Marc Cherry

(Creator/Executive Producer of WHY WOMEN KILL; DEVIOUS MAIDS, 2013-16; DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, 2004-12; THE 5 MRS. BUCHANANS, 1994-95)

- Tom Stacy

If there’s one thing Marc Cherry knows, it’s how to write for women under pressure. His latest sudser, WHY WOMEN KILL, airs on CBS All Access, and follows three women who live in the same house during three different decades — 1963, 1984 and present day — and examines how they cope with infidelity in their marriages.

Has your love of daytime soaps influenced your work? “Oh, absolutely. I watched ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE. It’s no secret how I feel about Susan Lucci [ex-Erica, AMC]. I was thrilled to have the chance to work with her [as DM’s ex-Genevieve] and see how magnificently she played the high comedy as well as the drama. And on my first show, THE 5 MRS. BUCHANANS, I named it after the Buchanan family on OLTL. I got to have lunch with Erika Slezak [ex-Viki, OLTL] one time and I got to tell her that. That was a special thrill of mine.”

How did you come up with the unique format for WHY WOMEN KILL?