ABC has confirmed the hit TV show will end its run after its eighth season, which is set to begin in the fall.
"I'm very aware that some shows overstay their welcome and I didn't want that to happen with `Desperate Housewives,"' creator Marc Cherry told reporters during a Sunday session of the Television Critics Association conference. "We wanted to go out in the classiest way possible."
The show premiered in 2004 with an ensemble cast, including Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Eva Longoria and Marcia Cross.
Cast members said they knew this day was coming, but it's bittersweet nonetheless.
"I'm glad we still have nine more months of shooting ahead of us. It's wonderful to know in advance. I think ABC really is treating the show respectfully. We appreciate that and we'll have the best time going out," said Huffman.
Some stars said they expected the news.
"I don't think anybody was surprised because...the nature of the scripts, it was feeling like the last year before we found out," said actor James Denton. "So none of us were really surprise, but it's still a bummer because we're still having such a good time."
"Desperate Housewives" was the fourth most-watched series in each of its first two seasons.
It won Golden Globe awards as television's best comedy or musical series in 2005 and 2006, and an Emmy award nomination as television's best comedy in 2005.
