The show is based on the non-fiction book originally titled Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank. The second season premiered on Lifetime in the United States on Sunday, June 8, 2008, and had 19 episodes.[2]
The series began airing in Ireland on Monday, October 15, 2007, on TG4 (in English) and in New Zealand on Thursday, June 19, 2008, on TV2. The series began airing in Australia on December 1, 2008, on Channel Ten. The series also airs on the South African network M-Net. The second season ended on M-Net on Monday, 5 January 2009.[3] Season three will air in June 2009 on Lifetime on Sundays at 10 PM ET/PT. Lifetime announced in February 2009 that it ordered a fourth season of Army Wives.[4]
On March 14, 2008, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment announced a DVD release. Army Wives: The Complete First Season, a three-disc set including all 13 original episodes and exclusive bonus features including an un-aired storyline, deleted scenes, outtakes, cast interviews and more, was released June 10, 2008.[5]
On February 25, 2009, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment announced a second DVD release. Army Wives: The Complete Second Season, a five-disc set featuring all 19 original episodes and exclusive bonus features including three featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more, will be available on June 2, 2009.[6]
The series is set at the fictional Fort Marshall in Charleston, South Carolina, home to the also fictional 23rd Airborne Division. Presumably based on the actual 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg (North Carolina).
In the pilot episode of Army Wives, "A Tribe is Born," Roxy impetuously decides to marry PFC Trevor LeBlanc and moves with her two kids to his army post. Floundering in her new life as an Army wife, she takes a job bartending at a local joint known for being a Jody bar (where civilian men go to hit on enlisted men's wives). While on the post, Roxy meets Claudia Joy Holden, who believes that her husband COL Michael Holden's promotion didn't come through because of base politics. Another army wife, Pamela Moran, is heavily pregnant with twins - she's secretly acting as a surrogate to get her family out of debt. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Roland Burton is trying to reconnect with his wife, LTC Joan Burton, who has just returned from Afghanistan. Then there's Denise Sherwood, who is dealing with her son Jeremy's anger-management issues as her strict husband, MAJ Frank Sherwood, is about to be deployed. The unlikely group bonds when Pamela unexpectedly goes into labor at Claudia Joy's wives' tea party and subsequently gives birth on the pool table in the bar where Roxy works. Not wanting everyone to know her family's dire financial situation, Pamela relies on these new friends to keep her surrogacy from being exposed.
As the 1st season progresses, the four women and Roland all become great friends. They go on to face things such as deployments, abuse, hostage situations, adultery and the vicious rumors that surround them.
It should be noted that though the show is based on the book of the same name, and some of the characters echo their real-life counterparts, significant differences are in place.
This includes such matters as who was killed on the show as compared to who died in real life. For instance, Claudia Joy's oldest daughter Amanda died on the show in the second season opener. The real-life counterpart of Claudia Joy lost her husband in a plane crash during a mission to find the remains of soldiers in Vietnam.
Amanda died in an explosion caused by a jealous husband. In reality, a jealous husband did kill his wife, but in a murder/suicide involving the real-life counterpart of one of the main wives on the show. In real life, this same army wife did become a surrogate for another couple, but not in secret or primarily for money.
The second season finale aired at 10:00 pm on November 2nd, 2008.
The second season begins airing on Living TV on Friday, May 29th, 8:00 pm
The third season of Army Wives will premiere on Sunday June 7th, 2009 at 10:00pm.
