A show that breathed new life into ABC's prime time schedule when it premiered in 2004. Created by Marc Cherry, the show demonstrated, at a time when sitcoms and soaps were becoming more formulaic, that a unique voice can always bring something new to the tiredest of genres. The show exposes the dark and sexy underbelly of the lives of five suburban "housewives" living on Wisteria Lane. The show is narrated by a former housewife on Wisteria Lane (Brenda Strong) who has just committed suicide and is now supposedly telling the stories of her former neighbors from the all-knowing perspective of someone watching below from heaven. Teri Hatcher plays against type as klutzy (in a cute way), self-conscious single mother, Susan, who tries to be her teenage daughter's best friend while seeking to rediscover her sexy side so she can land herself a new husband. Eva Longoria plays Gabrielle, who is the youngest of the housewives. Gabrielle is a former model who's marraige has just ended and is learning how to be more than just the good-looking girl. Marcia Cross plays Bree who seems like Martha Stewart on the outside, but contends with two especially rebellious children and lot of bottled-up frustration. Nicollette Sheridan plays successful real estate agent Edie who is supremely confident and doesn't seem to have any problem finding dates. Lastly, Felicity Huffman plays to type as a devoted and family-oriented mother of four. These descriptions only apply for the first season as the characters have wildly oscillating marriage statuses. The show created a lot of water cooler buzz in its initial seasons and faded a little bit during the writer's strikes but picked up steam again with the addition of characters played by James Denton, Dana Delaney, Alfre Woodward, and Kathyrn Joosten.

Rating: 7.3 | Year: 2004 - | Network: ABC | Free Episodes Online: 182
Watch it Legally on Amazon - Prime Video