‘Army Wives’ celebrates its 100th episode tomorrow night on Lifetime — a rare milestone for any series, let alone one airing on cable.
But for executive producer Jeff Melvoin, who’s worked on the show since its 2007 premiere, there’s a reason that “Army Wives” struck an immediate chord with viewers — and continues to resonate.
“This is a cast of characters never seen before on TV, with subjects TV has never dealt with — the sacrifice, commitment, loyalty and humor of being part of a military family,” he says. “And this was particularly timely in the aftermath of 9/11.”
When “Army Wives” — based on Tanya Biank’s book, “Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives” — premiered in July 2007, the US was well into fighting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But, surprisingly, Melvoin says that national dialogue about both wars hasn’t had much impact on “Army Wives” storylines.
“One of the things we’ve discovered is that most military families do not spend much time talking politics,” he says. “And one of the reasons is that it doesn’t affect what the soldiers have to do — they have to execute their mission, and they’re there to execute that mission.
“It’s more about how they deal with the fact the soldiers are away, how they deal with the kids and keep relationships going — which is our show’s focus.”
That’s evident in tomorrow night’s episode, in which Major Gen. Holden (Brian McNamara) prepares Fort Marshall for its 100th anniversary celebration (an inside nod to the show’s own milestone) — while an anti-military psycho prepares to wreak havoc on the festivities; Roxy (Sally Pressman) goes into labor; and Hector and Gloria (Joseph Julian Soria, Alyssa Diaz) deal with infidelity.
And, with “Army Wives” averaging a healthy 3.1 million viewers this season, a seventh season would seem likely — but syndication is a bit trickier.
“I’m not sure this show is poised to do as well as others in syndication, if only because we’re a serialized drama that needs to be seen in order,” says Melvoin.
“I’m hopeful . . . but in ‘Army Wives’ parlance, those are decisions that happen ‘above my pay grade.’ ”