An ABC Studios production, Desperate Housewives follows the lives of a group of women, seen through the eyes of their dead neighbour. They work through domestic struggles and family life, while facing the secrets, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their seemingly perfect suburban neighbourhood. Premiered in October 2004, the show is a multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winner, whose first episode drew 21.6 million viewers. It has been reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with an audience of approximately 120 million viewers. A study conducted in 20 countries placed it third in the world’s most watched TV show list, after CSI: Miami and Lost.

Wisteria Lane was born in 2004 on our television screens. A group of housewives, all desperate in their own ways, connected with women (and many men — whether they admit it or not!) the world over for eight seasons. Love quadrangles, murky murders, fake pregnancies and comic misunderstandings have summed up the show that we have all loved to love. Now that the last episode has been shot and the housewives get ready to call it a day, t2 lists what we will miss about Desperate Housewives — and what we won’t!

WHAT WE WILL MISS...

1) The girl bonding

These housewives know how to be there for each other. We will miss the gossip, whether the deed was done over iced lemonade or potent margaritas. The friendship between these girls — Susan Mayer, Gabrielle Solis, Teri Hatcher, Bree Van de Kamp and Lynette Scavo — is stuff that makes sitcoms. Only this time it was drama!

2) Mike, Mike, Mike…

Mike Delfino, we will miss you! A plumber, played by the smoking hot James Denton, Mike Delfino is the epitome of the fall-in-love variety of men. Warning: if you watch DH episodes back-to-back, chances are that you will start seeing Mike everywhere!

3) Gabrielle, the hottie Eva Longoria’s wardrobe at Cannes is not the only thing we watch out for. The Latina — who plays the oh-so-sexy Gabrielle — made a saucy style statement on the show as well. Smokey eyes and pale lips, her look was always sexy — and not just when she was in bed seducing her husband. Satin was always her fabric of choice. She could even work a velour tracksuit.

4) Susan’s craziness No one else could have portrayed Susan Mayer’s eccentricity better than Teri Hatcher. Impulsive, spontaneous and so, so mad — be it during her wedding in the wilderness or her painting lessons. Little wonder she is also the most loved housewife.

5) Bree’s kitchen

This is where the yummies are born. Bree (played by Marcia Cross) has the most amazing kitchen where she whips up the most amazing (looking and sounding since we can’t really taste!) dishes. She does a lot of desserts, most of them so sinful it plays havoc with our diets so many thousands of miles away!

6)“Previously on Desperate Housewives…” The soothing voice of Mary Alice Young and the comfort it brings with it. Accompanied by a quirky setting of Adam, Eve and the apple, there’s something about Brenda Strong’s — who plays Mary Alice — tone. It’s a cross between angelic and eerie. After all she is talking from beyond the grave!

7) Wisteria Lane

Situated in a suburb off Fairview, Wisteria Lane is the perfect setting for all the drama to unfold. Cobbled pathways, quaint houses, manicured lawns, helpful neighbours — and the perpetual whiff of a scandal.

8) Renee’s neckpieces

Vanessa Williams joined the housewives gang as Renee Perry in Season 7. A stunner with a stunning wardrobe — mostly wrap dresses with plunging necklines. A perfect backdrop for some gorgeous statement neckpieces that we have all grown to envy.

9) The happily-ever- after endings

Anything can happen in Wisteria Lane — the bad and the ugly. But somehow, everything becomes good in the end. And who doesn’t love a happily-ever-after ending?

...and WHAT WE Won’t!

Right at the beginning, Mary Alice Young killed herself in mysterious circumstances. That set the random accidents/suicides/murders ball rolling. Too many people have been put to sleep in the last eight seasons, including the seductress Edie Britt.

Someone comes, someone goes. By the time they come back again, you forget they ever existed. Too many people have done disappearing acts in Desperate Housewives. Remember Paul Young and his son Zach and mystery man Orson Hodge who went, came back, went and is now back in the finale season?

Lynette Scavo. We are not a fan of her ways. Played by Felicity Huffman, Lynette is over-aggressive, over-opinionated and over-judgemental. In short, she is over-everything. But our heart did go out to her during her battle with breast cancer.

Bree being pregnant on behalf of her daughter Danielle. It happened in Season 4 when the unmarried Danielle discovered she was pregnant. Mom Bree decided to fake a pregnancy so she could pass off her grandchild as her kid! Now this is something even Ekta Kapoor can’t pull off!

The predictable pattern. Each episode starts off with philosophy. The events in the episode support this philosophy. Good things happen, bad things happen and finally again good things happen. And the philosophy holds good again. Boring? Yes, we agree.

meet the housewives

Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer

She started off as the lively and lovely single mother of a daughter and found love and marriage with Mike Delfino after an on-and-off relationship.

Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo

She is the control freak with five kids. Lynette and her husband Tom used to have a good marriage but things fell apart in the final season with Tom walking out.

Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp

Bree pretends to be little Miss Perfect but is hardly so. She has overcome a drinking issue, two husbands, many lovers and many recipes.

Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis

The hottie of the gang. From an affair with her gardener to a complicated relationship with her foster child, Gabrielle and her husband Carlos are always facing a problem — internal or external.

Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young

Mary Alice was one of the five best friends of Wisteria Lane. The narrator of the show who killed herself early on, her death was the catalyst for the series.

Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt

Part of the housewife gang till she got bumped off in Season 5. This real estate agent was married thrice and shared a hot-cold equation with the others.

Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry

She is the newest housewife having joined only in the penultimate season. She and Lynette used to be college friends and though her character began as vain and manipulative, she has now won many hearts.