Desperate Housewives was originally pitched to, and rejected by, HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and Lifetime. The show premiered on ABC in October, 2004, and became a hit almost overnight. From the premiere episode the series rocketed to the top of the ratings, and immediately the term "desperate housewives" became a cultural phenomenon. Desperate Housewives has been credited with almost single-handedly reviving the long-dormant fortunes of ABC, whose last major ratings hit had been Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview, the series follows the lives of six housewives, living in suburbia, while several mysteries unfold in the background. One of the housewives recently took her own life and is now watching over her friends and sharing all their juicy secrets from beyond the grave.