'''''Desperate Housewives''''' is an American television Emmy award-winning popular series, created by Marc Cherry, that began airing on ABC on October 3, 2004. Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview, Eagle State, the series tracks the lives of four housewives, following their domestic struggles while several mysteries involving their husbands, friends, and neighbors unfold in the background. The tone and style of the series combine elements of drama, comedy, mystery, thriller, farce, soap opera and satire.
Cherry initially pitched the series to HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Lifetime, but all turned him down. The series rocketed to the top of the ratings from the premiere episode, and immediately the term "desperate housewives" became a cultural phenomenon, warranting "the real desperate housewives" features in magazines and such TV shows as ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' and ''The Dr. Phil Show''. The show has been credited, along with ''Lost'' and ''Grey's Anatomy'', with reviving the long-dormant fortunes of ABC, whose last major ratings hit had been ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire''.
The show focuses on four housewives living in suburbia, whose friend recently took her own life and is now sharing all their juicy secrets from beyond the grave. The show has come under critical fire by religious and conservative groups due to what some consider the seeming lack of morality amongst the characters. Though it is not uncommon for soap opera characters to make ethically questionable decisions, in the first season of ''Housewives'', almost every character arguably committed a crime.
"Wisteria Lane," the neighborhood where the show takes place, aims to shadow that of a wealthy avenue, plentiful in states like Connecticut. The show, however, only indirectly implies this fact.
The show was a big success of the 2004-2005 television season and gained much critical acclaim. All five actresses, especially Cross and Huffman, were critically praised for their roles on the show.
Plot and characters
First season
'''''October 3rd, 2004 - May 22nd, 2005'''''
'''Nielsen Ranking (2004-05 TV season; based on average total viewers per episode): #4'''
thumb|Promotional poster of Desperate Housewives series premiere.
The show opens with the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), who narrates the episodes from beyond the grave. Mary Alice's suicide leaves behind a mystery involving her husband Paul Young (Mark Moses), her son Zach (Cody Kasch), and a mysterious toy chest, which Paul digs out from underneath the family's pool. Ultimately, it is revealed to have contained the skeletal remains of a dead woman's body. The story unravels through Mary Alice's four
