The African version of  the popular US television series Desperate Housewives is set to hit screens next year.

Nigeria’s EbonyLife TV and Disney Media Distribution EMEA recently announced that they will co-produce Desperate Housewives Africa, which will be filmed at Adiva Estates, an upmarket gated community outside Lagos that is similar to the US show’s iconic Wisteria Lane.

Viewers can expect similar dramatic plot twists, scandal and romance – but with an ‘African soul’. Mo Abudu, CEO and executive chair of EbonyLife TV said: “We will work to ensure parity with the original storyline and production values that have characterised the global series, without compromising on that very important African essence.”

The Nigerian series will feature an African cast of new and established actors, who will be dressed by local fashion designers. The sets will be furnished with items from Nigerian interior decorators.

The original Desperate Housewives is broadcast in more than 200 territories around the world. Versions of it have been produced for audiences in Turkey, Argentina, Columbia, Brazil – and now Africa.