'Desperate Housewives' Stars React to News of the Show Ending

Mere hours after ABC formally announced it would be bidding farewell to Desperate Housewives, a handful of the series' stars were swarmed by reporters at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday night.our editor recommends'Desperate Housewives' Insider Backs Nicollette Sheridan's Story as ABC Lawsuit Heats Up (Exclusive)'Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria and George Lopez Host Alma Awards Return on NBC Primetime Stars Felicity Huffman (Lynette), Marcia Cross (Bree) and Brenda Strong (Mary Alice) each made an appearance at the network's Television Critics Association cocktail party, where they shared stories of how they found out the upcoming eighth season would be their last. All three of the actresses heard the news on Friday, with Cross finding out from her manager and then emailing Huffman. PHOTOS: Summer TCA "When anything is good, you don't want it to end. ... We were all hoping there would be a ninth year," said Strong, who acknowledged that her initial reaction when her reps informed her was sadness. "I think we probably could have gone to nine," added Huffman, "but I think it was too much of a risk to take and they really value [creator] Marc [Cherry] and the show." Huffman said executive producers George Perkins and Bob Daily came to the set Friday and made an announcement to everyone. "It was very quiet," she said. "Everyone was that odd combination of really sad and very sorry and, at the same time, very grateful." STORY: ABC Chief Paul Lee: 'We Wanted to Make Sure ['Desperate Housewives'] Had its Victory Lap' From there, Huffman spoke to Cherry, who had been sitting on the news for a couple of weeks. "He can't seem to keep his mouth shut so he had to keep himself away from set," she said, noting how relieved she thought he was to have the cat out of the bag. "I was glad that it was finally out there and decided, because I felt like it was coming and Iwas saying, 'Hey guys, i think this is coming,' and everybody was saying 'no,' ' said Cross, who like her co-stars is happy to be able to finish the long-running series on their terms. STORY: 'Desperate Housewives': Season 8 Will Be Its Last Looking ahead to the final season, Strong's character will be back in the series' fold. According to the actress, Mary Alice will revisit the day that she killed herself duringthe show's first three episodes. "There will be some different emotional layers that you haven't seen before," she teased, "and some interesting things will be revealed about one of the current characters on the Lane." As for the others, Cross would like to see her character's many men return, while Huffman hope her character gets back together with her husband.But after that, it's anybody's guess, noted a particularly candid Huffman. TCA Summer Press Tour: THR's Complete Coverage "You go into acting jail at the end of these things because it's hard for anyone to see you as anything other than Lynette Scavo or whatever it is," she said. "So I think it's unwise to look at the carnage around you of past television actresses and go, 'Well it's not going to happen to me.' " Huffman added, with a slight giggle, "It probably will, which is why I'm planning on opening supermarkets and gas stations." Related Topics ABC Television Critics Association Awards Felicity Huffman Desperate Housewives