TVSquad

One sign of a show's success is the ability to attract stars in guesting roles. Army Wives, which has been setting new records in ratings for Lifetime, has been a blockbuster hit and now they're starting to book flashy guest stars.

Ana Ortiz, Hilda Suarez on ABC's Ugly Betty, is going to be turning up on Army Wives this summer prior to her return as Betty's big sister on Betty in the fall. Ms. Ortiz will go to Charleston, where AW is filmed, before clocking in to the new New York studios for Ugly Betty.

Ana is going to be playing Sandi, a waitress who becomes involved with Roxy and Trevor in a legal way, something about a lawsuit. While it's hard to project, there are clues in that description that can start the wheels turning. First off, if she has a connection to Trevor and Roxy and we know Trevor is currently in Iraq, will Sandi's story take place after he's home? Or maybe Sandi is a girl from Trevor's past who turns up at Fort Marshall looking for him and finds that he's overseas but has left behind a wife -- Roxy -- and her boys, whom he adopted.


What if Sandi is a former girlfriend of Trevor's and she's had his baby? That could be why she's suing him? She comes to town to confront him and has to deal with Roxy instead. And Roxy would be blown away to learn that Trevor had been keeping a secret past from her. Could be explosive...but I'm just speculating.

Meanwhile, in its second outing, Army Wives continued drumming up big numbers for Lifetime, 4.2 million viewers and a network record 1.98 million women 25-54 on Sunday night. The 3.5 household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research fast-nationals data, is up 17 percent over last season.

"These strong second-episode ratings clearly demonstrate the passion and commitment our viewers feel towards Army Wives," said Lifetime prez Susanne Daniels. "That loyalty, along with the creativity of the series, from the writing and acting to the directing, has made Army Wives into one of those rare television series––must-see, appointment viewing––that we hope will carry us through all 19 episodes." Obviously, a guest spot by Ana Ortiz won't hurt.