It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, , until May 13, , for a total of episodes. Executive producer Marc Cherry served as showrunner.
Other executive producers since the fourth season included Bob Daily , George W. Set on Wisteria Lane , a street in the fictional town of Fairview in the fictional Eagle State, Desperate Housewives follows the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of their friend and neighbor who commits suicide in the pilot episode. The series covers fifteen years of the women's lives, which includes a five-year timeline jump in the series' narrative.
The women work through domestic struggles and family life, while being faced with the secrets, crimes, and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their on-the-surface—beautiful, and seemingly perfect, suburban neighborhood. Brenda Strong narrates the series as the late Mary Alice Young , appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dream sequences.
Desperate Housewives was well received by viewers and critics alike, receiving many accolades. From the —05 through the —09 television seasons, its first five seasons were rated amongst the top ten most-watched series. In , it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with an audience of approximately million [ 3 ] and was also reported as the third-most-watched television series in a study of ratings in twenty countries. In August , it was confirmed that the eighth season of Desperate Housewives would be the show's last; the series finale aired on May 13, The first season premiered on October 3, , and introduces the four central characters of the show: Susan Mayer , Lynette Scavo , Bree Van de Kamp and Gabrielle Solis , as well as their families and neighbors on Wisteria Lane.
The main mystery of the season is the unexpected suicide of Mary Alice Young , and the involvement of her husband Paul Young Mark Moses and their son Zach Cody Kasch in the events leading up to it.
