Drea de Matteo doing 'Desperate Housewives'

By Rick Porter

June 30, 2009 8:26 AM

"Desperate Housewives" is getting a little East Coast attitude next season, thanks to Drea de Matteo.

The former "Sopranos" star is joining the cast of ABC's "Housewives" next season, the network confirms. She'll be a regular on the show, playing a new resident of Wisteria Lane -- and perhaps filling the brassy blonde role left open by the death of Nicollette Sheridan's Edie Britt at the end of last season.

De Matteo's character is a native New Yorker who moves to the supposedly more serene environs of Fairview with her husband and teenage son. Those parts haven't been cast yet.

De Matteo is, of course, best known for playing Adriana on "The Sopranos," where she met with an untimely death after becoming an FBI informant. She also starred in NBC's "Friends" spinoff "Joey" and had a recurring part on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" last year.

"Desperate Housewives" returns to ABC on Sept. 27.

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| Comments (8)

8 Comments

While I am excited that we are seeing new housewives on Fairview, this new one will never fill Edie's shoes. I hope de Matteo gives us a fresh new personality and doesn't try to do just that.

Mark O. Estes | June 30, 2009 8:41 AM

This is great for Drea she gets a job but it upsets me. I really enjoyed Edie played by Nicholette and supposedly she was killed off cause of budget cuts so where is the money for Drea and her Son and Husband coming from? Or maybe its true that Marc Cherry just didn't like Nicholette so he killed her character.

Michael | June 30, 2009 8:58 AM

She is just as ugly as nicolet so perfect casting, they need an older housewive to go wuith the young hotties.

meow | June 30, 2009 10:00 AM

damn, is she a portia de rossi look-alike or what????

cluegirl | June 30, 2009 11:16 AM

i agree... I like Drea, but it's bittersweet, because I'm still fuming over Edie's exit. Nobody can replace Edie.

david | June 30, 2009 12:12 PM

This seems pretty transparent: She'll be playing a "Real Housewife of New Jersey" with a secret. I'm bored already.

Dex | June 30, 2009 1:06 PM

meh, Edie was OK but I didn't necessarily mind Nicolette leaving. She wasn't my favorite character, but it was OK that she stirred the pot now and then.

It'll be interesting to see how Drea mixes in with the yentas. Hope they don't waste her talent like they did Alfre Woodard.

Seer Myopiac | June 30, 2009 1:15 PM

I'm sure she'll kick someones *** :)

Alex | June 30, 2009 4:29 PM