The
pilot episode of the American comedy-drama series
Desperate Housewives premiered on October 3, 2004 on the
ABC network. It was written by series creator
Marc Cherry and directed by
Charles McDougall. The pilot introduces the residents of the suburban neighborhood of
Wisteria Lane. Following the suicide of an outwardly successful neighbor, her friends begin to deal with the problems in their personal lives.
Susan Mayer (
Teri Hatcher) competes for the attention of a new plumber who has moved across the street;
Bree Van de Kamp (
Marcia Cross) struggles with her failing marriage and ungrateful family;
Gabrielle Solis (
Eva Longoria) continues an affair with her sixteen-year-old gardener; and
Lynette Scavo (
Felicity Huffman) copes with life as a stay-at-home mother of four.
Cherry conceived the idea for the series while watching coverage of the
Andrea Yates murder trials, and was fascinated by how women lead lives of quiet desperation. He began writing the script in 2002 and pitched it to several networks throughout the following year. In October 2003, ABC announced that it had picked up the pilot. Casting began in February 2004 and filming took place the following month primarily on the
Colonial Street backlot set at
Universal Studios. According to
Nielsen ratings, the episode was watched by 21.6 million viewers on its original American broadcast, becoming the most-watched program of the week. The pilot received extremely positive reviews, with critics complimenting...
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