Desperate Housewives

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Desperate Housewives

Desperate Houseswives title design
Genre Soap Opera, Dramedy
Creator(s) Marc Cherry
Starring Teri Hatcher
Felicity Huffman
Marcia Cross
Eva Longoria
Nicollette Sheridan
Narrated by Brenda Strong
Theme music composer Danny Elfman
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
No. of episodes 64 (plus five specials)
(List of episodes)
Production
Running time 42 minutes (excluding commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Picture format 480i (SDTV),
720p (HDTV)
Original run October 3, 2004 – Present
Links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Desperate Housewives is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American television series of the dramedy genre, created by Marc Cherry, that began airing on October 3, 2004 on ABC. It is the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with a worldwide audience of approximately 119 million viewers.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Basic settings

The show takes place on Wisteria Lane in the fictional suburban town of Fairview, Eagle State, United States. It follows the lives of four women (seen through the eyes of their dead neighbor), only two of whom are actually housewives as of January 2007 - as they work through domestic struggles while several mysteries unfold in the background. Desperate Housewives combines many styles such as: drama, comedy, mystery, thriller, farce, camp, soap opera and satire.

Although it says Eagle State on the license plates, the setting might be Utah. There is a town named Fairview in Utah, which the show talks about a lot. Also, the Fairview in Utah is close to another town named Mt. Pleasant, which the show also mentions from time to time, and the show also mentions Salt Lake City, which is also in Utah.

The show stars Golden Globe award winning actress Teri Hatcher, Golden Globe & Emmy award winning actress Felicity Huffman, TV veterans Marcia Cross and Nicollette Sheridan, and rising star Eva Longoria. Since the second pilot episode, Brenda Strong narrates the series.

[edit] Plot

See also: List of Desperate Housewives episodes

[edit] Season 1 (2004-2005)

Main article: Desperate Housewives (season 1)

Season one began airing on October 3, 2004 and featured a total of 24 episodes . The show opens with the mysterious suicide of housewife Mary Alice Young on a beautiful day in the suburbs, on a street called Wisteria Lane. Mary Alice, who narrates the show from the afterlife, had four friends: Bree Mason-Van de Kamp, the seemingly perfect mother of two teenagers struggling to save her marriage; Lynette Lindquist-Scavo, the mother of four whose husband is always away on business; Susan Bremmer, the divorced mother in search of love finds love in the form of her new neighbour Michael "Mike" Delfino, who has a secret of his own; and Gabrielle Marquez-Solis, the materialistic ex-runway model who cheats on her husband. While trying to be good wives and mothers, the four friends also try to find out why their friend committed suicide. The discovery of a blackmail note among Mary Alice's belongings, a therapy session tape in which she admits her real name was Angela and her widowed husband's strange behaviour really make them wonder the mystery surrounding their deceased friend.

[edit] Season 2 (2005-2006)

Main article: Desperate Housewives (season 2)

Season two began airing September 25, 2005 and featured a total of 23 episodes (including a two-hour season finale) and two clip shows. After discovering Mary Alice's dark secret, the housewives continue to move on with their lives. Bree, whose husband just passed away, is not coping well with being a widow and is unknowingly dating the man who poisoned her husband to be with her. Susan, still searching for love, after breaking up with Mike, ends up in bed with her ex-husband who is now dating the neighbourhood hussy, Edie Britt. Lynette goes back to her career in advertising, as her husband Tom becomes a stay-at-home dad. And now pregnant Gabrielle, decides to be faithful to her husband Carlos who is now in jail, and just as she starts accepting her upcoming motherhood, she suffers a miscarriage. While managing their busy lives, the women cannot help but notice something suspicious about the new neighbours: Betty (played by Alfre Woodard) and Matthew Applewhite, who moved in in the middle of the night, and are keeping a prisoner held captive in their basement.

[edit] Season 3 (2006-2007)

Main article: Desperate Housewives (season 3)

Season three began airing September 24, 2006 and features a total of 23 episodes (including a two-hour season finale) [1] and one clip show. It has been six months since Orson Hodge deliberately ran Mike over with his car. Gabrielle, who found out Carlos cheated on her with their surrogate maid, refused to take him back, and now they're getting divorced but both want to raise the newborn child. Bree, who has finally put Rex's death behind her, marries Orson. A mysterious woman accused him of killing his wife at their engagement party, and Bree can't help but wonder if that's true. Lynette, meanwhile, has to adjust to having another child around the house when Tom's ex is killed and they have to take her in. Ultimately she quits her job at the advertising agency to start a pizzeria with Tom. Susan who has been waiting for Mike to wake up from his coma is shocked when she finds out her nemesis Edie has been posing as his girlfriend, since he has amnesia. And Edie has her nephew Austin move to Wisteria Lane, after she finds him trying to break into her house.

[edit] Season 4 (2007-2008)

Main article: Desperate Housewives (season 4)

On March 21, 2007 ABC announced that it has renewed Desperate Housewives for a fourth season.[2]

[edit] Production

[edit] Origins

Cherry initially had pitched the series to HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Lifetime. ABC was the only network to accept Cherry's offer, although they initially weren't satisfied with the name, suggesting titles like Wisteria Lane and The Secret Lives of Housewives instead.

Before Touchstone offered Desperate Housewives to ABC, in the original pilot, Mary Alice Young was played by Sheryl Lee; Gardener John by Jo Amey; and Rex Van De Kamp by Michael Reilly Burke. Lee was replaced by Brenda Strong; both had played regular roles as dead people before, Strong on Everwood and Lee on Twin Peaks. Strong also guest starred in two Twin Peaks episodes during their second season. Also, in the original pilot, when the camera is pulling away from the housewives after they found the note, there is a ghost of Mary Alice standing on her lawn looking at them.

[edit] Inspirations

One of the biggest inspirations for the show was the film American Beauty[citation needed]. The series has also been likened to other TV shows such as Knots Landing, Twin Peaks, and Sex and the City[citation needed]. In relation to its comparison with Sex and the City, Eva Longoria on Oprah mentioned that she hopes Desperate Housewives can do for married women what Sex and the City did for single women.

[edit] Opening credits

The show's opening credits contain references to famous pieces of art, including Adam and Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, American Gothic by Grant Wood, and Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup can. Also alluded to are the lesser known Couple Arguing and Romantic Couple by Robert Dale (drawn in a comic book style similar to that of Roy Lichtenstein) and a 1940s Am I Proud! poster by Dick Williams (showing a woman holding cans).

The theme song in the opening credits is written by Danny Elfman.

[edit] Broadcasting

Main article: Broadcasting of Desperate Housewives

Since its US premiere, Desperate Housewives has been broadcasted by the ABC network, with reruns on Lifetime Television. In addition it has been sold to over fifty countries worldwide.

[edit] Future of the show

In February 2007, it was reported that Cherry and key castmembers have been contracted until May 2011 (the end of the series' seventh season). Cherry indicated that he would like the show to run for at least seven seasons. [3]

[edit] UK Catch up rate

Starting in Season One, The UK has been approximately been about 4 months behind America to start with, but where America often has weeks where no new Episodes air the gap between the US and the UK has shrunk. Where there is a First Look option for UK Viewers who are signed up with cable companies such as Sky, NTL, Telewest, Virgin Media, Topup TV and Freeview viewers can be a week ahead of the channel 4 shows at anyone time. The only acception to this was the first episode of each season and the 2nd 2 episodes of Season Three. When the series ends in America the E4 channel will air that episode (or double episodes in the case of seasons 2, 3 and probable it might happen in Future Seasons) 3 days after the U.S and Canada. On the Analogue channel there is just 9 days between seasons ending in North America and the UK. Also people in the UK who own a video Virgin Mobile could watch any Channel 4 or E4 show at any time they want whether they are on a train, bus or on a long car journey. However unlike the success the show has had on 4od, it hasn't got many customers.

[edit] Australia catch up rate

Starting in Season One, Australia has been approximately 5 months behind America and 1 month behind the UK. Like the UK it shows every week with the exception of the first Season. The first 19 or so episodes aired then for some reason Australia returned to the show about 1 month later and the episodes didn't finish there until late August '05.

[edit] Ireland Catch up rate

In Seasons one and three, Ireland has been approximately 1 day in front of Channel 4 in the UK. However, due to the UK starting late in 2006, the second season finished a couple of weeks before it did in the UK

[edit] Cast and characters

See also: List of Desperate Housewives characters

[edit] Starring

[edit] Also starring

[edit] Recurring guest stars and co-stars

Main article: List of recurring actors on Desperate Housewives

The show has so far had about one hundred recurring actors, besides the ones mentioned above.

[edit] Casting trivia

[edit] Filming locations

See also: Wisteria Lane

For the first 14 episodes of season one, scenes set in Bree's living room were filmed inside the Young house on the street. To cover up the similarities between the rooms, most of the Youngs' scenes took place in a fictional area of the house, which only existed on a sound stage.

From the outside, Bree's home has a set of windows either side of the front porch. However indoors, windows can only be seen on one side of the front door. This is because the inside of Bree's house is actually shot on a soundstage.

On the street, Lynette's green house is simply a facade, and Bree's house functions solely as restrooms for the production crew.

At the end of Wisteria Lane (near Edie's house), there is a cul-de-sac. However, cars are seen both entering and leaving the neighborhood from there.

The former home of the Applewhites' was also used as the exterior of Herman and Lily Munster in The Munsters. Late in the first season the house underwent a facelift to become less recognisable as the home from The Munsters. The Bree's house was also originally built as the Klopeks' house in The Burbs starring Tom Hanks.

One of the main reasons for Edie burning down Susan's home was that it could be opened up inside, making filming easier for the production crew.

[edit] Reception and critical reactions

The show was the big success of the 2004-2005 television season, and gained much critical acclaim. Its pilot episode which aired in October 2004, gained a stunning 21.3 million viewers making it the best new drama for the year, the highest rated show of the week, and also the best performance by a pilot for ABC, since Spin City in 1996.

In the footsteps of the show, the term "desperate housewives" became a cultural phenomenon. This warranted "real" desperate housewives features in magazines and TV shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Dr. Phil Show. The show, along with Lost, has been credited with reviving ABC's ratings. Later on, Grey's Anatomy, and more recently, Ugly Betty have helped further this revival. Prominent names like Oprah Winfrey and Michele Lee have stated that they are fans of the show.

[edit] Ratings

During the shows first and second season the show was rated the 4th most watched show in U.S. television, with 23.71 million viewers during season one [4] and 22.2 million viewers during season two [5].

[edit] Notable awards

See also: List of Desperate Housewives awards and nominations

By the end of the first season, all the housewives except Eva Longoria were nominated for both a Golden Globe and Emmy. Longoria responded with a skit in the Emmys with Ellen DeGeneres mocking her situation. The following year all four were nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.

This is a list of the Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards that the show has won.

Golden Globe Awards

  • 2005
    • Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy: Teri Hatcher
    • Best TV Series: Musical or Comedy
  • 2006
    • Best TV Series: Musical or Comedy

Primetime Emmy Awards

  • 2005
    • Outstanding Guest Actress in A Comedy Series: Kathryn Joosten
    • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman
    • Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Charles McDougall for "Pilot"
    • Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
    • Outstanding Main Title Theme Music
    • Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series ("Pilot")

Screen Actors Guild Awards

  • 2005
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Teri Hatcher
    • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
  • 2006
    • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman
    • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

[edit] Amas de casa desesperadas

In Argentina an adaptation has been made involving popular Argentinian actors and actresses, filmed in this country and aired by Canal 13. The original screenplay has been translated to Spanish as well as many names in order to be as true to the original as possible. Most of the Argentinians who had watched Desperate Housewives before are not satisfied with this adaptation. Episodes aired between August 30 2006 and January 24 2007 covered the series' first season. There has not yet been announced if there will be a second season of this adaptation.

The soundstage will also be used to adaptations from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

For more information visit http://www.canal13.com.ar/amasdecasa.asp - official site in Spanish - or http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770459/ in English for names

[edit] Other media

[edit] DVD Releases

Main article: List of Desperate Housewives DVD releases
DVD Name Reg. 1 Reg. 2 Reg. 3 Reg. 4 Reg. 5 No of discs No of episodes
The Complete First Season September 20, 2005 October 10, 2005 November 28, 2005 August 2006 6 23
The Complete Second Season August 29, 2006 November 13, 2006 October 4, 2006 TBA 6 (Reg. 1 & 4)
7 (Reg. 2 & 3)		 24
The Complete Third Season TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 24[6]

Note: In Belgium and the Netherlands (Region 2), the DVD for season 2 was released on September 06.[7]

[edit] Games

In 2005, British company Re:creation published Desperate Housewives Dirty Laundry Game, a board game based on season one of Desperate Housewives. Players attempt to guess their opponents' secrets while keeping clues to their own secrets concealed by answering trivia questions.

Buena Vista Games released the sim computer game Desperate Housewives: The Game in 2006. The game is set in Wisteria Lane and features an original storyline spanning 12 episodes. You do not play as one of the housewives, but meet them frequently in the game. They are not voiced by the original cast, however, only by sound-alikes.

[edit] Soundtrack

In September 2005, Universal Music released Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Index of James Denton 3rd season Desperate Housewives Episodes, January 4, 2007
  2. ^ ABC Announces Fourteen Early Pick-Ups For The 2007-08 Season, The Futon Critic, March 21, 2007
  3. ^ "Desperate Housewives: Creator Sets ABC Series End Date", TV Series Finale, February 21, 2007.
  4. ^ "2004-05 Final audience and ratings figures", Hollywood Reporter, May 27, 2005.
  5. ^ "2005-06 primetime wrap", Hollywood Reporter, May 26, 2006.
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2] Article (in Dutch) about the release in Belgium.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[edit] Official websites

Desperate Housewives
Episode list | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | ABC official site
Production Marc Cherry | Characters | Actors | Awards | Broadcasting | DVD releases | Music | The Game
Main
characters		 Susan Mayer | Lynette Scavo | Bree Hodge | Gabrielle Solis | Edie Britt | Mary Alice Young
Carlos Solis | Tom Scavo | Julie Mayer | Orson Hodge | Mike Delfino
Andrew Van De Kamp | Danielle Van De Kamp | Preston and Porter Scavo | Parker Scavo | Ian Hainsworth
Former main
characters

Betty Applewhite | Rex Van De Kamp | Paul Young | John Rowland | Zach Young | Karl Mayer
Matthew Applewhite | Austin McCann | Caleb Applewhite | George Williams
Minor
characters

Carolyn Bigsby | Sophie Flickman | Maisy Gibbons | Ida Greenberg | Alma Hodge | Gloria Hodge
Martha Huber | Kayla Huntington | Nora Huntington | Justin | Victor Lang | Karen McCluskey
Travers McLain | Detective Ridley | Art Shephard | Noah Taylor | Felicia Tilman | Xiao-Mei
Locations Wisteria Lane
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