What is Desperate Housewives about?
Before we entered this current "golden age of television", there was the occasional show that made sure to portray women in their many – and often unlikeable – dimensions. Desperate Housewives was among them, showcasing women in their 30s and 40s who dealt with "women’s issues" in a way that made us feel mostly entertained, but also a bit understood.
The show follows four women, the "desperate housewives", who live in an affluent US suburb on a street called Wisteria Lane. The pilot episode opens with the mysterious suicide of housewife Mary Alice Young. Her four closest friends and neighbours, Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross), Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Susan Meyer (Teri Hatcher), and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), are shocked at her death, and the season follows their attempt to find out what happened to her, while they go about their daily lives trying to be good wives and mothers.
While the outlook is a tad Stepford, the show’s mystery element never really disappoints, with the women often finding themselves embroiled in crime with the characters around them. There’s a lot of murder for a show about housewives, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Who stars in Desperate Housewives?
The women of Desperate Housewives will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Susan Mayer was portrayed by Teri Hatcher, who is also best known for her work as Lois Lane on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and as Paris Carver in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
Her role as Susan won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Lynette Scavo was portrayed by the now somewhat controversial Felicity Huffman, who has had a decorated acting career across TV and film.
Marcia Cross also starred as Bree Van de Kam, a role that earned her a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
The fourth and final housewife, Gabrielle Solis, was portrayed by Eva Longoria, with her role in the show working as a springboard for her now very successful career as an actress, producer, and director.
And although she wasn’t part of the four core housewives, Nicollette Sheridan played ‘the slutty housewife’ Edie Britt for the show’s first five seasons.
Where can I watch Desperate Housewives?
All eight seasons of Desperate Housewives are available on streaming platform Disney Plus, so get watching!
Stream it now on Disney Plus, live and on demand with a month-to-month or annual subscription. SIGN UP NOW.
