Primetime soap revival with mystery scaffolding.
Why it matters
Episode guide
180 episodes across 8 seasons — titles, air dates, and synopses.
At a glance
Wisteria Lane’s perfect lawns hide murder, affairs, and suburban satire narrated from beyond. Mystery scaffolding meets primetime soap revival. Secrets are the HOA rules.
Network & studio
- ABC — broadcast network
- Touchstone Television — production studio
- ABC Signature — production studio
Why watch now
Glossy, nasty, addictive — soap with a corpse in the rose bed and comedy in the casserole.
Cultural impact
Desperate Housewives revived primetime soap with mystery hooks and endless narrator watercooler. Cast shakeups only fed the Lane gossip economy.
Creators
Marc Cherry
Key cast
- Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer
- Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo
- Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp
- Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis
- Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt
- Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young
- James Denton as Mike Delfino
- Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis
Flash facts
- ABC comedy-drama mystery (2004–2012) created by Marc Cherry, set on Wisteria Lane.
- Ensemble suburban secrets format mixed soap, dark comedy, and season-long mysteries.
- Early seasons won major awards including Emmys and Golden Globes recognition.
- Part of ABC’s mid-2000s resurgence alongside Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.
- Eight seasons; narrator Mary Alice Young framed much of the series’ voice.
FAQ
Who created Desperate Housewives?
Marc Cherry created the series for ABC.
Who were the main housewives?
Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria led the core quartet.
How long did it run?
Eight seasons from 2004 to 2012.
Official & further reading
- Disney
- Hulu — Desperate Housewives
- ABC network
- Wikipedia
- IMDb search
- TMDB search
- YouTube — trailers & clips
External sites for further reading — TV Flash is not affiliated with these networks or studios.
Back to the decade
Also on the dial
Related & side shows
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Pushing Daisies
Pie-maker touches dead people — candy-colored noir canceled too sweet to live.
Ugly Betty
Guadalajara meets Mode magazine — heart, fashion, and fish-out-of-water charm.
Modern Family
Three households, one mockumentary — family sitcom reinvented for a new decade.
Alias
Double agent. Red wigs. J.J. Abrams before the island.
Scrubs
Fantasy cutaways in a teaching hospital full of found family.