Desperate Housewives

A dead neighbor's voice starts the story, but the show keeps its focus on the living. After Mary Alice Young ends her life in an apparently perfect house on Wisteria Lane, her unseen narration guides us through the mess her death uncovers. The series follows four women at different stages of marriage, motherhood and reinvention, whose glossy suburban lives hide secrets, infidelities and old grudges. Susan Mayer, Lynette Scavo, Bree Van de Kamp and Gabrielle Solis react in ways that are funny, petty, brave and destructive, and the mystery of Mary Alice threads behind their personal dramas without giving away the bigger surprises.

Created by Marc Cherry, Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC in 2004 and quickly became a ratings hit, anchored by Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Ricardo Chavira.

The series earned numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations over its run, and cast members received award attention in the early seasons. Specific wins and nominations reflected the show's popularity among critics and viewers without relying on one single accolade to define its success.

Wisteria Lane became shorthand for suburban secrets and polite facades slipping into chaos, and the show influenced how primetime dramas mixed comedy, serialized mystery and soap elements. It inspired parodies, think pieces and other programs that tried to copy its blend of dark humor and melodrama.

Critics tended to praise the early seasons for tone and performances, while later years drew mixed reactions as plots grew more elaborate. Viewers liked the show enough to give it a solid vote average of 7.91 out of 10 from 2,004 votes, and recurring themes include marriage, social image, motherhood and the cost of keeping secrets. The balance of satire and melodrama kept conversations going, episode to episode.