Army Wives by Fred Norris/Lifetime
Army Wives creator Katherine Fugate has been relieved of duty. "Army Wives is a fantastic tribute to the real life heroes serving in our armed forces and I'm so happy to have been a part of it," Fugate said in a statement. "With the show such an established hit, now seems like a logical time for me to step away and focus on developing new projects."As first reported by Michael Ausiello for EW, Fugate's exit from the Lifetime show may have resulted, in part, from rumored tension between Fugate and Wives' corporate partners, Lifetime and ABC. In its two seasons, the show has been through three show-runners. Rumors aside, ABC issued a diplomatic statement of its own in the wake of Fugate's departure: "Katherine is incredibly talented and we're grateful for her work in creating Army Wives. We are very happy to have had the opportunity to work with her."Will Fugate's discharge affect the show? — Anna Dimond
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Army Wives
Lifetime's Army Wives (Sundays at 10 pm/ET) doesn't take a stance on the war, but it's still making a big noise. Since its June 3 debut, the soap has smashed the female-friendly network's ratings records with almost four million viewers a week. It doesn't hurt that the show stars popular TV veterans Kim Delaney (NYPD Blue) and Catherine Bell (JAG) and that it's lustier than Lifetime's usual fare. But Army Wives also seems to be striking a chord with its depiction of military family life — a world full of rituals, duties and sacrifices unknown to most of America. "People keep coming up to me saying it's about time we see the female perspective on war," explains ex
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Barbara Eden courtesy Lifetime
On Army Wives, Barbara Eden will once again be married to a man in uniform. As first reported in the Ausiello Report vodcast, the I Dream of Jeannie star will play Victoria Grayson on the Aug. 12 episode. Along with her husband General Hugh Grayson (Robert Forster), she arrives on post to check up on things. No belly buttons this time around. It doesn’t hurt that the Lifetime show’s creator Katherine Fugate happens to be Eden’s niece. Fugate also has plans for an old friend from the days she was a writer on Xena: Warrior Princess. “I want to write a two-parter for Renee O'Connor (Xena’s bosom buddy Gabrielle) for the second season,” Fugate says. “We’ve stayed friends; she gave me my baby shower.” — Reporting by Ileane Rudolph
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