About nine years ago on a sunny day in the loveliest of suburbs, in a town called Fairview, housewife Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) decided to end it all. Now she takes us into the lives of her friends, family and neighbors...

 

Her circle of girlfriends on Wisteria Lane includes Bree Hodge (Marcia Cross), the owner of a thriving catering business and on the verge of publishing her first cookbook; Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), who struggles with raising troublesome teenaged boys who have an affinity for breaking the law; Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), a single mom who is on a never-ending quest for love; the ex-model turned housewife Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria Parker), who finds herself chasing after two daughters and looking drastically different from the model she once was.

 

The ladies have welcomed the now single Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany), who lived on the street once before when Mary Alice was alive, into their small, tight-knit group. However, their disdain for their prodigal neighbor, Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), remains.

Then there are the men: Mike Delfino (James Denton), the father of Susan's son; Lynette's adorable husband, Tom (Doug Savant), who always stays by his wife's side despite many challenges; Gabrielle's husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) who was left blind in the storm that ravaged Wisteria Lane; Mary Alice's widowed husband Paul (Mark Moses), who is currently in prison for the murder of his neighbor; and Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), a devoted husband to Bree.

Joining the neighborhood is Edie's new husband, Dave (Neal McDonough), who has his share of secrets. And finally there are the gay couple, Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee (Kevin Rahm), who moved from the city for a more quieter, peaceful life, and local busybody Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten).

From her unique vantage point, Mary Alice sees more now than she ever did alive, and she's planning to share all the delicious secrets that hide behind every neighbor's closed door in this seemingly perfect American suburb.
 

 

Susan Mayer - Teri Hatcher
Lynette Scavo - Felicity Huffman
Bree Van De Kamp - Marcia Cross
Gabrielle Solis - Eva Longoria
Edie Britt - Nicollette Sheridan
Mary Alice Young - Brenda Strong
Mike Delfino - James Denton
Tom Scavo - Doug Savant
Carlos  Solis - Ricardo Chavira

 

Creator Marc Cherry said he got the idea to write the pilot after a conversation with his mother. She told him that raising Cherry and his siblings with their father away most of the time made her feel "desperate" sometimes.

 

At first, the show was pitched as a female driven comedy. All the networks turned it down. It was then slightly rewritten and pitched as a night-time soap opera and it sold.

 

Teri Hatcher broke two ribs filming the scene where she stumbles into a wedding cake and insisted they didn't stop production.

 

Oprah Winfrey loved the show so much, she was invited to the set, and had an exclusive show in which she showcased a 15 minute "episode" where Oprah (as a new neighbour) learned of all the secrets of the housewives.

 

Desperate Housewives was the first television series to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for a show that had not yet completed its first season.

 

Marcia Cross originally tried for the part of Mary Alice Young, but was cast as Bree Van De Kamp. Nicollette Sheridan tried for the part of Bree Van De Kamp, but was cast as Edie Britt.

Bree's response when her son tells her he's gay is, "I'd love you even if you were a murderer," is the same quote that Marc Cherry's mother told him when he came out.

 

Producers believed Ricardo Chavira to be too young and not suave enough, and almost didn't cast him as Carlos Solis.

 

Calista Flockhart, Heather Locklear, and Mary-Louise Parker were considered for the role of Susan. Courteney Cox was also considered for the role of Susan.