# Desperate Housewives season 8

The eighth and final season of Desperate Housewives, a television series created by Marc Cherry, began broadcasting in the United States on September 25, 2011, and concluded on May 13, 2012. The season was promoted as Kiss Them Goodbye.
Desperate Housewives was renewed for an eighth season by ABC on May 17, 2011. The deceased character Mary Alice Young continues to narrate the events in the lives of her Wisteria Lane residents Susan Delfino, Lynette Scavo, Bree Van de Kamp, Gabrielle Solis, and Renee Perry. This season's mystery sees the housewives deal with covering up the murder of Gabrielle's stepfather, Alejandro Perez, from the previous season's finale.
The final season began airing in the Middle East on October 3, 2011, on OSN First and in Latin America on October 6, 2011. It began airing in the United Kingdom on Sunday, January 8, 2012, on E4 and Tuesday, January 10, 2012, on Channel 4; in Ireland on RTÉ Two on Tuesday, January 3, 2012; in Greece on FOXlife on Monday, January 16, 2012; in Austria on January 2, 2012, on ORF; in Germany on January 4, 2012; in Australia on February 2, 2012, and in France on April 12, 2012.

## Production

   It is an iconic show. We are so proud of it. I just wanted to make sure that this show that put this network on the map ... had its victory lap, had a chance to really set out every episode and build an arc [in its final season.]
In 2007, series creator and executive producer Marc Cherry stated that he planned to end Desperate Housewives after its seventh season in 2011. He explained: "I think that, at the end of my deal, and after seven seasons, it will be a good time to call it quits. I don't want anybody else to run the show and I don't want [it] to fade away ... I don't want to overstay my welcome." Cherry reaffirmed his intentions the following year. However, in 2009, Cherry signed a deal with ABC designed to potentially keep Desperate Housewives on air until the end of its ninth season in 2013. Lead actresses Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Eva Longoria signed on for an eighth season in April 2011, with each earning a reported salary of $325,000 per episode. Their contracts also included financial incentives for a potential ninth season. ABC officially announced the show's eighth season on May 17, 2011, along with the rest of its primetime schedule for the 2011-2012 television season.
In July 2011, it was reported that ABC was considering ending the series after the eighth season. On August 7, ABC president Paul Lee confirmed that the eighth season would be the show's last at the Television Critics Association media press tour. Cherry commented on the show's ending, stating: "Shows go on too long and they are unceremoniously booted off. I didn’t want it to happen to Desperate Housewives. While we are still a force to be reckoned with, I wanted to go off in the classiest way possible." Cherry reported that the cast was bittersweet over the news of the series' end. "The women knew it was a possibility," he explained. "There was a touch of shock but not completely." Shooting of the series finale took place from April 16 to 26, 2012.

## Cast

The eighth and final season had twelve roles receiving star billing, with nine out of thirteen returning from the previous season. The series is narrated by Brenda Strong, who portrays the deceased Mary Alice Young, as she observes from beyond the grave the lives of the Wisteria Lane residents and her former best friends. Teri Hatcher portrayed Susan Delfino, who deals with her involvement in the cover-up of the murder of Gabrielle's stepfather, as well as the death of her husband and the pregnancy of her daughter. Felicity Huffman portrayed Lynette Scavo, now separated from her husband. Marcia Cross portrayed Bree Van de Kamp, who takes charge in the cover-up. Eva Longoria portrayed Gabrielle Solis, whose life suffers radical changes following the cover-up. Vanessa Williams portrayed Renee Perry, who falls in love with the newest resident of Wisteria Lane. Ricardo Antonio Chavira portrayed Carlos Solis, Gabrielle's husband who killed her stepfather in the previous season finale. Doug Savant portrayed Tom Scavo, now separated from Lynette and trying to move on with his life. James Denton portrayed Mike Delfino, Susan's husband who is killed in the second half of the season. After making some guest appearances towards the end of the previous season, Jonathan Cake was made series regular in the role of Chuck Vance, a detective and Bree's love interest. Charles Mesure also joined the main cast as Ben Faulkner, a ruthless, self-made contractor who finds Renee attractive. Furthermore, Madison De La Garza was promoted from "also starring" to a formal "starring" cast member as Juanita Solis, Gabrielle's oldest daughter. Mark Moses left the main cast again since his character's mystery was resolved in the previous season finale; however, he made one last guest appearance at the beginning of this season as Paul Young, Mary Alice's imprisoned widower.
Kathryn Joosten (Karen McCluskey), Kevin Rahm (Lee McDermott) and Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter), all of whom were "starring" castmembers in the previous season, were demoted to "also starring" in this season. Also starring were Charlie Carver, Joshua Logan Moore and Darcy Rose Byrnes respectively as Porter, Parker and Penny Scavo, Lynette's children, as well as child actor Mason Vale Cotton portraying M.J. Delfino, Susan's son.
Many established guest stars and former regulars reprised their roles in this season, and new ones were introduced. Part of Gabrielle's storyline were Tony Plana portraying Alejandro Perez, Gabrielle's stepfather whose death at Carlos's hands in the previous season finale is this season's main storyline, Daniella Baltodano playing Celia Solis, Gabrielle's youngest daughter, Justina Machado in the role of Claudia Sanchez, Alejandro's new wife, Daniela Bobadilla appearing as Marisa Sanchez, Claudia's daughter that (like Gabrielle) was abused by Alejandro, John Rubinstein portraying Principal Hobson, headmaster at Juanita's school, Matt Winston acting as Lazaro, who offers Gabrielle a job as personal shopper, and Lupe Ontiveros returning as Juanita "Mama" Solis, Carlos's deceased mother who appears in a flashback. Part of Susan's storyline were Miguel Ferrer playing Andre Zeller, a part-time illustrator who clashes with Susan, Leslie Jordan featuring as Felix Bergman, an art critic interested in Susan's work, and Andrea Bowen returning as Julie Mayer, Susan's daughter who is pregnant with Porter's child. Part of Lynette's storyline were Andrea Parker portraying Jane Carlson, a love interest for Tom, Max Carver appearing as Preston Scavo, another of Lynette's sons, Patrick Fabian playing Frank, a hairdresser that dates Lynette a couple of times, Reed Diamond portraying Gregg Limon, Tom's boss, and former series regular Dana Delany reprising her role as Katherine Mayfair in the series finale, making Lynette a business proposition. Part of Bree's storyline were Shawn Pyfrom and Joy Lauren playing Bree's son and daughter, Andrew and Danielle Van de Kamp, Dakin Matthews appearing as Reverend Sykes, reverend at the local Presbyterian church, Kyle MacLachlan returning as Orson Hodge, Bree's ex-husband who returns to help her with an ulterior motive, Steven Culp reprising his role as Rex Van de Kamp, Bree's deceased first husband who appears in a flashback, Christina Chang portraying Emily Stone, the District Attorney playing the part of the prosecutor in Bree's trial, Alyson Reed playing Judge Conti, who presides over Bree's trial, and Scott Bakula making special guest appearances as Trip Weston, Bree's lawyer and eventually her third husband. Orson Bean portrayed Roy Bender, Mrs. McCluskey's husband, while Christine Estabrook reappeared in the series finale in a flashback as Martha Huber, the woman that blackmailed Mary Alice.
In the final moments of the series finale, a sequence featuring Susan and her family leaving Wisteria Lane saw many other stars making uncredited cameo appearances as ghosts of characters who died during the course of the series. In addition to Strong's, Denton's, Joosten's, Culp's, Estabrook's, Cake's and Ontiveros's characters (all of whom made previous appearances in the season), among the returning ghosts were Roger Bart as George Williams, Justine Bateman as Ellie Leonard, Emily Bergl as Beth Young, Richard Burgi as Karl Mayer, Maria Cominis as Mona Clarke, Ellen Geer as Lillian Simms, Valerie Mahaffey as Alma Hodge, David Starzyk as Bradley Scott, and Kiersten Warren as Nora Huntington.

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 158 | 1 | "Secrets That I Never Want to Know" | David Grossman | Bob Daily | September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) | 9.93 |
| Bree tries desperately to keep what happened to Alejandro a secret from Chuck; Gabrielle seeks out a priest in order to help Carlos with his problem; Ben Faulkner, a new neighbor, meets Renee; Susan withdraws from her friends because of what happened to Alejandro. Tom and Lynette struggle separating and telling the kids. Bree gets an anonymous letter in the mail, the same one that made Mary Alice kill herself. |||||||
| 159 | 2 | "Making the Connection" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Matt Berry | October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02) | 9.16 |
| Gabrielle tries to spice up her sex life; Susan seeks out a punishment for feeling guilty; Renee attempts to bond with Ben; Tom and Lynette struggle to cope with raising the kids separately; Bree discovers Chuck's past. |||||||
| 160 | 3 | "Watch While I Revise the World" | David Warren | John Paul Bullock III | October 9, 2011 (2011-10-09) | 8.63 |
| Renee helps Lee when he has a problem with Jenny; Susan and Carlos begin to spend time together due to their guilt but Mike begins to get suspicious; Bree becomes convinced Chuck sent the letter to her so she and Gabrielle investigate; Lynette grows suspicious of her sister Lydia and her new fiancé. |||||||
| 161 | 4 | "School of Hard Knocks" | David Grossman | Marco Pennette | October 16, 2011 (2011-10-16) | 8.27 |
| Lynette discovers Tom is dating; Bree attempts to comfort Danielle after her husband leaves her; Susan clashes with an art teacher named Andre, who she had hoped to impress; Gabrielle's rebellious attitude towards the leader of the PTA leads to her being put in charge. |||||||
| 162 | 5 | "The Art of Making Art" | Lonny Price | Dave Flebotte | October 23, 2011 (2011-10-23) | 9.17 |
| Tom and Lynette visit a couples counselor about their separation; Bree tries to help the city council regarding the homeless; Carlos is in a guilty situation; Susan is horrified about Andre requesting students to be naked in the next class; Gabrielle is having difficulty setting up a school event. |||||||
| 163 | 6 | "Witch's Lament" | Tony Plana | Annie Weisman | October 30, 2011 (2011-10-30) | 9.28 |
| Susan is appointed as Andre's intern and ends up watching his son; Lynette tries to outdo Jane and lies about making Penny's costume; Carlos speaks to a sponsor from A.A. about his blackout; the housewives are in the woods with the shovels, but the body they buried was mysteriously dug up; Renee gets romantic with Ben. |||||||
| 164 | 7 | "Always in Control" | Jeff Greenstein | Jeff Greenstein | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) | 8.78 |
| Susan uses her new paintings to impress Andre; Lynette tells Penny a fib about Jane; Gabrielle and Carlos try to get a different opinion about their children from Bob and Lee; Bree tries to solve the mystery of who dug up the body of Alejandro. |||||||
| 165 | 8 | "Suspicion Song" | Jennifer Getzinger | David Schaldweiler | November 13, 2011 (2011-11-13) | 9.29 |
| Bree is harassed by Chuck when his suspicions grow; a gallery owner evaluates Susan's paintings; Gabrielle tries to stop Carlos from having a drinking problem; Lynette tries to save her marriage. |||||||
| 166 | 9 | "Putting It Together" | David Warren | Sheila Lawrence | December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04) | 8.20 |
| Chuck interrogates Susan, Lynette and Gabrielle about Alejandro's disappearance; Gabrielle goes on a desperate search to find Carlos; Lynette tells Tom a horrible secret; a drunk Bree reveals her past and present details, and then goes to a motel room where she sits and has a brief conversation with Mary Alice while having her gun set on the table. |||||||
| 167 | 10 | "What's to Discuss, Old Friend" | David Grossman | Wendy Mericle | January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08) | 8.84 |
| While searching for Carlos, Gabrielle is shocked by a news report on Chuck Vance's death; Susan informs Mike she is leaving for New York when, in fact, she is actually leaving for Oklahoma to visit the late Alejandro's family. |||||||
| 168 | 11 | "Who Can Say What's True?" | Larry Shaw | Brian Tanen | January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) | 7.91 |
| While in Oklahoma, Susan finds out from the late Alejandro's family that his stepdaughter, Marisa, was abused by him just like Gabrielle was; at a bar, Bree finds out something surprising about her new boyfriend; Gabrielle has some difficulty with Carlos's potential clients; Mike catches Ben doing some illegal activities in his real estate project. |||||||
| 169 | 12 | "What's the Good of Being Good" | Ron Underwood | Jason Ganzel | January 22, 2012 (2012-01-22) | 7.48 |
| Karen McCluskey finds out about Bree's sex life and plans to do something about it; Bree learns that her latest boyfriend is keeping a secret; Renee gets concerned about Lynette going out on a date with her hairdresser. |||||||
| 170 | 13 | "Is This What You Call Love?" | David Grossman | David Schladweiler & Valérie A. Brotski | February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12) | 6.40 |
| Since Bree is spending time meeting men at the bar and/or in bed, the only person who can help her is her ex-husband, Orson Hodge, the man who ran over Mike Delfino years ago; Susan finds out that Julie is pregnant; Gabrielle tries to handle a situation at school involving her daughter, Juanita. |||||||
| 171 | 14 | "Get Out of My Life" | James Hayman | Cindy Appel | February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19) | 7.65 |
| Orson attempts to keep Bree away from her friends and tries to convince her to start a new life elsewhere; Roy is kicked out by Karen so he moves in with Gabrielle; Susan and Lynette find out Porter is the father of Julie's baby; Mike exposes Ben's illegal activities to Renee. |||||||
| 172 | 15 | "She Needs Me" | Randy Zisk | Jason Ganzel | March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04) | 8.21 |
| After Lynette refuses to help raise Porter and Julie's baby, Susan offers to assist by setting up a nursery; Orson tries to get Bree to go to Maine with him; Ben's loan shark sets out to destroy Renee; Karen swears Gabrielle to secrecy; Orson, who knows what happened to Alejandro Perez, sends a letter to the authorities. |||||||
| 173 | 16 | "You Take for Granted" | Jeff Greenstein | Matt Berry | March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11) | 8.39 |
| The police read the details on Alejandro's death; Mike is forced by Susan to tell the police about Ben's loan shark; Carlos's strange behavior about money concerns Gabrielle; at Penny's birthday party, Jane tells Lynette some news; Bree is asked by Karen McCluskey to help her commit suicide; Mike is gunned down. |||||||
| 174 | 17 | "Women and Death" | David Grossman | Annie Weisman | March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18) | 9.03 |
| The funeral of Mike Delfino leads to the ladies remembering how he impacted their lives; Bree is shocked when the police call her in for questioning regarding the murder of Gabrielle's stepfather; Lynette realizes she must fight for her marriage; Gabrielle agrees to let Carlos quit his job to help people. |||||||
| 175 | 18 | "Any Moment" | Randy Zisk | Sheila Lawrence | March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25) | 8.81 |
| Bree is not so sure about Andrew's upcoming marriage; Gabrielle tries to find work in order to keep up her lifestyle; Lynette attempts to win back Tom; Susan finds a way to help M.J. through his pain; Ben and Renee get engaged. |||||||
| 176 | 19 | "With So Little to Be Sure Of" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Marco Pennette | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) | 8.49 |
| Carlos gets concerned about Gabrielle's new job; a secret of Mike makes Susan suspicious; Bree needs a lawyer's help in order to get her charges of Alejandro Perez's murder cleared; Jane works hard to make sure Tom and Lynette's divorce goes through. |||||||
| 177 | 20 | "Lost My Power" | David Grossman | Wendy Mericle | April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29) | 8.02 |
| Susan builds M.J. a car for the soapbox derby; a wealthy woman hires Gabrielle to become her personal shopper; Bree's attorney, Trip Weston, gets her to explain her actions; Lynette causes trouble between Tom and his girlfriend; Renee tries to find out Ben's secret about the late Alejandro Perez. |||||||
| 178 | 21 | "The People Will Hear" | David Warren | Brian Tanen | May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06) | 9.22 |
| Bree's lawyer may help her out during her trial, but it may mean betraying a friend; Gabrielle's attitude shocks the ladies; Susan makes a big decision regarding her house and Julie's baby; Lynette tries to stop Tom's boss from sending him to India. |||||||
| 179180 | 2223 | "Give Me the BlameFinishing the Hat" | Larry ShawDavid Grossman | Bob DailyMarc Cherry | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | 11.12 |
| The ladies agree to take care of Mrs. McCluskey when they discover she wants to die with dignity; Susan waits for the right moment to tell her friends she is moving; Trip begs for Bree to come clean to him about the night Alejandro was killed; Tom realizes he loves Lynette after a heart to heart with Roy; Gabrielle and Carlos both want to confess to killing Alejandro; Renee may land Bree in trouble when she discovers that Ben has been arrested.Katherine returns to Wisteria Lane to offer Lynette a job, which could end her reconciliation with Tom; Susan is shocked when Julie goes into labor on the way to Ben and Renee's wedding; Bree tries to avoid Trip; Gabrielle and Carlos clash when they realize their roles in life have reversed; Mrs. McCluskey dies peacefully. Susan, Lynette, Gabrielle and Bree all move away from Wisteria Lane. |||||||

## Ratings
### United States (ABC)
#### Live ratings

| No. in Series | No. in Season | Episode Title | Original Air Date | Timeslot (EST) | 18-49 (Rating/Share) | Viewers (m) | Rank Out of Top 25 |
| 158 | 1 | Secrets That I Never Want to Know | September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.2 | 9.93 | N/A |
| 159 | 2 | Making the Connection | October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.0 | 9.16 | N/A |
| 160 | 3 | Watch While I Revise the World | October 9, 2011 (2011-10-09) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.8 | 8.62 | N/A |
| 161 | 4 | School of Hard Knocks | October 16, 2011 (2011-10-16) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.7 | 8.27 | N/A |
| 162 | 5 | The Art of Making Art | October 23, 2011 (2011-10-23) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.0 | 9.17 | N/A |
| 163 | 6 | Witch's Lament | October 30, 2011 (2011-10-30) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.1 | 9.27 | N/A |
| 164 | 7 | Always in Control | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.8 | 8.77 | N/A |
| 165 | 8 | Suspicion Song | November 13, 2011 (2011-11-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.0 | 9.28 | N/A |
| 166 | 9 | Putting It Together | December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.7 | 8.20 | N/A |
| 167 | 10 | What's to Discuss, Old Friend | January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.0 | 8.84 | 22 |
| 168 | 11 | Who Can Say What's True? | January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.7 | 7.91 | N/A |
| 169 | 12 | What's the Good of Being Good | January 22, 2012 (2012-01-22) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.6 | 7.47 | N/A |
| 170 | 13 | Is This What You Call Love? | February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.8 | 6.40 | N/A |
| 171 | 14 | Get Out of My Life | February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.2 | 7.65 | N/A |
| 172 | 15 | She Needs Me | March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.5/6 | 8.21 | N/A |
| 173 | 16 | You Take for Granted | March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.6/6 | 8.39 | 20 |
| 174 | 17 | Women and Death | March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.6/6 | 9.03 | 17 |
| 175 | 18 | Any Moment | March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.6/7 | 8.81 | 22 |
| 176 | 19 | With So Little to Be Sure Of | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.6/6 | 8.49 | 24 |
| 177 | 20 | Lost My Power | April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.5/6 | 8.02 | 23 |
| 178 | 21 | The People Will Hear | May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 2.7/7 | 9.22 | 25 |
| 179 | 22 | Give Me the Blame | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.2/8 | 11.12 | 14 |
| 180 | 23 | Finishing the Hat | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 3.2/8 | 11.12 | 14 |

#### Live + 7 Day (DVR) Ratings

| No. in Series | No. in Season | Episode | Air Date | Timeslot (EST) | 18–49 rating increase | Viewers (millions) increase | Total 18-49 | Total viewers (millions) | Ref |
| 158 | 1 | "Secrets That I Never Want to Know" | September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 159 | 2 | "Making the Connection" | October 2, 2011 (2011-10-02) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 160 | 3 | Watch While I Revise the World | October 9, 2011 (2011-10-09) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 161 | 4 | School of Hard Knocks | October 16, 2011 (2011-10-16) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 162 | 5 | The Art of Making Art | October 23, 2011 (2011-10-23) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.07 | 3.9 | 11.25 | |
| 163 | 6 | Witch's Lament | October 30, 2011 (2011-10-30) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 1.99 | 4.0 | 11.27 | |
| 164 | 7 | Always in Control | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.0 | - | 3.8 | - | |
| 165 | 8 | Suspicion Song | November 13, 2011 (2011-11-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | - | - | - | - | |
| 166 | 9 | Putting It Together | December 4, 2011 (2011-12-04) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.17 | 3.6 | 10.37 | |
| 167 | 10 | What's to Discuss, Old Friend | January 8, 2012 (2012-01-08) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.0 | 2.02 | 4.0 | 10.85 | |
| 168 | 11 | Who Can Say What's True? | January 15, 2012 (2012-01-15) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.15 | 3.6 | 10.06 | |
| 169 | 12 | What's the Good of Being Good | January 22, 2012 (2012-01-22) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.0 | - | 3.6 | - | |
| 170 | 13 | Is This What You Call Love? | February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.0 | - | 2.8 | - | |
| 171 | 14 | Get Out of My Life | February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | 1.0 | - | 3.2 | - | |
| 172 | 15 | She Needs Me | March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | - | 3.4 | - | |
| 173 | 16 | You Take for Granted | March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .8 | 1.94 | 3.4 | 10.33 | |
| 174 | 17 | Women and Death | March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .7 | 1.58 | 3.3 | 10.61 | |
| 175 | 18 | Any Moment | March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.00 | 3.5 | 10.82 | |
| 176 | 19 | With So Little to Be Sure Of | April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 1.97 | 3.5 | 10.46 | |
| 177 | 20 | Lost My Power | April 29, 2012 (2012-04-29) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 1.98 | 3.4 | 9.99 | |
| 178 | 21 | The People Will Hear | May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | - | 3.6 | - | |
| 179 | 22 | Give Me the Blame | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.10 | 4.1 | 13.22 | |
| 180 | 23 | Finishing the Hat | May 13, 2012 (2012-05-13) | Sundays 9:00 P.M. | .9 | 2.10 | 4.1 | 13.22 | |

### International ratings
#### Canadian ratings (On CTV)

| Episode number Production number | Title | Original airing | Total viewers (in millions) | Rank per week |
| 158 8-01 | Secrets That I Never Want to Know | September 25, 2011 | 1.744 | #17 |
| 159 8-02 | Making the Connection | October 2, 2011 | 1.583 | #16 |
| 160 8-03 | Watch While I Revise the World | October 9, 2011 | 1.186 | #30 |
| 161 8-04 | School of Hard Knocks | October 16, 2011 | 1.631 | #20 |
| 162 8-05 | The Art of Making Art | October 23, 2011 | 1.650 | #18 |
| 163 8-06 | Witch's Lament | October 30, 2011 | 1.631 | #16 |
| 164 8-07 | Always in Control | November 6, 2011 | 1.444 | #23 |
| 165 8-08 | Suspicion Song | November 13, 2011 | 1.532 | #20 |
| 166 8-09 | Putting It Together | December 4, 2011 | 1.533 | #16 |
| 167 8-10 | What's to Discuss, Old Friend | January 8, 2012 | 0.946 | N/A |
| 168 8-11 | Who Can Say What's True? | January 15, 2012 | 0.574 | N/A |
| 169 8-12 | What's the Good of Being Good | January 22, 2012 | 0.723 | N/A |
| 170 8-13 | Is This What You Call Love? | February 12, 2012 | 1.058 | N/A |
| 171 8-14 | Get Out of My Life | February 19, 2012 | 1.334 | #21 |
| 172 8-15 | She Needs Me | March 4, 2012 | 1.369 | #19 |
| 173 8-16 | You Take for Granted | March 11, 2012 | 1.446 | #14 |
| 174 8-17 | Women and Death | March 18, 2012 | 1.734 | #8 |
| 175 8-18 | Any Moment | March 25, 2012 | 1.484 | #15 |
| 176 8-19 | With So Little to Be Sure Of | April 1, 2012 | N/A | N/A |
| 177 8-20 | Lost My Power | April 29, 2012 | 1.452 | #14 |
| 178 8-21 | The People Will Hear | May 6, 2012 | N/A | N/A |
| 179 8-22 | Give Me the Blame | May 13, 2012 | 1.599 | #17 |
| 180 8-23 | Finishing the Hat | May 13, 2012 | 1.599 | #17 |
* $^A$ This episode was delayed on its original airing, due to a football overrun on CTV.
* $^B$ This episode was moved to CTV Two, due to the Golden Globe Awards airing on CTV.
* $^C$ This episode was moved to CTV Two, due to the NFC Championship Game airing on CTV.
* $^D$ This episode was preempted to an earlier timeslot due to the airing of the Juno Awards on CTV and the airing of the Academy of Country Music Awards on CTV Two.
* $^E$ This episode was moved to an earlier time, due to the airing The Amazing Race finale.

#### United Kingdom (On Channel 4)

Source:
* In the UK, the season first airs on E4 on Sunday nights at 10:00 pm, and on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 11:00 pm. Episodes 1 to 16 aired on Tuesdays on Channel 4 at 11:05 pm, with some episodes beginning at 11:15 pm. From episode 17 to 23 the show moved to Wednesdays at 11:25 pm with the finale airing Thursday June 14 at midnight. With the show airing at a later time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the Channel 4 ratings may are not available but the ratings for E4 are available.
| Episode number | Title | Channel 4 | Channel 4 | E4 (+1) | E4 (+1) | Total viewers |
| Episode number | Title | Airdate | Viewers$^a$ | Airdate | Viewers$^a$ | Total viewers |
| 158 8-01 | Secrets That I Never Want to Know | January 10, 2012 | N/A | January 8, 2012 | 1,000,000 - #2 (N/A) | 1.00m |
| 159 8-02 | Making the Connection | January 17, 2012 | N/A | January 15, 2012 | 925,000 - #1 (320,000 - #3) | 1.245m |
| 160 8-03 | Watch While I Revise the World | January 24, 2012 | N/A | January 22, 2012 | 983,000 - #1 (322,000 - #3) | 1.305m |
| 161 8-04 | School of Hard Knocks | January 31, 2012 | N/A | January 29, 2012 | 1.163m - #1 (298,000 - #5) | 1.452m |
| 162 8-05 | The Art of Making Art | February 7, 2012 | N/A | February 5, 2012 | 1.014m - #1 (274,000 - #10) | 1.288m |
| 163 8-06 | Witch's Lament | February 14, 2012 | N/A | February 12, 2012 | 941,000 - #1 (N/A) | 0.941m |
| 164 8-07 | Always in Control | February 21, 2012 | N/A | February 19, 2012 | 1.014m = #1 (284,000 - #5) | 1.296m |
| 165 8-08 | Suspicion Song | February 28, 2012 | N/A | February 26, 2012 | 1.176m - #1 (276,000 - #6) | 1.449m |
| 166 8-09 | Putting It Together | March 6, 2012 | N/A | March 4, 2012 | 1.173m - #1 (230,000 - #10) | 1.403m |
| 167 8-10 | What's to Discuss, Old Friend | March 13, 2012 | N/A | March 11, 2012 | 1.240m - #1 (273,000 - #4) | 1.513m |
| 168 8-11 | Who Can Say What's True? | March 20, 2012 | N/A | March 18, 2012 | 1.084m - #1 (240,000 - #9) | 1.342m |
| 169 8-12 | What's the Good of Being Good | March 27, 2012 | N/A | March 25, 2012 | 1.133m - #1 (260,000 - #10) | 1.393m |
| 170 8-13 | Is This What You Call Love? | April 3, 2012 | N/A | April 1, 2012 | 1.071m - #1 (252,000 - #7) | 1.323m |
| 171 8-14 | Get Out of My Life | April 10, 2012 | N/A | April 8, 2012 | 1.095m - #5 (267,000 - #8) | 1.362m |
| 172 8-15 | She Needs Me | April 17, 2012 | N/A | April 15, 2012 | 1.151m - #2 (N/A) | 1.151m |
| 173 8-16 | You Take for Granted | April 24, 2012 | N/A | April 22, 2012 | 1.072m - #4 (266,000 - #10) | 1.338m |
| 174 8-17 | Women and Death | May 2, 2012 | N/A | April 29, 2012 | 1.247m - #2 (311,000 - #8) | 1.558m |
| 175 8-18 | Any Moment | May 9, 2012 | N/A | May 6, 2012 | 1.171m - #2 (N/A) | 1.171m |
| 176 8-19 | With So Little to Be Sure Of | May 16, 2012 | N/A | May 13, 2012 | 1.168m - #2 (323,000 - #3) | 1.491m |
| 177 8-20 | Lost My Power | May 23, 2012 | N/A | May 20, 2012 | 1.366m - #2 (N/A) | 1.366m |
| 178 8-21 | The People Will Hear | May 30, 2012 | N/A | May 27, 2012 | 1.212m - #2 (270,000 - #9) | 1.482m |
| 179 8-22 | Give Me the Blame | June 6, 2012 | N/A | June 3, 2012 | 1.110m - #2 (380,000 - #4) | 1.400m |
| 180 8-23 | Finishing the Hat | June 14, 2012 | N/A | June 10, 2012 | 1.605m - #1 (394,000 - #1) | 1.999m |

#### Ireland On RTÉ 2

* Desperate Housewives airs Tuesdays at 9:55 pm on RTÉ 2.
* All ratings below are supplied from The RTÉ Guide. The ratings are supplied by TAM Ireland/Nielsen TAM.
* As with the US ratings, the Irish ratings for season 8 saw series lows also hitting below the 300,000 mark to a low of 277,000. The series finale managed a season high and was the highest rated episode in over a year. Season 8 averaged 321,182 viewers (22 out of the 23 episodes are counted), which is down a great deal from season 7's average of 437,348.
| Episode number | Title | Original airing | Timeslot | Viewers | Rank | Ref |
| 158 (8-01) | Secrets That I Never Want to Know | 3 January 2012 | 9:55 pm | 344,000 | #1 | |
| 159 (8-02) | Making the Connection | 10 January 2012 | 9:55 pm | 336,000 | #1 | |
| 160 (8-03) | Watch While I Revise the World | 17 January 2012 | 9:55 pm | 312,000 | #1 | |
| 161 (8-04) | School of Hard Knocks | 24 January 2012 | 9:55 pm | 294,000 | #1 | |
| 162 (8-05) | The Art of Making Art | 31 January 2012 | 9:55 pm | 298,000 | #3 | |
| 163 (8-06) | Witch's Lament | 7 February 2012 | 9:55 pm | 305,000 | #2 | |
| 164 (8-07) | Always in Control | 14 February 2012 | 9:55 pm | 289,000 | #2 | |
| 165 (8-08) | Suspicion Song | 21 February 2012 | 9:55 pm | 292,000 | #3 | |
| 166 (8-09) | Putting It Together | 28 February 2012 | 9:55 pm | 300,000 | #2 | |
| 167 (8-10) | What's to Discuss, Old Friend | 6 March 2012 | 9:55 pm | 323,000 | #2 | |
| 168 (8-11) | Who Can Say What's True? | 13 March 2012 | 9:55 pm | 322,000 | #4 | |
| 169 (8-12) | What's the Good of Being Good | 20 March 2012 | 9:55 pm | 324,000 | #1 | |
| 170 (8-13) | Is This What You Call Love? | 27 March 2012 | 9:55 pm | 285,000 | #2 | |
| 171 (8-14) | Get Out of My Life | 3 April 2012 | 9:55 pm | 306,000 | #1 | |
| 172 (8-15) | She Needs Me | 10 April 2012 | 9:55 pm | 277,000 | #1 | |
| 173 (8-16) | You Take for Granted | 17 April 2012 | 9:55 pm | 295,000 | #1 | |
| 174 (8-17) | Women and Death | 24 April 2012 | 9:55 pm | 329,000 | #2 | |
| 175 (8-18) | Any Moment | 1 May 2012 | 9:55 pm | 332,000 | #1 | |
| 176 (8-19) | With So Little to Be Sure Of | 8 May 2012 | 9:55 pm | 350,000 | #1 | |
| 177 (8-20) | Lost My Power | 15 May 2012 | 9:55 pm | 299,000 | #2 | |
| 178 (8-21) | The People Will Hear | 22 May 2012 | 10:05 pm* | 423,000 | #2 | |
| 179 (8-22) | Give Me the Blame | 29 May 2012 | 9:55 pm | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 180 (8-23) | Finishing the Hat | 5 June 2012 | 9:55 pm | 431,000 | #3 | |
** Episode 8-21 airs later than normal due to the first semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 airing before Desperate Housewives.

## DVD release

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eight and Final Season :
| Set details | Set details | Special features | Special features | Special features | Special features |
| 23 Episodes 5-Disc Set English (Dolby Digital 5.1 surround) English SDH, Spanish & French subtitles Runtime: 986 minutes Audio Commentaries | 23 Episodes 5-Disc Set English (Dolby Digital 5.1 surround) English SDH, Spanish & French subtitles Runtime: 986 minutes Audio Commentaries | "I Guess This Is Goodbye" - Take one last stroll down Wisteria Lane with members of the Desperate Housewives family as they reflect on what the past eight seasons have meant to them. Marc Cherry's Audio Commentary on "Finishing the Hat"- Marc Cherry saves the best for last as he shares insights into the show's final episode. Bloopers Deleted Scenes | "I Guess This Is Goodbye" - Take one last stroll down Wisteria Lane with members of the Desperate Housewives family as they reflect on what the past eight seasons have meant to them. Marc Cherry's Audio Commentary on "Finishing the Hat"- Marc Cherry saves the best for last as he shares insights into the show's final episode. Bloopers Deleted Scenes | "I Guess This Is Goodbye" - Take one last stroll down Wisteria Lane with members of the Desperate Housewives family as they reflect on what the past eight seasons have meant to them. Marc Cherry's Audio Commentary on "Finishing the Hat"- Marc Cherry saves the best for last as he shares insights into the show's final episode. Bloopers Deleted Scenes | "I Guess This Is Goodbye" - Take one last stroll down Wisteria Lane with members of the Desperate Housewives family as they reflect on what the past eight seasons have meant to them. Marc Cherry's Audio Commentary on "Finishing the Hat"- Marc Cherry saves the best for last as he shares insights into the show's final episode. Bloopers Deleted Scenes |
| DVD release dates ||||||
| Region 1 | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Region 4 |
| September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25) | September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25) | September 24, 2012 (2012-09-24) | September 24, 2012 (2012-09-24) | October 3, 2012 (2012-10-03) | October 3, 2012 (2012-10-03) |