Speaking at the recently TV Critics Association convention, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson admitted Desperate Housewives went off course creatively but said he felt it had now improved and was gaining momentum.

McPherson told attendees that Desperate Housewives had "got away from the heart and soul of that show" and at the beginning of the season was "kind of figuring out where to go next," reported courant.com. "We answered so many questions at the end of the year that when we came back there were so many things that we wanted to touch on."

But McPherson said the falal episodes marked a turnaround in the show. "I think through the fall they built momentum," he said. "I think the episodes that we've aired since we've come back from January—the first one back was clearly one of the best episodes we've done. I think there's momentum getting back into it."

McPherson commended Marc Cherry and executive producer Tom Spezialy for the perceived turnaround, reported Leading the Charge. "It's a credit to Marc and to Tom to be able to kind of take what they hear from the critics and the audience and bloggers and everybody and really apply that and make it a stronger show and show that it has more legs for the future."

He also talked about other shows on the network. Of Alias he said: "we want to send it out the right way and not let it drift off into the distance." Regarding Emily's Reasons Not To, axed after just one episode, he said: "creatively we did not get the show where it needed to be." And he said ABC has completed a 9/11-themed production. "It's a very ambitious piece. It's a very special piece to me and to the network."

Talking of the arrival of some ABC programs on iTunes, McPherson said it wasn't a primary concern and the network's focus is to nurture their shows regardless of their delivery method. "There's all these platforms out there that are incredibly, incredibly exciting," he said. "But you have to be careful. I think there's a little of technology kind of wagging the dog. We look at our franchises and our shows, and we look at them across all platforms and all products in terms of how we can grow them to complement the mothership."

The original articles, with more from McPherson, can be found at courant.com and Leading the Charge.

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