Nicollette Sheridan left "Desperate Housewives" after almost five seasons with a socko episode devoted to her character. While she has not been nominated for an Emmy in the past, this farewell appearance could be the one that finally gets the prime-time soap veteran noticed by academy voters.

  Sheridan was initially cast as a recurring character on "Housewives," but response to her portrayal of man eater Edie Britt was so strong that she was upgraded to series regular. And while she proved to be a fan favorite, Sheridan was snubbed by the various TV kudos. 

For the first breakout season of "Desperate Housewives," Felicity Huffmanwon an Emmy playing frazzled working mom Lynette Scavo, and Teri Hatcher took home a Golden Globe for her work as lovable klutz Susan Mayer and picked up an Emmy nod as well.

And Marcia Cross has racked up three Golden Globe nods and an Emmy bid for her brittle Bree Van De Kamp Hodge. But Sheridan and Eva Longoria  -- who plays the equally promiscuous Gabrielle Solis --have had to make do with single Golden Globe nods and sharing in two Screen Actors Guild ensemble awards

This fifth season of the show pushed the plot of "Desperate Housewives" five years into the future.  Edie -- who was banished from the street last year -- returned with a new man (Neal McDonough) in tow. More bad luck in love for Edie as her hubby turned out to be an escaped loony and she ended up his newest victim. Fleeing from his clutches, Edie crashed her car and was electrocuted as she stepped out of the crushed vehicle and into a puddle.

The April 19 episode showcased Sheridan as each of the other housewives reminisced about a moment with Edie that showed a softer side to her character. For Susan, it was when Edie told her that Carl was cheating on her, and for Bree, it came when she discovered Edie was visiting Orson in jail because she refused. With Lynette, it was when Edie made her realize she could beat cancer by dragging her to a  honkytonk, while Gabrielle recalled a night when Edie confessed she did not see herself living to her 50th birthday. But the most poignant scene of the episode was between Edie and her frenemy, Karen (two-time guest actress winner Kathryn Joosten), who spoke about losing their respective sons.

If Sheridan finally reaps her first Emmy nomination, she'll be asked to submit a sample episode to the fellow actors who serve as jurors in her category. This one would be a doozy ... and might even prove to be a winner. It should also be considered as a submission for writing, directing and series categories.

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Photo: ABC

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