The cast of Desperate Housewives.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The desperate wives are leaving the house.

ABC president Paul Lee confirmed at the Television Critics Association tour on Sunday that the upcoming eighth season of Desperate Housewives - which also airs on CTV in Canada - will be the last for the series. “It’s an iconic show of which we’re so proud,” Lee said.

“We wanted to make sure this show, which sort of put us on the map, had its victory lap.”

Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry was asked what it was like when he told various members of his cast that this was going to be it.

“They’re people who are smart enough to be grateful,” Cherry said. "That was the primary colour of those conversations."

Cherry said he got the most emotional when talking to Eva Longoria, who plays Gaby. "I told her, 'I'm just going to put you in a van and have you solve mysteries,'" said Cherry, prompting laughter.

Kidding aside, Cherry said he is not interested in doing a spinoff, because he doesn’t want to be “one of those guys who just repeats himself constantly.”