Desperate Housewives to live for season nine?

By April MacIntyre Dec 11, 2008, 2:42 GMT

Tease: 09/12/2008 - Marc Cherry - 4th Annual New York Television Festival - Opening Night - Arrivals - 340 West 50th Street - New York City, NY, USA © Sylvain Gaboury / PR Photos

Word on the E! street is that Marc Cherry's smallscreen pastiche o' suburban sirens will live another year.

Could Desperate Housewives go all the way to 2013?

E! reporter Ted Casablanca claims Marc Cherry may have intimated that to his cast and crew that today. ABC president Steve McPherson has not issued an official ABC statement yet.

“What Marc said today to the crew is that he would like to extend the show through season nine,” an ABC insider revealed to Ted. “But there are no deals in place yet. We've been talking with the studio and the network about the conceptual possibilities of additional seasons, but it's still dependent on a lot of things like cast willingness, ratings, etc."

Ted claims it is "highly likely" McPherson will continue the show "as long as possible if the ratings stay strong."

“There was definitely a collective sigh of relief on set,” says one insider who was there today for Cherry’s announcement. “Given the way the economy is going and how other good shows are getting canceled, I think everyone is definitely relieved to know that their jobs are safe.”

At the summer TCA's in Beverly Hills, Cherry told the critics: “I’ve made the decision that after seven years I will probably keel over in a hump. I love my baby; I love working with these gals, but I’m going to take it for seven years, and we’re going to get out while people still like us.”