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. 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. All five actresses, especially Cross and Huffman, were critically praised for their roles on the show.

Season 1