Creator Marc Cherry said he got the idea to write the pilot after a conversation with his mother. She told him that raising Cherry and his siblings with their father away most of the time made her feel "desperate" sometimes.
At first, the show was pitched as a female driven comedy. All the networks turned it down. It was then slightly rewritten and pitched as a nighttime soap opera and it sold.
Teri Hatcher broke two ribs filming the scene where she stumbles into a wedding cake and insisted they didn't stop production.
Originally started off as a comedy pilot, and was rejected by every network including Lifetime and HBO. ABC expressed an interest, and it was retooled to its current format of a dark comedy/drama.
Oprah Winfrey loved the show so much, she was invited to the set, and had an exclusive show in which she showcased a 15 minute "episode" where Oprah (as a new neighbor) learned of all the secrets of the housewives.
The first television series to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for a show that had not yet completed its first season.
Marcia Cross originally tried for the part of Mary Alice Young, but was cast as Bree Van De Kamp. Nicollette Sheridan tried for the part of Bree Van De Kamp, but was cast as Edie Britt.
The characters The Scavo Brothers (Parker, Preston, and Porter) were ranked #4 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).
Bree's response when her son tells her he's gay is, "I'd love you even if you were a murderer," the same quote that Marc Cherry's mother told him when he came out.
Producers believed Ricardo Chavira to be too young and not suave enough, and almost didn't cast him as Carlos Solis.
Rex was allergic to onions.
Calista Flockhart, Heather Locklear, and Mary-Louise Parker were considered for the role of Susan. Courteney Cox was also considered for the role of Susan. Marc Cherry didn't ask her because at the time she was pregnant with her daughter Coco and had expressed interest in taking some time off to raise the baby.
Miranda Richardson (I) turned down a significant guest part in the second season of the show.
The character of Mr Shaw, played by Richard Roundtree, works for the Hafts Detective Agency. "Hafts" is an anagram of Shaft (1971), who was played by Richard Roundtree in the 1970's film of the same name.
All episodes except the pilot are named after songs and in the first season, all the song titles were from songs written by Stephen Sondheim. At Sondheim's birthday celebration, the cast filmed a segment specifically for the party, featuring the titles.
Susan Mayer's, who is a children's book illustrator, first book was "Ants in My Picnic Basket"
The license plates on the cars say "Eagle State".
Lynette's boss's name is Ed Ferrara. In real life, Ed Ferrara is writer and producer Kevin Murphy's former writing partner of several TV shows including "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show" (1997) and "Weird Science" (1994).
Mary Louise-Parker was considered for the role of Susan.
Dana Delany auditioned for the role of Bree and was offered the part. After thinking about it, she declined the role. Her reasoning was that she had played a similar role in the soap Pasadena, and felt she would be repeating herself.
Jeanne Tripplehorn and Alex Kingston (I) auditioned for the show.
Sheryl Lee was originally cast as Mary Alice Young and actually shot the pilot but at the last minute Brenda Strong was cast in the role and Mary Alice's scenes had to be re-shot.
A fan loved the dress Gabrielle wore in the pilot and so much she wrote to the producers asking name of the designer and if he could design her a prom dress. The producers instead sent her the actual gown and she wore it to her prom.
Teri Hatcher is the first person to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for a show that has not yet completed its first season.
Tom Scavo (Doug Savant) appeared in seventeen of twenty-three episodes (missing only six episodes), and was still listed as a guest star. However, in the second season he will be listed as a regular.
Susan Walters (I), Sharon Lawrence (I), Laura Leighton, Roma Downey and Jeri Ryan all auditioned for the part of Bree.
Roselyn Sanchez lost the part of Gabrielle to 'Eva Longoria' at the final auditions.
According to the book Desperate Networks, show creator Marc Cherry insisted every actor had to audition for a part. Several actresses up for the part of Susan, including Mary-Louise Parker, Calista Flockhart and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, declined to audition and passed on the role. Felicity Huffman also declined to audition for the role of Lynette, preferring to be offered the role instead. Her agents convinced her otherwise, and she agreed to audition. Marc Cherry was so impressed with her performance, that he offered her the part on the spot.
The house that Marcia Cross (Bree Van De Kamp) Lives in was previously used in the NBC 1999-2002 drama Providence.
Season 1 episodes that have Stephen Sondheim song titles or lyric references as their show titles (Except where denoted) Season 1.2: Pilot (No Sondheim Reference) 1.2: Ah, But Underneath (Follies), 1.3: Pretty Little Picture (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum), 1.4: Who's That Woman? (Follies), 1.5: Come in, Stranger (No Sondheim Reference; Johnny Cash song), 1.6: Running to Stand Still (No Sondheim Reference; U2 song), 1.7: Anything You Can Do (No Sondheim Reference. Irving Berlin Annie Get Your Gun) 1.8: Guilty (No Sondheim Reference; Randy Newman song), 1.9: Suspicious Minds (No Sondheim Reference; Elvis Presley Song), 1:10: Come Back to Me (No Sondheim Reference. Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever), 1.11: Move On (Sunday in the Park With George), 1. 12: Every Day a Little Death (A Little Night Music), 1.13: Your Fault (Into the Woods), 1.14: Love Is in the Air (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum Cut from the show), 1.15: Impossible (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum),1.6: The Ladies Who Lunch (Company), 1.17 There Won't Be Trumpets (Anyone Can Whistle), 1.18: Children Will Listen (Into the Woods), 1.19: Live Alone and Like It (Dick Tracy Film) 1.20: Fear No More (The Frogs), 1.21: Sunday in the Park with George (Sunday in the Park with George), 1.22: Goodbye for Now (Reds movie Lyrics added later) 1.23: One Wonderful Day (Saturday Night)
Season 2 episodes that have Stephen Sondheim song titles or lyric references as their show titles (Except where denoted): 2. 1: Next (Pacific Overtures) 2.2: You Could Drive a Person Crazy (Company), 2.3: You'll Never Get Away from Me (Gypsy Music by Jule Styne), 2.4: My Heart Belongs to Daddy (No Sondheim Reference. Cole Porter Leave It To Me), 2.5: They Asked Me Why I Believe in You (I Believe In You Unproduced), 2.6: I Wish I Could Forget You (Passion), 2.7: Color and Light (Sunday in the Park with George), 2.9: That's Good, That's Bad Season (Hot Spot), 2.10: Coming Home (Bounce), 2.11: One More Kiss (Follies); Season 2.12: We're Gonna Be All Right (Do I Hear A Waltz? Music by Richard Rodgers), 2.13: There's Something About a War (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum Cut), 2.14: Silly People (A Little Night Music Cut), 2.15: Thank You So Much (Do I Hear A Waltz? Music by Richard Rodgers), 2.16: There Is No Other Way (Pacific Overtures), 2.17: Could I Leave You? (Follies), 2.18: Everybody Says Don't (Anyone Can Whistle), 2.19: Don't Look at Me (Follies), 2.20: It Wasn't Meant to Happen (Follies Cut), 2.21: I Know Things Now (Into the Woods), 2.22: No One Is Alone (Into the Woods) Season 2.23 & 2.24 Remember: Part 1 & 2 (A Little Night Music)
Season 3 episodes that have Stephen Sondheim song titles or lyric references as their show titles (Except where denoted): 3.1: Listen to the Rain on the Roof (Follies), 3.2: It Takes Two (Into the Woods), 3.3: A Weekend in the Country (A Little Night Music)3.4: Like It Was (Merrily We Roll Along), 3.5: Nice She Ain't (Gypsy Cut Music by Jule Styne), 3.6: Sweetheart, I Have to Confess (Follies Lyric line from Could I Leave You?), 3.8: Children and Art (Sunday In the Park With George), 3.9 Beautiful Girls (Follies), 3.10 The Miracle Song (Anyone Can Whistle), 3.11 No Fits, No Fights, No Egos (Lyric quote from Together Wherever We Go from Gypsy), 3.12 Not While I'm Around (Sweeney Todd), 3.13 Come Play Wiz Me (Anyone Can Whistle), 3.14 I Remember That (Could be I Remember from Evening Primrose), 3.15 Little Things You Do Together (Company), 3.16 My Husband The Pig (Song cut and later reinstated to A Little Night Music), 3.17 Dress Big (The Frogs), 3.18 Liaisons (A Little Night Music), 3.19 God That's Good (Sweeney Todd), 3.20 Gossip (Sunday In The Park With George), 3.21 Into the Woods (Into the Woods), 3.22 What Would We Do Without You? (Company), 3.23 Getting Married Today (Company).
Season 4 episodes that have Stephen Sondheim song titles or lyric references as their show titles (Except where denoted): 4.1 Now You Know (Merrily We Roll Along), 4.2 Smiles of a Summer Night (The Ingmar Bergman film that A Little Night Music is based on.), 4.3 The Game (Could be a reference to a musical section from Putting It Together), 4.4 If There's Anything I Can't Stand (By George), 4.5 Art Isn't Easy (Sunday In the Park With George) 4.6 Now I Know, Don't Be Scared (Lyric quote from I Know Things Now from Into the Woods.) 4.7 You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover (Lyric quote from Simple from Anyone Can Whistle). 4.8 Distant Past (Stavisky) 4.9 Something's Coming (West Side Story), 4.10 Welcome To Kanagawa (Pacific Overtures). 4.11 Sunday (Sunday In the Park With George). 4.12 In Buddy's Eyes (Follies), 4.13 Hello Little Girl (Into the Woods) 4.14 Opening Doors (Merrily We Roll Along), 4.15 Mother Said (Could be first two lyrics from I Know Things Now from Into the Woods. See also 4.6 Now I Know, Don't Be Scared, or lyrics from Into the Woods Act I Prologue), 4.16 The Gun Song (Assassins), 4.17 Free (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum)
Each hour-long episode is filmed in eight days, typically three on location, and five on the Universal Studios lot.
Bree is based on Marc Cherry's own mother. Dana Delany was the original consideree for the part, declining it three times.
'Michelle Rodriguez' turned down a part in Desperate Housewives to do "Lost" (2004). When Ellen DeGeneres asked her why on her chat show, Rodriguez joked: "Because if you're not a housewife, then what's the point?"
Season 5 episodes that have Stephen Sondheim song titles or lyric references as their show titles (Except where denoted):5.1:You're Gonna Love Tomorrow (Follies)5.2:We're So Happy You're So Happy (Lyric quote Prologue Act 2 from Into the Woods)5.3:Kids Ain't Like Everybody Else (Deleted song from West Side Story)5.4:Back in Business (Dick Tracy & Putting It Together)5.5:Mirror Mirror (Lyric quote from Who's That Woman?(The Mirror Song)from Follies)5.6:There's Always a Woman (Deleted song and later reinstated from Anyone Can Whistle) 5.7:What More Do I Need?(Saturday Night)5.8:City on Fire (Sweeney Todd)
4351 Wisteria Lane, the house in which Betty Applewhite lived with her family, was originally the house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in which "Munsters, The" (1964) lived.
