Claim: Desperate Housewives aired on ABC starting in 2004.

Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama and mystery series created by Marc Cherry , and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions . It originally aired for eight seasons on ABC , from October 3 , 2004 to May 13 , 2012 . Executive producer Cherry served as showrunner . Other executive producers since the fourth season included Bob Daily , George W. Perkins , John Pardee , Joey Murphy , David Grossman , and Larry Shaw .   Set on Wisteria Lane , a street in the fictional town of Fairview in the fictional Eagle State , Desperate Housewives follows the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of their late friend and neighbor who committed suicide in the pilot episode . The storyline covers 13 years of the women 's lives over eight seasons , set between the years 2004 -- 2008 , and later 2013 -- 2017 -LRB- the story arc includes a five-year passage of time , as well as flashbacks ranging from the 1980s to the 2020s -RRB- . 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 , Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp , and Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis . Brenda Strong narrates the series as the late Mary Alice Young , appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dream sequences .   Desperate Housewives was well received by viewers and critics alike . It won multiple Primetime Emmy , Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards . From the 2004 -- 05 through the 2008 -- 09 television seasons , its first five seasons were rated amongst the top ten most-watched series . In 2007 , it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide , with an audience of approximately 120 million and was also reported as the third most watched television series in a study of ratings in twenty countries . In 2012 , it remained the most-watched comedy series internationally based on data from Eurodata TV Worldwide , which measured ratings across five continents ; it has held this position since 2006 . Moreover , it was the third highest revenue earning series for 2010 , with $ 2.74 million per half an hour . The show was ranked at number fifty-six on Entertainment Weekly `` New TV Classics '' list .   In 2011 , it was confirmed that Desperate Housewives would conclude after its eighth season ; the series finale aired on May 13 , 2012 . By the end of the series , it had surpassed Charmed as the longest running hour-long television series featuring all female leads by two episodes .