Desperate Housewives of their late friend and neighbor who committed suicide in the pilot episode. The storyline covers thirteen years of the women's lives over eight seasons, set between the years 2004–2008, and later 2013–2017 (the storyline includes a five-year passage of time, as well as flashbacks and flashforwards ranging from the 1980s to the 2020s). They work through domestic struggles and family life, while facing the secrets, crimes, and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their—on the surface—beautiful and seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. The series features an ensemble cast, headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo,
Desperate Housewives had 723,000 unique online viewers in December 2008. "Desperate Housewives" was the seventh most-pirated television show of 2009. In fall 2013, North Korea allegedly executed eighty people for watching banned South Korean soap operas, "Desperate Housewives" being the most common soap opera. "Desperate Housewives" was being secretly watched using mp3 players, hard drives, and DVDs. In September 2015, "Desperate Housewives" ranked at number hundred on "The Hollywood Reporter"'s "Hollywood's 100 Favorite TV Shows", as determined by television industry professionals. For its premiere season, the show was awarded six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild