Housewives Desperately Backpedals From Slur

“Can I check those diplomas? I want to make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines,” Teri Hatcher's character tells her doctor in Sunday's Desperate Housewives premiere. Turns out Filipinos are quite proud of their med schools, the Independent writes, and 50,000 or so—including the country's president—took exception.

Those up in arms point out that Filipino-trained doctors generally don’t need further training to practice in the US. A contrite ABC issued a full apology, a rare departure from the usual strategy of attributing prejudice to the character. But that's not enough for everyone, with one Filipino senator demanding an apology in the next episode. (More Desperate Housewives stories.)