Nastiness in the Neighborhood

They said she wouldn’t go quietly – and they were right.

Of course, they were talking about Edie Britt, the character Nicollette Sheridan played with so much gusto on Desperate Housewives – not the actress herself.

Now, though, a couple of years after her exit, Sheridan is suing ABC and the show’s creator, Marc Cherry, claiming assault and battery, gender violence, wrongful termination, and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

The actress reportedly argues in her $20 million suit that Cherry created a “hostile work environment,” regularly “demeaning” writers and staff, and was “dismissive, and unprofessional” toward her both on and off set.

Click here for more details about the unpleasantness, which also includes a comment Cherry allegedly made after Sheridan’s co-star Teri Hatcher went over his head with a complaint.

Not to be calling out for pitchforks, but I’ve heard a few comments here and there about Marc Cherry, and the picture they painted could’ve been titled “Creep.”

Alas, I’m sure fans of Sheridan’s and the show will be interested in seeing how this off-screen drama plays out with, perhaps, more interest than the Bolen saga that’s snoozing its way to a conclusion on the show right now.

Photo: TVFanatic.com.

Update: Meanwhile, ABC Studios has responded to news of the suit saying, “While we have yet to see the actual complaint, we investigated similar claims made by Ms. Sheridan last year and found them to be without merit.”