Desperate Housewives
Un article de Vev.
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series, created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as show runner, and produced by ABC Studios – The Walt Disney Company’s main television studio – and Cherry Productions. Executive producers, as of the fourth season, are Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W. Perkins, John Pardee and Joey Murphy.
The setting of the show is the street of Wisteria Lane in the fictional American town of Fairview. It follows the lives of a group of women, seen through the eyes of their dead neighbor, as they work through domestic struggles and family life, while facing the secrets, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their – at the surface – beautiful suburban neighborhood. The show features an ensemble cast, headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge, Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, and Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt. Brenda Strong narrates the show as the deceased Mary Alice Young.
Since its premiere on ABC on October 3, 2004, the show has been well received by the critics as well as the audience. The show is a multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winner, and in April 2007 it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with an audience of approximately 115 to 119 million viewers.<ref>Desperate Housewives On SABC3 Confirmed, TVSA News Desk, April 3, 2007</ref>
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Production
The idea for the series was born as Marc Cherry and his mom were watching a news report on Andrea Yates.[citation needed]
Prior to Desperate Housewives, Cherry was best known for producing and writing episodes of Touchstone Television’s hit comedy series The Golden Girls and its successor The Golden Palace. In addition he had created or co-created three sitcoms: The Five Mrs. Buchanans, The Crew and Some of My Best Friends, none of which lasted longer than a year. Initially Cherry had a hard time getting any television network interested in his new series – HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Lifetime all turned his offer down.<ref>McDougall, Charles: Desperately seeking a ratings hit, The Daily Telegraph, January 5, 2005</ref> Finally, two new executives at ABC, Lloyd Braun and Susan Lyne, chose to greenlight it.<ref>O'Hare, Kate: ‘Desperate Housewives’ Has a Cherry on Top, Zap2it, March 19, 2005</ref> Shortly thereafter, Disney had both Braun and Lyne fired, following their approval of another new drama series: Lost.<ref>Craig, Olga: The man who discovered 'Lost' – and found himself out of a job, The Daily Telegraph, August 13, 2005</ref>
The ABC executives weren’t initially satisfied with the name of the new show, suggesting Wisteria Lane and The Secret Lives of Housewives instead,<ref>"Desperate Housewives – The Complete First Season” DVD</ref> but on October 23, 2003, Desperate Housewives was announced by ABC, presented as a prime time soap opera created by Charles Pratt Jr. of Melrose Place fame, and Marc Cherry, who declared the new show to be a mix of Knots Landing and American Beauty.<ref>Development Update: October 23, The Futon Critic, October 23, 2003</ref> While Cherry continued his work on the show, Pratt was credited as executive producer for the pilot episode only, remaining linked to the show as a consulting producer during the first two seasons.
On May 18 2004 ABC announced their 2004–2005 lineup, with Desperate Housewives in the Sunday, 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET slot,<ref>2004 Broadcast Upfront Presentations: ABC, Part 1The Futon Critic, May 18, 2004</ref> which it still holds. After only three episodes aired, on October 20, ABC announced that Desperate Housewives, along with Lost, had been picked up for a full season.<ref>ABC Orders Back Nine of Top-10 Series; ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Lost’ Get Full Season Pick-Ups, The Futon Critic, October 20, 2004</ref>
Broadcasting
Since the show’s US premiere, Desperate Housewives has been broadcast by the ABC network, with reruns on Lifetime Television. Additionally, in 2005 the show had been sold to more than 130 foreign markets.<ref>Desperate Housewives Reaches 130+ Markets, WorldScreen.com, April 11, 2005</ref> In Australia, the program airs on the Seven Network and in South Africa on M-Net and E.tv. In the UK it is shown on Channel 4 and its digital sister channel E4. In Denmark it broadcasts on TV2, and in the Republic of Ireland it broadcasts on RTE 2. Star World airs it in Asia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.<ref>Pinto, Aschwin: ‘Desperate Housewives’ to take center stage on Star World, IndianTelevision.com, June 2, 2005</ref> New episodes are also available in N video-on-demand in Poland.
Production crew
Executive producers for the first two seasons were – in addition to Marc Cherry – Tom Spezialy and Michael Edelstein. Spezialy, who also served as a staff writer for the show, left his previous position as writer and executive producer for Dead Like Me to join the Desperate Housewives crew. He had also worked as writer and co-executive producer on several shows, among them Ed, Jack and Jill, and Parker Lewis Can't Lose, while Edelstein had been the executive producer of Threat Matrix and Hope & Faith.
Second season conflicts arose among the executive producers. As a result, Edelstein left the show mid-season, and at the end of the season, so did Spezialy.<ref>Keck, William: Wisteria Lane’s new landscape, USA Today, May 19, 2006</ref> For the third year, Cherry was joined by award winning writer and producer Joe Keenan, of Frasier fame, and telefilm producer George W. Perkins, who had been on the Desperate Housewives crew since the show’s conception.
Although receiving praise for his work on the show, Keenan chose to leave Desperate Housewives after one season to pursue other projects.<ref>Keenan not ‘Desperate’ any more, Variety Magazine, March 29, 2007</ref> Replacing him as second-in-command to Cherry and executive producer for the fourth season of the show was Bob Daily, who had joined the crew as a writer and co-executive producer during the third season. Daily’s previous work include writing for the cartoon series Rugrats as well as for Frasier. Also joining Cherry, Perkins and Daily for the fourth season were John Pardee and Joey Murphy, who had been with the series since the beginning.<ref>Development Update: Week of June 11-15, The Futon Critic, June 15, 2007</ref> Both had also worked on Cherry’s previous show The Crew in 1995, as well as on the sitcom Cybill.
Larry Shaw and David Grossman have, as of the first three seasons, been the most prominent directors, together directing more than half of the series’ episodes.
Filming locations
The set for Wisteria Lane, comprising mainly of facades but also of some proper houses, is located on the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot. It is referred to by film crews as Colonial Street, and has been used for several motion pictures and television shows since the mid 1940s.<ref>TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street – History, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> Productions to have been filmed here includes, among others, So Goes My Love, Leave it to Beaver, The 'Burbs, Providence, Deep Impact, Bedtime for Bonzo, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Gremlins, The Munsters, Psycho, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Ladykillers and Ghost Whisperer.<ref>TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street – 1989–1996, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>
For the second season of Desperate Housewives the street went through some heavy changes. Among the most noticeable of these changes was the removal of a church facade and a mansion in order to make room for Edie’s house and a park.<ref>TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Street/Circle Drive – The Church, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref><ref>TheStudioTour.com: Colonial Mansion, Retrieved August 16, 2007</ref>
Opening sequence
The initial idea for the show opening sequence was Cherry’s own, and after having asked sixteen companies to come up with suggestions how to best realize it, the producers finally hired Hollywood-based yU+co to provide the final version.<ref>yU + co Opens ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”, Digital Producer Magazine, November 12, 2004</ref> According to the yU+co’s official website, the idea behind the sequence is “to evoke the shows quirky spirit and playful flaunting of women’s traditional role in society”.<ref>yU+co Official Website, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref> The images featured are taken from eight pieces of art, portraying domesticity and male-female relations through the ages.<ref>Phelan, Joseph: Missing the Picture: Desperate Housewives Do Art History, ArtCyclopedia, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref>
The first image shows Lucas Cranach the Elder’s painting Adam and Eve. A snake passes an apple to Eve before another, larger, apple, with the words ‘Desperate Housewives’ written on it, falls on Adam. Then follows the tomb paintings of Queen Nefertari of Egypt, the Great Royal Wife of Ramesses the Great. An animation of Queen Nefertari is seen standing within her tomb being overwhelmed by what appear to be countless children surrounding her. Next appearing is The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck painted in 1434 – Giovanni Arnolfini is seen eating a banana and throwing the skin on the floor, leaving it for his wife to sweep it away.
The painting American Gothic by Grant Wood from 1930 then follows, and the farmer is shown smiling as he is touched on the chin by a pin up as his apparently disapproving wife frowns in front of a tin of canned sardines. The can appears on a kitchen work surface when the World War II poster Am I Proud! is shown, depicting a woman holding cans and jars including Andy Warhol’s Campbell's Soup Cans. The soup can then falls into the hand of a man featured in pop art work by Robert Dale, Couple Arguing and Romantic Couple. After the woman in this pictures is seen crying and giving her male companion a black eye, the image folds away, and the tree from Cranach’s painting reappears with the snake wrapped around it and the four main characters Bree, Lynette, Susan and Gabrielle appearing under the tree, each catching an apple.
The music for the openings is composed by Danny Elfman, and have been awarded both an Emmy Award and the BMI TV Music Award.<ref>2007 BMI Film/TV Awards List, BMI.com, May 17, 2007</ref> In 2005 it was included on the album Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives.
Music
In addition to the theme composed by Danny Elfman, the series underscore music composed by Steve Jablonsky defines the overall sound of the show. The much imitated music creates a musical counterpoint to the writing style and co-exists with the scenes as one of the most identifiable musical styles in television today. The score is electronic based, but every scoring session incorporates a live string ensemble that add a certain intangible warmth to the score. Jablonsky incorporates recurring themes for events and characters into the score. He has been shaping the musical palette for the show since the 2nd episode of the first season.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0558699/</ref>
Hollywood Records produced the first soundtrack album, Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives distributed by Universal Records, featuring music inspired by the series. Several of those songs have since been used in subsequent seasons.
Housewives's unique style combined with the heavy dialogue and quick-fire writing style limit the amount of popular music used in the series. The series' music supervisor, David Sibley works closely with the producers to seamlessly integrate the unique music needs into the show. In addition to featured performances by central characters such Susan Meyer singing along with Rose Royce's "Car Wash" to jog Mike's memory and Lynette's memorable rendition of "Boogie Shoes" atop a bar, several characters have been accomplished musicians, such as Betty Applewhite (a concert pianist) and Dylan Mayfair (a prodigy cellist), all requiring carefully planned training of the actors and preparation of the music. The often eclectic approach to music has created many water cooler moments in the show, among them, Orsen's ex-wife singing along with Cole Porter's period recording of "Let's Misbehave" as she drugs him in order to conceive his child and George, the town pharmacist singing "Don't Give Up On Us" on Bree's front lawn as she takes pot shots at him with a shotgun.
Promotion videos
The first season promotional video, featuring the song Que Sera by Pink Martini, was a Channel 4 promo.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QKxMjWyTTw</ref>
The second season promotion took on the theme of “Temptations”, and the video featured the song Juicy by Better than Ezra. The housewives were all shown in separate scenes, all of which featured red apples.<ref>Schwindaman, Darren: Critical Mass: An Interview With Better Than Ezra’s Tom Drummond, Jackson Free Press, May 2, 2007</ref><ref>Desperate Housewives – Juicy Promo Season 2, YouTube, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>. M6 which broadcasts the show in France and TV Azteca which broadcasts the show in México used this promo in a different editing.<ref>http://www.m6.fr/html/corporate/desperate.html</ref>
The promotion video for the third season, which had the theme of “Right now”, featured the leading characters in a computer generated garden, surrounded by white sheets. The song was a cover of You Really Got Me, with no artist credited.<ref>Catlin, Roger: Desperate Kinks, courant.com, August 26, 2006</ref><ref>Desperate Housewives – Official Music Video – Season 03, You Tube, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>
The video for season four was released in late August 2007 and had the women in different 50s-era setups, all shocked at the arrival of a black car on Wisteria Lane. The tag line was “It’s a hell of a day in the neighborhood”, and it featured the Jennifer Lopez song Mile in these Shoes, taken from her 2007 album Brave.<ref>Desperate Housewives Season 4 Promo (New Jennifer Lopez Trk), You Tube, Retrieved August 25, 2007</ref>
The future
On February 20, 2007, Variety Magazine revealed that Marc Cherry and the ABC Studios had signed “an eight-figure overall pact”, ensuring Cherry’s commitment to the show until May 2011, the end of the series’ projected seventh season. In addition, the studio has negotiated deals with “all key members of the cast” to stay on the show until then. While Cherry said that he would like the show to come to an end at that point, ABC Studio’s Mark Pedowitz stated that “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it”.<ref>Adalian, Josef: ABC keeps ‘Housewives’ honcho, Variety Magazine, February 20, 2007</ref> However, whether or not a television series will stay on air is a matter for the network, not the production companies, to decide. Following American standard procedure, this is a decision being made at the end of each season.
Following the success of musical episodes on television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cherry has expressed an interest in writing a musical episode of Desperate Housewives.<ref>“Housewives” Musical Episode On the Cards?, Digital Spy, July 5, 2007</ref>
Hiatus
According to Digital Spy, Desperate Housewives has been affected by the WGA strike. The first ten episodes have already been filmed and nine of the ten completed airing December 2 2007. The week of November 92007, the cast and crew suspended filming due to the writers’ strikes. On November 302007 the fourth season’s fate was announced. The December 2 episode would be the last until the writers’ strike is resolved.<ref>"Tornado to bring death to ‘Housewives’ Sunday” Marc Cherry interview [1]</ref> While both parts of the two-parter are already filmed, part one will be a cliffhanger until the writers’ strike is resolved and production begins again. ABC is looking to have part two be the mid-season premiere once the strike is over and additional episodes are filmed. Marc Cherry calls this his cruelest act to date to both viewers and to Desperate Housewives. Although previously announced that part two would be held until the writers' strike ended and production resumed, ABC reversed that decision fearing a loss of viewers. As a result of the reversal, part two will be airing on Sunday, January 6, 2008.<ref>"Housewives" Back Next Month, New York Post, December 19, 2007</ref>
Series synopses
Season one began its original airing on October 3, 2004 and introduces the four central characters of the show: Susan Mayer, Lynette Scavo, Bree Van de Kamp and Gabrielle Solis, and 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 and teenage son in the events leading up to it. Meanwhile Bree tries to save her marriage, Lynette struggles to find time and energy to cope with her children, Susan fights with Edie Britt for new neighbor Mike Delfino’s affection, and Gabrielle tries to prevent her husband Carlos from discovering her affair with their underage gardener.
The second season began airing on September 25, 2005 and its central mystery is that of new neighbor Betty Applewhite, who moved in in the middle of the night. Throughout the season, Bree tries to cope with being a widow, unknowingly begins dating the man who poisoned her husband, fights alcoholism, and is unable to prevent the gap between her and her son to keep growing to extremes. Susan’s love life gets even more complicated as her ex-husband gets engaged to Edie, Lynette goes back to her career in advertising and eventually becomes her husband’s boss, and Gabrielle decides to be faithful to her husband, and begins preparations to have a child.
In season three, which began airing on September 24, 2006, Bree marries Orson Hodge, whose past and involvement with a recently discovered dead body becomes the main mystery for most of the season. Meanwhile, Lynette has to adjust to having another child around the house as a previously unknown daughter of her husband arrives, and the Scavos experience tension as he wants to start a pizzeria. Gabrielle goes through a rough divorce, but finally finds new love in Fairview’s new mayor. Edie sees her chance to make her move on Mike, who’s suffering from amnesia, and Susan moves onto a handsome Englishman whose wife is in a coma. Edie’s family relations are explored throughout the season.
The fourth season began airing on September 30, 2007,<ref>ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates, The Futon Critic, July 25, 2007</ref> and its main mystery revolves around new neighbor Katherine Mayfair and her family, who returns to Wisteria Lane after twelve years away. Also, Lynette battles cancer; the newlywed – but unhappy – Gabrielle starts an affair with her ex-husband Carlos; Susan and Mike enjoy life as a married couple and learn that they are expecting a child; Bree fakes a pregnancy and plans to raise her teenage daughter’s illegitimate child as her own; and Edie schemes to hold on to her new love. A gay couple from New York City – Lee (Kevin Rahm) and Bob (Tuc Watkins) – become residents of Wisteria Lane when they move into the house formerly occupied by Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard).
Cast and characters
Desperate Housewives features a large ensemble cast, with nineteen regulars during the fourth season.
During its premiere season the show featured thirteen starring actors, all credited in the opening sequence. For the show’s second year, several actors, mainly child and teenage ones, who had guest starred during the first season, were promoted to series regulars without having their names included in the opening sequence. Instead they were billed as “also starring” during the first minutes of each episode, together with episode guest stars. This practice continued for season three and four.
The thirteen starring actors for season one included four leading actresses: Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, a divorced mother with a sense for humor for drama and in search of love, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo a former businesswoman turned stressed out stay-at-home mother of four, Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp the seemingly perfect mother struggling to save her marriage, and Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, an ex-model whose unhappy marriage has had her beginning an affair with her 17-year-old gardener. Furthermore, Nicollette Sheridan played Edie Britt, Susan’s arch rival, described by her as “the neighborhood slut”, who since then slowly has grown to become somewhat of a fifth lead. Steven Culp played Rex Van de Kamp, Bree’s frustrated husband with secret sexual desires, while Ricardo Antonio Chavira portrayed Gabrielle’s spouse Carlos Solis, a rough business man who regarded his wife mainly as a trophy, and James Denton acted as Mike Delfino, the mysterious new neighbor who becomes Susan’s love interest. Brenda Strong portrayed the show’s narrator Mary Alice Young, who generally doesn’t appear in front of the camera, and whose unexpected suicide in the first episode remained a mystery throughout season one. Mark Moses played Paul Young, Mary Alice’s widower, who went to extremes not to have the reason for his wife’s suicide revealed, and Cody Kasch acted as Zach Young, the troubled teenage son of Paul and Mary Alice, who eventually turned out to be Mike’s biological son. Finally, Andrea Bowen took the part of Susan’s caring and kind-hearted teenage daughter Julie Mayer, and Jesse Metcalfe played John Rowland, Gabrielle’s teenage gardener/lover.
For the second season, Culp and Metcalfe left as show regulars, as Rex had died from a heart attack and Gabrielle had ended her relationship with John. Several actors who had appeared as guest stars during the entire run of the first season where promoted regulars for the second year, including Doug Savant as Tom Scavo, Lynette’s husband who for the second season quit his job determined to become a stay-at-home dad, Brent Kinsman, Shane Kinsman and Zane Huett as Preston, Porter and Parker Scavo, Lynette’s and Tom’s rascal boys, Shawn Pyfrom as Bree’s complicated gay son Andrew Van de Kamp, and Joy Lauren as Danielle Van de Kamp, Andrew’s hardheaded sister. Alfre Woodard and Mehcad Brooks joined the cast as Betty Applewhite and her son Matthew, who moved to the street in the middle of the night in order for the neighbors not to discover that they had Betty’s other son Caleb – originally played by Page Kennedy but soon replaced by Nashawn Kearse – locked up in the basement. Also joining the main cast for the second season, after guest starring in a few season one episodes, were Richard Burgi as Karl Mayer, Susan’s ex-husband who becomes engaged to Edie, and Roger Bart as George Williams, Bree’s pharmacist, and later obsessed fiancée, who had caused Rex’s death. Bart, however left the show mid- season, due to the suicide of George.
As the Applewhite mystery was solved in the second season finale, Woodard, Brooks and Kearse all had left the show when the third season begun. As had Mark Moses, as Paul was framed for murder and incarcerated, Cody Kasch, due to Zach’s becoming a millionaire after causing his ill biological grandfather to die and thereby inheriting his entire fortune, and Richard Burgi, following Karl being dumped by both Susan and Edie. Two additions were made to the main cast for season three: Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge, who marries Bree and whose dark family history serves as the main mystery for most of the season, and Josh Henderson, playing Edie’s bad boy nephew Austin McCann, who starts a relationship with Julie, but ends up getting Danielle pregnant and left the series mid-season.
For the fourth season, after having appeared as a guest star during season three, Rachel Fox was added to the main cast playing Kayla Huntington, Tom’s daughter from a previous relationship. Also joining the main cast were Dana Delany and Lyndsy Fonseca as Katherine and Dylan Mayfair, a mother and teenage daughter who lived on Wisteria Lane twelve years earlier, but had left the street over a night. Dana Delany’s character is married to Dr. Adam Mayfair played by Nathan Fillion. Joining the cast in the fourth episode were Kevin Rahm and Tuc Watkins as a gay couple, Lee McDermott and Bob Hunter, who move in next door to Susan.
The show also features a large number of recurring guest stars, the most prominent being Kathryn Joosten and Pat Crawford Brown as elderly neighbors Karen McCluskey and Ida Greenberg. Others include Dougray Scott as Ian Hainsworth, Susan’s season three love interest; Harriet Sansom Harris as Felicia Tillman, in search for her sister’s murderer during the first two seasons; Ryan Carnes as Justin, Andrew’s boyfriend during season one and two; and Bob Gunton as Noah Taylor, the wealthy father of Mike’s deceased fiancé and the biological grandfather of Zach, appearing during the first two seasons.
Casting
Eva Longoria Parker was the first reported to have landed a starring role, on February 9, 2004,<ref>Development Update: February 9, The Futon Critic, February 9, 2004</ref> followed by Felicity Huffman (February 10),<ref>Development Update: February 10, The Futon Critic, February 10, 2004</ref> Teri Hatcher (February 18),<ref>Development Update: February 18, The Futon Critic, February 18, 2004</ref> James Denton and Ricardo Antonio Chavira (February 26),<ref>Development Update: February 26, The Futon Critic, February 26, 2004</ref> Marcia Cross (March 1),<ref>Development Update: March 1, The Futon Critic, March 1, 2004</ref> Sheryl Lee, Mark Moses, and Cody Kasch (March 3),<ref>Development Update: March 3, The Futon Critic, March 3, 2004</ref> Andrea Bowen and Kyle Searles (March 4),<ref>Development Update: March 4, The Futon Critic, March 4, 2004</ref> and Michael Reilly Burke (March 8).<ref>Development Update: March 8, The Futon Critic, March 8, 2004</ref> On May 18 2004 ABC announced their 2004–2005 lineup, with Desperate Housewives as one of its new shows, starring an ensemble cast of these twelve names.<ref>2004 Broadcast Upfront Presentations: ABC, Part 1The Futon Critic, May 18, 2004</ref>
On July 2, after having shot the first pilot, ABC announced that Lee, Searles and Burke were to be replaced by Brenda Strong, Jesse Metcalfe and Steven Culp, respectively.<ref>Development Update: July 1–2, The Futon Critic, July 2, 2004</ref> While Lee was turned down after the producers had got to rethink the character of her role, Mary Alice,<ref>Porter, Rick: Lee May Return from Dead on 'Desperate Housewives', Zap2it, July 13, 2004</ref> Searles was replaced because of the lack of chemistry between him and his onscreen lover, Eva Longoria.<ref>Keck, William: Desperately seeking Metcalfe, USA Today, November 18, 2004</ref> Steven Culp had been the producers first choice for the part as Rex Van De Kamp, but as he had missed a meeting with the ABC executive to complete shooting for another television show, Star Trek: Enterprise, the part had been offered to Burke instead. After the original pilot was filmed, Culp was off the Enterprise cast, and when asked again Culp accepted the part, and Burke was let go.<ref>Hall, Wayne: Desperate Housewives – The Trek Connection, SyFy Portal, May 21, 2005</ref>
Early reports also had different names for some of the characters: Andrea Bowen’s character, who was originally said to be named Jenna,<ref>Development Update: March 4, The Futon Critic, March 4, 2004</ref> ended up being named Julie when the show begun to air, and Mary Alice’s last name, which had originally been reported to be Scott,<ref>Development Update: July 1–2, The Futon Critic, July 2, 2004</ref> had been changed to Young.
On August 11, with less than two months left until the series’ premiere, a thirteenth name was announced to have been added to the list of contracted stars: Nicollette Sheridan, who would portray Edie Britt in a role originally conceived to be recurring.<ref>'Housewives,' 'Legal' Bows Bumped to October 3, The Futon Critic, August 11, 2004</ref>
During the second year of the show the recasting of the new character Caleb Applewhite caused some media interest. Original actor Page Kennedy was taken off the cast after only five episodes aired. According to ABC, this was due to Kennedy’s “improper conduct”, with National Enquirer claiming that he had flashed some of his female co-stars. Kennedy was quickly replaced by NaShawn Kearse, but denied any improper actions from his part, even releasing a rap song, “Hold On”, telling his version of the story.<ref>Serpe, Gina: “Desperate” Dismissee’s Bad Rap, E! Online, December 20, 2005</ref>
Reception and cultural influences
The premiere year
The show was one of the biggest successes of the 2004–2005 television season, being well-received by both critics and viewers. The pilot episode had 21.3 million viewers making it the best new drama for the year, the highest rated show of the week, and the best performance by a pilot for ABC, since Spin City in 1996.<ref>Jaffer, Murtz: ‘Housewives’ Premiere Cleans Up for ABC, Prime Time Pulse, April 10, 2004</ref>
Along with Lost, Desperate Housewives was credited to have turned around ABC’s declining fortunes.<ref> Bianco , Robert
. " A good season, with reason " , USA Today , April 26, 2005 . </ref> Many critics agreed to Cherry’s initial comparison to the popular black comedy film American Beauty,<ref>Scott Pepper, Scott: TV Review: “Desperate Housewives”, Blogcritics, October 4, 2004</ref> while its themes and appeal to female viewers was compared to those of the award winning TV show Sex and the City,<ref>McFarland, Melanie: Timely ‘Desperate Housewives’ is life after ‘Sex and the City’, Seattle Post-Intelligencer October 1, 2004</ref> and the mysteries was said to resemble those of David Lynch’s classic TV series Twin Peaks.<ref>Schmeiser, Lisa: Fall '04: “Desperate Housewives”, TeeVee.org, October 5, 2004</ref> In its first review, USA Today proclaimed the show to be “refreshingly original, bracingly adult and thoroughly delightful” and naming it to be “sort of Knots Landing meets The Golden Girls by way of Twin Peaks”.<ref>Bianco, Robert: 'Housewives' has the recipe for a bubbly evening soap, USA Today, September 30, 2004</ref>
Following the initial success of the show, the term “desperate housewives” became a cultural phenomenon. This warranted “real life desperate housewives” features in TV shows, including The Dr. Phil Show,<ref>Dr. Phil – The Real Lives of Desperate Housewives, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref> and in magazines.<ref>McKeever, Katrina & Britton, Paul: The Real Desperate Housewives, Manchester Evening News, May 19, 2005</ref><ref>Blackwell, Elizabeth: Confessions of Real-Life Desperate Housewives, Ladies Home Journal, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> Among the more prominent names to declare themselves fans of the show were Oprah Winfrey,<ref>Brioux, Bill: Oprah pays a visit to 'Housewives', Jam Showbiz, February 2, 2005</ref> who also dedicated an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to her visit at the film set; and the First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, who, in a speech during a dinner with White House Correspondents' Association on April 30 2005, stated “Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife”, referring to the show.<ref>Laura Bush: First lady of comedy?, USA Today, May 1, 2005</ref>
The show ended up being the fourth most watched in the United States during the 2004-2005 season, with 23.7 million viewers each week.<ref>"
Final audience and ratings figures " , The Hollywood Reporter , May 27, 2005 . </ref>
Later years
For its second year, the show still maintained its ratings – with 22.2 million viewers, it reclaimed its position as the number four most watched show.<ref>"
2005-06 primetime wrap " , The Hollywood Reporter , May 26, 2006 . </ref> However, several critics started to notice a declining quality of the show’s script,<ref>Guthrie, Marisa: In its second season, 'Desperate Housewives' is at a dead end, FSView & Florida Flambeau, April 3, 2006</ref><ref>Goldblatt, Henry: TV Review – Desperate Housewives , Entertainment Weekly, October 21, 2005</ref>
and USA Today’s Robert Bianco suggested that the part of the show getting “less good” was that showrunner Cherry had left much of the series writing in the hands of others.<ref>Biango, Robert: Housewives' is dragging desperately, USA Today, September 9, 2005</ref> Mid through the season executive producer Michael Edenstein left the show due to conflicts with Cherry and in May 2006, just a couple of weeks prior to the second season finale, so did Tom Spezialy.<ref>Keck, William: Wisteria Lane’s new landscape, USA Today, May 19, 2006</ref> After the end of the season Cherry would agree to the second years’s weaker script and also agreed that it had been a mistake to let go too much of the show. He now stated that he was back full time, claiming that both he and the writing staff had learned from their mistakes.<ref>Martin, Ed: Exclusive Interview! Desperate Housewives Creator Marc Cherry, Jack Myers Media Village, January 25, 2007</ref><ref>ABC vows stronger third season for its ’Desperate Housewives’, Wilmington Star, 26 July, 2006</ref><ref>Network exec promises better 'Housewives' season, CTVA.ca, July 18, 2006</ref>
The critics generally agreed on the improved quality for the third year,<ref>ABC’s 'Desperate Housewives' back on track for third season, Reality TV World, September 12, 2006</ref><ref>Martin, Ed: Sizzling Preview of Desperate Housewives, Jack Myers Media Village, September 14, 2006</ref><ref>Taroli, Justin: The Third Time Isn’t Always the Charm for TV Hits, The Crown Online, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> but the overall ratings fell notably from previous seasons. But due to Marcia Cross’ pregnancy, the actress had to leave the show on maternity leave, but with six episodes left of season three, it looked like the show ratings would be down with over 25% since the premiere year.<ref>Ryan, Joal: Housewives’ Most Desperate Hour, E! Online, April 10, 2007</ref> However, for the last season three episodes, the rating turned somewhat, and the season ended up with 17.5 million viewers, falling from number four to number ten on the list of most watched shows.<ref name="HRwrap2006-07">"
2006-07 prime time wrap " , The Hollywood Reporter , May 25, 2007 . </ref> Notable, however, was that the show’s rating among viewers age 18–24 increased from the previous season.<ref>Vasquez, Diego Fact: College kids now watch more TV, Media Life Magazine, July 26, 2007</ref>
In 2006, the American cable network Bravo launched a reality show, The Real Housewives of Orange County, in the footsteps of the “real life desperate housewives” phenomenon.<ref>Chang, Richard: TV: “The Real Housewives of Orange County”, The Orange County Register, March 13, 2006</ref>
According to a survey of twenty countries conducted in 2006 by Informa Telecoms and Media, Desperate Housewives was the third most viewed TV show in the world, after fellow American series CSI: Miami and Lost.<ref>"
CSI show 'most popular in world' " , BBC , 31 July 2006 . </ref> During a fund raising auction for the British child charity ChildLine in December 2006, a walk-on part in Desperate Housewives had the highest bid, £17.000, beating Daniel Craig’s James Bond tuxedo from Casino Royale.<ref>James Bond tuxedo raises £12,000, BBC News, December 11, 2006</ref><ref>James Bond, 'Desperate Housewives' Raise Money for UK Charity, StarPulse, December 11, 2006</ref>
Awards and nominations
For its premiere season, the show was awarded six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. The nominations of all of the four leading actresses except Eva Longoria for both Golden Globes and Emmys received some media interest. While Longoria seemingly didn’t bother, stating for the press that “I'm new. I just arrived. I didn’t expect at all to be in the minds of the Academy.”, Marc Cherry regarded her being left out as a “horrendous error”.<ref>Longoria: “I Never Expected an Emmy”, ContactMusic.com, July 24, 2005</ref> In the end, the Emmy went to Felicity Huffman, while Teri Hatcher received the Golden Globe, as well as a SAG.
The show’s second Golden Globe Award for its first year was for Best Musical or Comedy TV Series, while the other Emmys went to Kathryn Joosten for her guest role as Karen McCluskey (beating, among others, fellow cast member Lupe Ontiveros), Charles McDougall for his direction of the pilot episode, Danny Elfman’s theme music, the picture editing of the pilot, and the casting of the series. The entire cast was awarded an Screen Actors Guild Award, and Nicollette Sheridan was nominated for a Supporting Actress Golden Globe.
In 2006 the show continued to receive several nominations. It was awarded with yet another Golden Globe for Best TV Musical or Comedy Series, and all the four leading women received Golden Globe nominations, although none of them won. The cast ensemble was awarded with another SAG Award, as was Felicity Huffman. Emmys nominations included, among others, guest actress Shirley Knight and supporting actress Alfre Woodard, although none of the resulted in an actual award.
The show did continue to be nominated in 2007 – Felicity Huffman was granted an Emmy nomination for the second time, and guest actresses Laurie Metcalf and Dixie Carter also received Emmy nomination. The show, just as actresses Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman, received Golden Globe nominations, and Huffman and the cast ensemble was also nominated for SAGs. None of the Golden Globe, Emmy or SAG nominations resulted in any actual awards.
Other notable awards include the 2005 People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Drama, the Future Classic Award at the 2005 TV Land Awards, the 2006 TP de Oro for Best Foreign Series, and the Golden Nymph at the 2007 Monte-Carlo TV Festival, among others.<ref>The IMDb.com list of awards for Desperate Housewives, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>
Controversy
Nicollette Sheridan promotional video
On November 15, 2004, Sheridan was cited by the FCC for her appearance in a sketch that opened the evening’s Monday Night Football broadcast. The Desperate Housewives-inspired sketch showed Sheridan dropping a towel to attract football player Terrell Owens’ attention who then said “ah hell” was widely condemned as being sexually suggestive.<ref>http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2656474</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGFIePxLbQk</ref> ABC was forced to apologize for airing it but the citation against Sheridan was dropped on March 14, 2005. A week later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) aired an also controversial parody showing WWE Diva Trish Stratus dropping her towel to attract WWE Superstar Shelton Benjamin, but being caught in the act by the company’s chairman, Vince McMahon.<ref> ABC was forced to apologize for airing it but the citation against Sheridan was dropped on March 14, 2005. A week later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) aired an also controversial parody showing WWE Diva Trish Stratus dropping her towel to attract WWE Superstar Shelton Benjamin, but being caught in the act by the company’s chairman, Vince McMahon.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2eSSIQ_vag</ref>
Traditional family values
Following criticism from the American Family Association about the show’s disregard for traditional family values, the show lost several major sponsors.<ref>[2], CNNmoney.com</ref>
Negative gay representation
ABC came under criticism from LGBT groups for making the then-sole main gay character, Andrew Van de Kamp, an apparent sociopath, although the character has in recent episodes turned over a new leaf to some extent.
Medical schools in the Philippines
The episode “Now You Know” had sparked a controversy among Filipino-American doctors in the U.S. and from the Philippines when Susan Mayer said: “Okay before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? 'Cause I would just like to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines.”<ref>Video clip of controversial statement, YouTube.com, Retrieved October 5, 2007</ref>
The following day, the Philippine government was demanding an apology from the producers, stating that there are many Filipino nurses and doctors who are brought from the Philippines to the United States to ensure that there’s a sufficient number of medical staff in American hospitals.<ref>“FilAm doctors fuming at ‘Desperate Housewives’ slur”, PhilippineNews.com, October 3, 2007</ref> In addition, Alec Mapa, a Filipino-American actor who has a recurring role in the series, told via e-mail: “It’s unfortunate that the Philippines was used as a punch line. My family is filled with doctors and medical professionals. I know first hand from them, that the medical schools in the Philippines are top notch”,<ref name="inquirer_abc_sorry">Inquirer.net “ABC Studios sorry for racial slur on ‘Desperate Housewives’”, October 4, 2007</ref> and California state senator Leland Yee made a press release, expressing his concern.<ref>California State Senator</ref>
On October 4, ABC Studios issued an apology: “The producers of Desperate Housewives and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines. As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our programs.”<ref name="inquirer_abc_sorry" /> However, several Philippine representatives demanded further reprimands,<ref>Palace mum on ‘Housewives’ apology; lawmakers call for ban, ABC-CBS Interactive, October 4</ref> and Philippine senator Rodolfo Biazon and congressman Bienvenido Abante Jr. stated that they wanted to take the show off air in the Philippines. The Philippine Medical Association, on the other hand, wants an aired apology before the start of the next episode and to remove the controversial scene for future airings and for DVD.<ref>TV Patrol World, October 4, 2007 broadcast</ref>
Screen adaptions
On February 26, 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced that four South American versions of the show were about to begin production: one for Argentina, one for Colombia, one for Brazil and one for Ecuador.<ref>'Housewives' going global, Variety Magazine, March 5, 2007</ref> Later on, the Colombian and Ecuadorean productions merged, leaving three Latin American shows:
The Argentinan version, called Amas de Casa Desesperadas, began airing in 2006. The first year proved successful enough for a second season to begin production.<ref>Amas de casa desesperadas Official Canal 13 Website, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> The first season of the version for Colombia (RCN TV) and Ecuador (Teleamazonas), also entitled Amas de Casa Desesperadas, began airing in Ecuador on May 2007, and airs five days a week.<ref>Amas de casa desesperadas Official Teleamazonas Website, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> The Brazilian version, Donas de Casa Desesperadas is currently in production and set to launch in August, 2007.<ref>Donas de Casa Desesperadas Official RedeTV Website, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>
In addition, a second US version is being developed for the Spanish television network Univision. Just as the two previous Spanish versions, it is to be named Amas de Casa Desesperadas, and the production began in July 2007.<ref>De La Fuente, Anna Marie: Univision gets Spanish 'Housewives', Variety Magazine, May 14, 2007</ref>
Also, a feature film inspired by the series, entitled Desperadas, will be released December 2007 in the Philippines with the script written for film by PUP graduate Paul Wilson Gardon.<ref>Erece, Dinno: “Desperadas” included in final three MMFF chosen entries, Philippine Entertainment Portal, July 2, 2007</ref>
Other media and merchandise
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Region 1 | Region 2 (UK and Ireland release) | Region 4 | Region 5 | No of discs | No of episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | September 20 2005 | October 10 2005 | November 28 2005 | July 18 2006 | 6 (Reg. 1,2 and 4) 5 (Reg. 5) | 23 |
| The Complete Second Season | August 30 2006 | November 13 2006 | October 4 2006 | June 28 2007 | 7 (Reg. 2 and 4) 6 (Reg. 1 and 5) | 24 (including the two part season finale) |
| The Complete Third Season | September 4 2007 | November 5 2007 | October 31 2007 | December 13 2007 | 6 | 23 |
Games
In 2005, UK company Re:creation published Desperate Housewives Dirty Laundry Game, a board game based on season one of Desperate Housewives.<ref>Re:Creation 2007 Product Catalogue, page 15, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> Players attempt to guess their opponents’ secrets by answering trivia questions, while keeping clues to their own secrets concealed.
2006 saw the release of two video games: Buena Vista Games released the sim computer game Desperate Housewives: The Game, featuring an original storyline spanning 12 episodes.<ref>Desperate Housewives: The Game Official Website, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> The game is set on Wisteria Lane, but the player does not play as any of the housewives, although they frequently appear.
A couple of months later, Gameloft released a mobile game based on the series.<ref>Desperate Housewives Mobile Game Official Website, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> “The inspirado for Gameloft’s take on Desperate Housewives comes from the most unlikely place, too – the original Mario Party on the Nintendo 64.”<ref>[3]</ref>
Soundtrack and literature
In September 2005, Hollywood Records released a CD (distributed by Universal Music), Music from and Inspired by Desperate Housewives, featuring music inspired by the series, as well as sound clips taken from the first season of the show. The songs included could all be described as promoting “girl power”, and among the artists appearing – all being female – were LeAnn Rimes, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain.<ref>All Music Guide: Desperate Housewives, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref>
Two books has been officially released within the Desperate Housewives franchise. In September 2005 ABC’s sister company Hyperion Books released Desperate Housewives: Behind Closed Doors (ISBN 978-1401-3082-61), a companion to the first season of the show, written by the production team behind the series.<ref>Hyperion Books: Desperate Housewives – Behind Closed Doors, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> One year later, in October 2006, Hyperion published The Desperate Housewives Cookbook – Juicy Dishes and Saucy Bits (ISBN 978-1401-3027-71).<ref>Hyperion Books: The Desperate Housewives Cookbook – Juicy Dishes and Saucy Bits, Retrieved August 3, 2007</ref> In addition, official wall calendars, featuring shots taken from the series, were published by Andrews McMeel Publishing for both 2006 and 2007, with a 2008 edition scheduled for release in September 2007.<ref>Andrews McMeel Publishing: Desperate Housewives 2008 Wall Calendar, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref>
Three unauthorized books written from different points of view were released in 2006. Reading ‘Desperate Housewives’: Beyond the White Picket Fence (ISBN 978-1845-1122-02), from I.B. Tauris, is an academic look at the show by film studies lecturers Janet McCabe and Kim Akassm,<ref>I.B. Tauris: Reading “Desperate Housewives” – Beyond the White Picket Fence, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref> Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America’s Favorite Desperate Housewives (ISBN 978-1932-1007-92), published by BenBella Books, consists of seventeen essays written from a feminist perspective,<ref>BenBella Books: Welcome to Wisteria Lane: On America’s Favorite Desperate Housewives, Retrieved August 5, 2007]</ref> and in Chalice Press’ Not-so-desperate: Fantasy, Fact And Faith on Wisteria Lane (ISBN 0-8272-2513-X) author Shawnthea Monroe is giving a Christian interpretation of the show.<ref>Chalice Press: Not-so-desperate – Fantasy, Fact And Faith on Wisteria Lane, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref> Also, following the “real life desperate housewives” phenomenon, several books has been released dealing with life strategies for contemporary women.
Fashion dolls
In December 2006 it was announced that the characters of Bree, Gabrielle, Edie, Susan and Lynette were to be made into Modèle:Convert/in tall fashion dolls, produced by Madame Alexander.<ref>Finn, Natalie: Desperate Housewives Play Around, E! Online, January 2, 2007</ref> In 2007 they were released in a limited edition of 300 pieces each.<ref>Madame Alexander Fall 2007 collection: Couture – Desperate Housewives, Retrieved August 5, 2007</ref>
References
External links
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