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	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	23 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Mo Abudu
Producer	Quinty Pillay
Production locations	Lekki, Lagos State
Editors	Yemi Jolaoso Abimbola Taiwo
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	~45 minutes
Original release
Network	Ebony Life TV
Release	30 April (2015-04-30) – 29 October 2015 (2015-10-29)
Related
Desperate Housewives

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. 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.

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

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

Production

Auditions for various roles were announced in December 2013. Mo Abudu the CEO and executive producer led the production. Directed by Quinty Pillay, the cast members were mainly from Nigeria. 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 .

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.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Pilot"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	30 April 2015 (2015-04-30)
It begins with the shocking suicide of Rume Bello; 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—a divorced, single-mother looking for love; Funke Lawal, 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, 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, ex Nollywood actress and trophy wife—whose marriage to a rising movie financier Chuka Obi fails to satisfy her deepest needs, and she turns to her personal trainer, Tai Etim to alleviate her boredom. Rume narrates the series from her vantage point, giving an insight into the lives, mysteries and conflicts of these four intriguing women.
2	"Ah, But Underneath"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	7 May 2015 (2015-05-07)
The ladies on Hibiscus Lane try to understand what could have led their friend to commit suicide – especially after finding a disturbing blackmail note in her belongings. Kiki continues her dangerous affair with her personal trainer and almost gets caught by her husband. Funke is presented with an extreme disciplinary option by her neighbour Mrs Benson, but struggles with the idea of adopting it. Ese and Kay agree to go for marriage counselling with the head of their local parish, Father Ajayi, resulting in insightful revelations for all of them. Meanwhile Tari plucks up the courage to ask Larry Izama for a date, but is upstaged by Rhetta's more brazen approach.
3	"Pretty Little Picture"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	14 May 2015 (2015-05-14)
The ladies agree to host a dinner in honour of their friend Rume. Deji Bello's son Akin wonders why his father refuses to grieve or speak about his mum. Mrs. Benson's ill-fated housemaid Bose unexpectedly blackmails adulterous Kiki. Ese goes to great lengths to try to hide the fact that she and Kay are having problems in their marriage. Tari, tries to put her angst to rest with ex-husband Danladi but then ends up almost naked on Hibiscus Lane.
4	"Who is that Woman?"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	21 May 2015 (2015-05-21)
After Mrs Benson discovers that Tari is interested in Larry, she realises that Tari burnt Rhetta's house down, and blackmails her, forcing Tari to subsidise her bills in exchange for keeping her secret; Chuka suspects Kiki is having an affair but jumps to the wrong conclusion about the culprit; Funke struggles with giving her kids medication for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), while Ese struggles with Leo's difficult behaviour when Kay moves out. Meanwhile, the ladies get information that begins to shed more light on Rume's mysterious suicide. They share their findings with Deji who hires a Private Detective to find out who the blackmailer is.
5	"Come In, Stranger"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	28 May 2015 (2015-05-28)
A break-in in the Estate leads to more vigilance and awareness by the residents. They don’t realise the intruder lives closer than they think; Tari accepts the offer of a date from Estate Head of Security Patrick Esosa, when Larry appears aloof and distant towards her, in an attempt to provoke him to jealousy. He has other things on his mind. Kiki's mother-in-law Mama Obi arrives to spend time with her son and daughter-in-law. Chuka has brought in his mother to find out if Kiki is truly having an affair; whilst Funke and Shina try to get their children into a prestigious private school at all costs; Ese invites Akin to her house for lunch seeing they share something in common–loneliness. Their time spent together leads to some surprising revelations.
6	"Running to Stand Still"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	4 June 2015 (2015-06-04)
The housewives talk about the sudden absence of Akin, who is revealed later to be in a mental care unit. Mama Obi continues her investigation into Kiki's ‘extra-curricular’ activities. Kiki, knowing Mama Obi's gambling problem, manipulates her so she can spend some time with Tai. Father Ajayi discusses Kay's suggestion to spice up their sex life, much to Ese's annoyance. Funke engages in a war of words with Faith Radcliffe another mother, over the school play, and learns the alternate uses of her children's ADD medicine. Tari finds out where Akin is and persuades Aisha to speak to him and sneak him a mobile phone.
7	"Anything You Can Do"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	11 June 2015 (2015-06-11)
A dressed-up and very attractive Tari is disappointed and embarrassed when Larry has to cancel their first proper date because a very sexy guest called Francesca comes over to stay; Mama Obi discovers that Kiki is seeing Tai, and is determined to get proof. Funke becomes increasingly addicted to and dependent on her children's ADD medication, and sabotages Shina's promotion; Kiki is unhappy and jealous about the sudden competition for the attention of her personal trainer, Tai. Kay informs Ese he's filed for divorce, and attempts to bribe the children with gifts forcing Ese to take drastic action; Deji Bello's Private investigator, comes close to solving the mystery of the blackmail note; an intoxicated Leo runs over Mama Obi on the lane and doesn’t stop, leaving her in a coma with the secret she has only just uncovered.
8	"Guilty"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	18 June 2015 (2015-06-18)
In the aftermath of Mama Obi's hit and run, the residents of Hibiscus Lane evaluate their lives. Kay and Ese on discovering that Leo's drink-driving put Mama Obi in a coma, take the damaged car to a rough area of Lagos to get it fixed and conceal evidence of Leo's crime; Meanwhile, Tari becomes suspicious about Larry's real reason for being on the Lane when she discovers a bag of money concealed in his kitchen cupboard. Larry discovers Tari's prying and their relationship stalls; Funke's desperation intensifies as she searches for a way to manage her addiction to her children's ADD medication; Tai Etim confesses to his priest his affair with Kiki; the Private Investigator is about to murder Rhetta Moore when he discovers that it's Mrs. Benson who is the one who blackmailed Rume Bello; Tari and Larry make up sleep together for the first time, while Deji confronts and kills Mrs. Benson who callously refuses partial culpability in Rume's suicide.
9	"Suspicious Minds"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	25 June 2015 (2015-06-25)
Challenged by a nurse's dedication and compassion as she cares for Kiki's comatose mother-in-law, Kiki discovers the next big dream in her life. She decides to organise a fashion show with the women on the Estate, to raise money for people who can't afford medical care; Kay and a frustrated Ese try to provoke some remorse in a seemingly sociopathic Leo. Tari discovers Kiki is having an affair with Tai, her personal trainer, and is very upset with her; Abigail Etim having discovered her son Tai is sleeping with a housewife, assumes it's Tari, and publicly humiliates her at the fashion show, forcing Kiki to confess to Abigail; Funke uses her business expertise to "poach" herself a new nanny. The fictional Financial Crimes Agency (FCA) arrest Chuka for money laundering, but he claims he’d been set up by Alhaji his business partner.
10	"Come Back To Me"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	2 July 2015 (2015-07-02)
Faith Radcliffe the society mum, reveals her alter ego as a high-class prostitute, and Ese finds out Kay is one of her customers following Kay's heart attack. Kiki tries to deal with her new cash-strapped financial status with Chuka in jail. While Tari and Larry try to plan a romantic date together, they discover that Aisha has been harbouring the missing Akin all along, much to Tari's disappointment. Funke is concerned about her new nanny Orode's (Claire's) ability to handle her children. She installs a camera to spy on her; Kiki sends her belongings to her mother for safekeeping and out of the reach of the FCA. Aisha is upset that Tari sends Akin back to his father.
11	"Move on"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	9 July 2015 (2015-07-09)
Larry tells Tari that he loves her but she is short of words. Danladi reveals that Halima has left him, and gets invited for Aisha's birthday out of sympathy. He brings Rhetta as his date; she later confesses to Tari that she had a fling with Danladi while they were married. Danladi tries to win Tari back, but she realises that she loves Larry after all. Ese is "emotionally blackmailed" by her children to nurse Kay back to health. Ese begins a flirty dalliance with the local pharmacist, Lekan Phillips much to Kay's chagrin. Leo accuses her of being heartless, and Ese lets it slip that Kay cheated. In a desperate bid for survival as her finances dwindle, Kiki seeks acting opportunities and is given a role in a small indie movie, where she realises that her glory days are indeed over.
12	"Everyday and a Little Death"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	16 July 2015 (2015-07-16)
The body of Mrs. Benson is found attracting the kind of publicity she's always craved; Ese continues to torment Kay by continuing to flirt with Lekan; Chuka is placed under house arrest under the watchful eye of a police officer and Kiki's displeased to discover he can’t work, and she has finds work in less paying, commercial gigs that are humiliating. Tari, on discovering Mrs. Benson left a journal, confesses to Rhetta that she accidentally burnt down her house. Ese cleans and admires the Dane gun Lekan gave her as a present, and accidentally shoots off his toe as he attempts to kiss her; Funke tries to get into an exercise class but fails; Rhetta tries to organise a memorial for Mrs. Benson at her graveside, but all the housewives make excuses not to go.
13	"Your Fault"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	23 July 2015 (2015-07-23)
When Shina's father Adeolu comes to visit the Lawal's – Funke confronts her in-law when she discovers that he's a serial cheat and a chauvinist; Tai's parents persuade and threaten Kiki to convince Tai to change his mind about his sudden decision to start his own business; Tai in turn surprises Kiki by proposing marriage, which she declines; Deji works hard to convince Tari there isn’t any mystery surrounding Rume's death. Ese enjoys Lekan's company and advice as she deals with her feelings about the divorce from Kay; Kay has a change of heart especially when he realises Ese is spending time in the company of another man; Tari keeps a watchful eye on her daughter after she discovers Aisha and Akin in an embrace. Deji decides to sell the house—but has a change of heart when Akin, armed with the family secret insists all plans to move house be abandoned.
14	"Love is in the Air"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	30 July 2015 (2015-07-30)
Ese confides to Father Ajayi that she still believes Kay is being evasive about his sexual preferences, even though they have reconciled. She later probes Kay to tell her what his secret is, and he admits that he enjoys certain sexual adventures. Ese and Kay experiment, much to Kay's delight. Funke is pleasantly surprised when her boys give her a beautiful flowerpot, but is dismayed to find that they stole it from cantankerous neighbour, Mrs. Okorie. The tension between Funke and Mrs Okorie escalates when she accuses the children of stealing her wall clock and calls them names. Shina discovers a treasure trove of stolen things in the children's playhouse, including the clock.
15	"Impossible"	Debo Oluwatuminu	Unknown	3 September 2015 (2015-09-03)
The police arrest Larry for the murder of Mrs Benson because of the bracelet that was planted on him. Tari provides an alibi for him when she is questioned, remembering they were together on the evening of the murder. Her delight at his innocence turns to despair when she finds out he has a criminal record and breaks up with him. Ayo, Tai's flatmate attempts to blackmail Kiki into sleeping with him, and gets a slap for his efforts; Shina gets Patrick Obey's job as a director but Funke's unhappy because he’ll be away more than he is already. Ese discovers that errant condom she found in the laundry actually belongs to Katherine who was planning on losing her virginity to Tai, a huge disappointment for Ese's matchmaking plans. Leo pranks a teenager into drinking too much and vomiting all over Deji's furniture.
16	"The Ladies Who Lunch"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	10 September 2015 (2015-09-10)
A scandal on the Lane exposes more than Ese anticipated as Faith Radcliffe's exploits are plastered all over tabloid news; Ese attempts to persuade Faith to omit Kay's name from the list, but the encounter goes badly; Kiki has a brilliant idea that temporarily solves an inconvenient plumbing problem in the Obi's household; Funke struggles to deal with the suspicion that her boys were the source of a ringworm infection in their school, only to confront the mother of the real culprit when she finds out the truth.
17	"There Won't Be Trumpets"	Quinty Pillay	Tari Ekiyor	17 September 2015 (2015-09-17)
Mama Obi finally awakens from her coma, but dies tragically while trying to reveal Kiki's affair with Tai to Chuka. Kiki takes objection to Chuka giving his mother an expensive funeral. However, she is later offered a settlement by the hospital for negligence on their part. Funke befriends a deaf woman named Labake Harris whose daughter attends Park Royal Academy with her children, but is infuriated by her husband, Deinde (Dennis Stevens), who takes advantage of her disability to insult her behind her back. Leo's behaviour worsens to the degree that Ese and Kay contemplate sending him to Ese's disciplinarian aunt for a while. Tari is being asked out by Rhetta's new architect, but Rhetta forbids her from dating him. Larry tries to explain his past by giving Tari a confession letter, which she hesitates to read.
18	"Children Will Listen"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatuminu	24 September 2015 (2015-09-24)
Tari's eccentric mother, Furo George, visits her daughter on Hibiscus Lane after she and her partner Pascal, break up. Some playing boys find the wooden box that Deji threw into the Lagoon with a body in it. Akin defends his father when detectives question him about a similar wooden chest he purchased years ago. After Chuka finds out about the settlement from the hospital, he forces Kiki to sign a legal document that would cut her off from any entitlements if she leaves him. Hurt, Kiki runs back into the willing arms of Tai Etim. Funke and Ese fall out when Funke discovers Ese spanked Tope, whilst babysitting them. Kay and Ese visit Leo at Aunty May's house where he's been sent for discipline. Agnes reveals the secrets of Akin's past and he discovers that his birth name was "Ify".
19	"Live Alone and Like It"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	1 October 2015 (2015-10-01)
Funke and cranky Mrs. Liz Okorie start an uneasy relationship after she collapses on the lane from a suspected heart attack. Liz Okorie however becomes more attached to Funke than she’d like, and Funke starts to regret her intervention. Ese and Leo continue to have difficulty after he returns from Aunty May. At Ese's suggestion, Leo sees their pastor to whom Leo reveals his aversion for his mother. Larry learns from Chief Molokwu that the body in the wooden box is the remains of his former girlfriend, Gina. Kiki reignites her relationship with Tai when Chuka cuts off her access to funds. Furo George attempts to cheer Tari up by getting them dates, so she can get over the breakup with Larry, who is beaten up by a corrupt detective. Chuka gives in and destroys the legal document, making Kiki happier.
20	"Fear No More"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatumini	8 October 2015 (2015-10-08)
Kiki organises a ‘going away’ party for Chuka who in actuality is going to prison. But she explodes in anger when she discovers that she became pregnant after her birth control pills had been tampered with. Lekan Philips returns and attempts to woo Ese away from Kay, while Ese remains oblivious to Lekan's suspicious agenda. Funke's nemesis, Amarachi returns and is working closely with Shina. A jealous and threatened Funke turns to Rhetta for advice. Akin starts to stalk Aisha to try to restore their friendship. Rhetta exposes Tari to Deji about breaking into his house, forcing Deji to tell Tari an unconvincing lie about Rume's past. When Tari's kitchen is set on fire, she assumes Deji is responsible. Larry decides to investigate Deji when he finds out he owned a similar wooden box, and warns Tari to stay away from him.
21	"Sunday in the Park with George"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	15 October 2015 (2015-10-15)
22	"Goodbye for Now"	Quinty Pillay	Debo Oluwatumini	22 October 2015 (2015-10-22)
In the penultimate episode, a jealous Rhetta connives to stage an intervention for Tari when she learns that Larry is moving in with her, but Tari makes a persuasive moving statement that reassures the women. When Funke plots to keep Shina and Amarachi apart, she ends up getting Shina fired. Lekan breaks into Ese's house, and lies to Ese about Kay flaunting their ‘unusual’ sex practices to his colleagues. An enraged Ese confronts Kay who strenuously denies the allegations, but ends up having another heart attack.
23	"One Wonderful Day"	Quinty Pillay	Tosin Otudeko	29 October 2015 (2015-10-29)
Shina discovers through his boss that Funke was responsible for losing the original promotion and decides to become a house-husband. Tai shocks Chuka by revealing that Kiki's baby might be his, resulting in Chuka's further attempts at violence. Rhetta welcomes the enigmatic Hastrup's to the lane, while Akin holds Tari prisoner at gunpoint, keen to find Larry, who he believes wants to do his father harm. Larry has taken Deji to a deserted place with every intention of killing him after interrogating him. Kay starts to believe that Ese may have been responsible for poisoning him, and writes her a note forgiving her, then dies not long after.

External links

• Official website
• Desperate Housewives Africa at IMDb
• Desperate Housewives Africa on Twitter
• Desperate Housewives Africa on Facebook