The secrets and mysteries surrounding a group of female friends living on the suburban street of Wisteria Lane.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 20-SEP-2005
Media Type: DVD

Audiences were captivated by the women of Wisteria Lane in the first season of Desperate Housewives, the breakout hit from ABC that almost single-handedly lifted the network from its ratings doldrums and brought back the classic TV soap, remixed now with satire, comedy, and mystery. An affectionate yet darkly tinged send-up of suburbia that skirted Twin Peaks territory as much as that of Knots Landing, Desperate Housewives opened with a bang--literally--as perfect-seeming housewife Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) went through her picture-perfect day before putting a handgun to her temple and pulling the trigger. Mary Alice's sudden suicide leaves her four closest friends, all housewives of a sort, with a surfeit of grief, a re-examination of their own lives, and a mystery to solve. It also proves to be a catalyst for a seamy study of what goes on inside the finely appointed homes of Wisteria Lane--the tales of which Mary Alice narrates from beyond the grave with a sardonic tone dipped in both honey and arsenic.

There's Martha Stewart-perfect Bree (Marcia Cross), who rules her household with an iron fist in a tailor-made garden glove and seems to have it all, until she finds out her husband (Steven Culp) is cheating on her--and had a serious fetish habit to boot. Sultry Gaby (Eva Longoria), the youngest of the set, is a bored trophy wife whose predilection for shopping and clothes are the perfect decoy for her affair with the hunky teenage gardener (Jesse Metcalfe). Former career woman Lynette (Felicity Huffman) is the most stereotypical housewife, raising four (or was it five?) kids and frustrated at using her cutthroat business skills for suburban politics. And daffy Susan (Teri Hatcher), the divorcee looking for love, sees her prospects brighten with the arrival of hunky plumber Mike (James Denton), who has some desperate secrets of his own. And did we mention the neighborhood hussy (Nicollette Sheridan), the snotty busybody (Christine Estabrook), and Mary Alice's increasingly agitated son (Cody Kasch)?

It was a fast and wild mix of plot and characters that gave Desperate Housewives the zing that made it a number one hit, as it never got too bogged down in any dilemma before moving on to the next. And though it was neither as hard-hitting nor salacious as it was trumpeted to be, the show nevertheless breathed fresh, funny air into comedy television, for even though it hewed to the hour-long soap format, the content was far more dark comedy than sudsy drama. There were fun bright spots to be had, but the story behind Mary Alice's death--which included drugs, murder, blackmail, secret identities, and vengeance in equal amounts--hovered over all the characters, tingeing the farce with the specter of danger. The show's other source of strength is in its peerless ensemble cast, headed by four perfect leading ladies, all Emmy-worthy. Hatcher received the (deserved) lion's share of praise (and a Golden Globe), but her co-stars--especially the underrated Longoria--matched her scene for scene. And though the mystery of Mary Alice's death was ultimately solved (no Twin Peaks teasing here), it was just the beginning of the troubles on Wisteria Lane, where no life went unexamined for too long. --Mark Englehart

Great show(excluding season two), great season! This show is so well written, there were times i thought i knew the answer to their mystery and another curve ball would be thrown our way. The comedy comes from the fact that they "immate" soap opras, and do a great job with it. not to mention the funny things that happen to teri hatchers character. The first season is one of the best first season out of any show i have seen. Something i sure did look forward to every week, and ended up buying season one to watch it all over again. What i really like about this show was the great cast and how they work very well together. you maybe surprised by the acting. Sit back and enjoy the ride because you're in for a lot of turns and twists in this great season. i highly recommend it.

It was a great season of a great show. Totally worth buying if you like a well written show, with a lot of mystery; love; comedy, drama and action. The cast is amazing and work very well together. It was a pleasant suprise to see that the acting was very good. This show is not how it appears or comes off. The comedy springs from the fact that it is written similar to a soap opera at times. Lastly, a lot of curve balls are thrown try and solve the mystery, its one fun show.

This Series on DVD is fantastic. First I'm a big fan of desperate housewives since it started and I enjoy it everytime I watch it. You would not regret buying this DVD. In each disc, there are special features to watch and they are enjoyable and also extended episodes that included some scenes that were never watched before. IT IS ALL GREAT.

Why is our culture glorifying adultery, violence and murder by giving this show so much acceptance? The first season episodes has a murder with a blender pitcher, an elderly man murdered by his wife and kept in a deep freeze, Teri Hatcher locked out of her house without any clothes on--yet justice has never punished anyone except Carlos, the poor Mexican American who's kind to his mom. And of course scenes from season one repeat every year in best moments from old shows episodes--I guess the writers ran out of perfect murders in the plot that week. To top it all off the "wives" are pictured as kind parents to their kids. It would've given Walt Disney a heart attack Sunday night if he were alive today.

How can anyone compare it with "Sex and the City" is beyond me. "Sex and the City" is art and there is beauty in it (especially in the relationship of four friends). "Desperate Housewives" is a desperate attempt to bring something funny and engaging, but it is not, so please stop trying. The only reason I even decided to watch it was Jesse Metcalfe (not that he is a great actor or anything, but he is nice to look at), but even he couldn't make me sit through the second set of discs of Season 1. The acting is stiff so are the characters, the writing is poor and the whole thing is ridiculous.