The ladies of Wisteria Lane now have a new bad guy. And he's not really a bad guy, at least when he's a time agent.

"Torchwood" star John Barrowman is coming to Hollywood, but not to take on the American version of the "Doctor Who" spinoff currently being worked on by Russell T. Davies. Instead, he is going to do a recurring guest star stint on the ABC series "Desperate Housewives" paying a yet-to-be-named villain.

Little is known exactly what Barrowman will be doing, except that he'll head to Hollywood in March to begin filming. He's also expected to spend some time with Davies while he's in town (Davies is in Hollywood writing a "Torchwood" script for Fox), although The Daily Mail makes it clear that it has nothing to do about potentially casting him in the American version of the show.

However, if this turn on "Desperate Housewives" turns successful, it might be the jumping board Barrowman needs to get Fox totally behind him reprising his role of Capt. Jack in an Americanized version of the show. And that would be good news for many fans who worry a Fox version of "Torchwood" would be far watered down compared to what has been airing on BBC the past few seasons.

"Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry apparently is a fan of "Torchwood" and Capt. Jack's character, and personally pushed to have Barrowman added to the show. It's likely his character will begin popping up toward the end of the current season, which is the show's sixth.

"Desperate Housewives" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. There's still no word if a fourth season of "Torchwood" has been officially commissioned, or if an American version of the show will take its place.