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There is nothing more precious for a show creator in this day and age than the trust and the full creative support of a TV network.  At the _Awardsline_ screening for Lifetime‘s _Devious

Maids_ Monday night, creator Marc Cherry revealed one kinky scene the network let him get away with. “There was a scene where Rosie’s (Dania Ramirez) employer Lucinda spanks her son.  When I

pitched that to a room full of female executives they exclaimed, ‘And that’s funny, why?!'”  Pin it on Cherry’s m.o. to keep his comedy storytelling dangerous. “I’m gonna pitch (a

network) things that are funny and because I’m a sick, twisted bastard, you’re going to have to trust me on this,” said Cherry about his directive to TV network execs. In conversing with

panel moderator, Deadline’s Dominic Patten,  Cherry further expounded about his ABC hit _Desperate Housewives _ and Lifetime’s _Devious Maids_, “I want my shows to be delicious.  Sometimes,

I’ll get a guest star who might play a part too earnestly and I tell them that the drama should have a twinkle in its eye and the comedy, a bitter after taste.  My mistakes are when I swing

too far for the fences. When we play it safe — we risk more.” The crowd last night watched the first episode of _Devious Maids_‘ second season, “An Ideal Husband” directed by the show’s

executive producer and former _Desperate Housewives_ alum Eva Longoria. For Cherry, Longoria played to the material and actors’ strengths, which isn’t always the case with TV directors who

can vie for style over performance.  One of the story arcs in the episode revolved around Carmen (Roselyn Sanchez), an ambitious pop singer who is trying to break away from her role as a

maid to a Latin pop icon, Alejandro. WATCH ON DEADLINE Said Cherry, “Eva did the best with directing Carmen, because that’s the part she would have played after all those years playing

Gabrielle (on _Desperate Housewives_), who was vain and selfish. I told Roselyn it was my favorite episode. She had the help of someone being behind the character because Eva really

understood Carmen: Often the characters who are self-absorbed are the funniest.” RELATED: ‘MAD MEN’ CAST AND CREATOR REFLECT ON HALF SEASON FINALE “A lot of times, directors feel that we

know our characters and leave you alone.  It’s refreshing to be directed and have someone tell you, ‘Try something else.'” said Sanchez who was also in attendance last night with

executive producer Sabrina Wind and actresses Dania Ramirez (Rosie), Edy Ganem (Valentina) and Rebecca Wisocky (Evelyn Powell). Cherry also spoke about the differences between writing for

broadcast versus cable TV. “People use to make fun of daytime dramas because they would take a hostage situation and spread it over three weeks.  Now I understand why, because you go through

stories so quickly,” said Cherry who prizes the shorter episode order of cable TV, “(With broadcast), we’re tap-dancing our assess off by episode 15.”