 2010-11 season, just three years from now?

“We do three more seasons, and then it’s done,” he said.

Right now, what viewers really care about is Edie’s future … if any. Could her return — in what Mr. Cherry carefully described as “a few years” — have anything to do with another recent rumor that “Desperate Housewives” will adopt a “flash-forward” narrative device (akin to the storytelling style on “Lost”) that could restore Edie to the show as seen a few years hence?

“I only address one rumor at a time,” Mr. Cherry replied.

Fans will recall that Edie bolted on last week’s installment when the titular four housewives — Susan (Teri Hatcher), Lynette (Felicity Huffman), Bree (Marcia Cross) and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) — faced her down after she had pulled one too many schemes against them.

Ah … but is she done?

“We’ll have to wait until next season and see,” Mr. Cherry said.

Edie aside, Sunday’s two-hour season finale (beginning at 9 p.m.) may pose more perplexing problems: Several residents of Wisteria Lane will be faced with deadly threats. Susan realizes she will soon lose someone she loves — and the secrets of Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany) finally are revealed.

Also worth noting this weekend:

Tonight

• THS Investigates: Dating Nightmares ( 8 p.m., E! Entertainment Television) — During this two-hour in-depth special, E!’s signature “True Hollywood Stories” temporarily diverts its gaze from celebrities to probe the horrific and often dangerous journey encountered by those looking for love. The program takes a look at stalkers, the possible hazards of Internet dating and offers what is believed to be the first televised interview with Nushawn Williams. Mr. Williams was incarcerated more than 10 years ago for spreading the HIV virus to several women he dated across upstate New York.

Tomorrow

• The Last Emperor (9 p.m. WETA-Channel 26) — Nine Oscars, including the 1987 Academy Award for best picture, went to this arresting tale of the tragic final years of Pu Yi (1906-1967). Through flashbacks, it chronicles the remarkable rise and fall of the child ruler in the Forbidden City, his arranged marriage, attempted suicide and capture as a prisoner and war criminal in the newly proclaimed People’s Republic of China in 1945. Written by Mark Peploe and co-written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

Sunday

Knocked Up (9 p.m., HBO) — With the end of its epic “John Adams” miniseries and no original programming on the near horizon (at least until the May 25 premiere of “Recount”), HBO is shoring up its Sunday-night slate with first-run cable films including this week’s premiere of the 2007 comedy hit “Knocked Up.” Director Judd Apatow and his “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” co-star Seth Rogen reunite for this comic tale of a slacker (Mr. Rogen) who impregnates an ambitious TV reporter (“Grey’s Anatomy’s”Katherine Heigl) during a booze-filled one-night stand.Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann (Mr. Apatow’s real-life wife), Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel and Martin Starr head up the hilarious supporting cast.

Compiled by Robyn-Denise Yourse from staff, Web and wire reports