Karl Mayer is a fictional character portrayed by

Richard Burgi Richard William Burgi (, born July 30, 1958) is an American film and television actor best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellison on '' The Sentinel'' and as Karl Mayer on ''Desperate Housewives''. He also portrayed Paul Hornsby in the ABC day ...

and created by

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

and screenwriter

Marc Cherry Marc Cherry (born March 23, 1962) is an American television writer and producer. He is best known for creating the ABC dramedy series ''Desperate Housewives''. Personal life Early life Marc Cherry was born in Long Beach and lived briefly in ...

for the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives''. He is the ex-husband of housewife Susan Mayer (

Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film '' Tom ...

) and father of Julie Mayer (

Andrea Bowen Andrea Bowen is an American actress and singer. She began her career appearing on Broadway musicals, including ''Les Misérables'' and ''The Sound of Music''. In 2004, she began playing the role of Julie Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series ''Des ...

), as well as a successful practitioner of

family law Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations. Overview Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include: * Marriage ...

. The character also becomes romantically involved in the series with two other housewives,

Edie Britt Edie Britt is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. Nicollette Sheridan portrayed Edie from her debut in the pilot episode of the series until t ...

(

Nicollette Sheridan Nicollette Sheridan (born 21 November 1963) is an English-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera '' Paper Dolls'' in 1984, as well as starring in the rom ...

) and

Bree Van De Kamp Bree Van de Kamp is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives''. She is played by actress Marcia Cross, who has received multiple awards and nominations for her portrayal, including an Emmy Award nomination, ...

(

Marcia Cross Marcia Anne Cross (born March 25, 1962) is an American actress. She acted in daytime soap operas such as ''The Edge of Night'', '' Another World'', and ''One Life to Live'' before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on ''Knots ...

), both of whom he gets engaged to. Karl dies in Season 6, Episode 11 after injuries sustained when a plane crashes into Wisteria Lane during the Christmas Festival.

Development and casting

According to Cherry, casting the role of Karl was difficult because he "wanted a guy that was nice looking and seemed like he would have been married to Teri, but was also someone you wouldn't like."

Touchstone Television The second incarnation of Touchstone Television (formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios) was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. It ...

, p. 85. The character was portrayed by another actor in a series of non-speaking flashbacks in the pilot episode, but the role was recast once the direction of the character changed. After making some guest appearances during the first season, Burgi joined the regular cast in the second season. However, he returned to his guest starring status from the third season until his character's death halfway through the sixth season. Burgi returned for the series finale, appearing as his character's ghost among other deceased characters.

Storylines

Past

A lawyer by profession, in 1989 he married Susan Bremmer and a year later their daughter, Julie, was born. In 1992, he moved with his wife and daughter to Fairview, 4353 Wisteria Lane. Eleven years later, Karl cheated on Susan with Edie Britt and secretary Brandi Edie passed on information about this second affair to Susan. Subsequently, Susan herself saw the lipstick mark on her husband's shirt.Season 2 episode 15 Julie's mother burned down all the bridges that connected her with her husband: sports awards, golf clubs and shoes. The engagement ring from his grandmother had thrown on one of the state road. His wife filed for divorce with the court and kicked him out of the house, changing the locks.

Season 1

In the season one episode " Move On", Karl ends his relationship with Brandi and asks Susan for a second chance, but she declines because of her commitment to

Mike Delfino Michael Delfino is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. The character was played by actor James Denton from the show's inception, until the eighth and final season of the show. Storylines Backstory Michae ...

." Move On".

John David Coles John David Coles is an American director and producer. Coles was nominated in 2015 for an Emmy and PGA Award for his work as an Executive Producer and Director on the Netflix phenomenon, '' House of Cards. '' Known for his recent directing cred ...

(director), David Schulner (writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. January 9, 2005. Season 1, no. 11. Susan also discovers that he flirted with Edie while they were married, and soon Karl starts dating Edie.

Season 2

Susan discovers that Karl is now living with Edie. However, he is jealous of Mike and tries twice to get back with Susan." Could I Leave You?". Pam Thomas (director), Scott Sanford Tobis (writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. March 26, 2006. Season 2, no. 17. He even goes so far as to lie to Susan and say that he was breaking it off with Edie, which led to him and Susan having sex. It is made obvious that Karl is still in love with Susan, as shown by several pictures of her that he secretly keeps around the house for him to look at from time to time. Later

Bree Van de Kamp Bree Van de Kamp is a fictional character on the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives''. She is played by actress Marcia Cross, who has received multiple awards and nominations for her portrayal, including an Emmy Award nomination, ...

hires Karl to stop her son,

Andrew Van de Kamp Andrew Van de Kamp is a fictional character in the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives'' played by Shawn Pyfrom, and is the son of one of the title characters, Bree Van de Kamp, and her first husband Rex Van de Kamp. As one of the fe ...

from blackmailing her. Karl tells Andrew that even though Bree did witness George Williams die, she will not even face trial. When an unfazed Andrew threatens to make up stories about Bree or publicly humiliate her, Karl physically threatens Andrew and invokes his friendship with Andrew's late father Rex to get him to back down. Later in the season, when Susan finds out she needs to have a surgical operation to correct a wandering spleen, Karl offers to marry Susan so that she can use his health insurance to pay for it, but they plan to divorce soon after Susan's surgery." Silly People".

Robert Duncan McNeill Robert Duncan McNeill (born November 9, 1964) is an American director, producer, and actor. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Lieutenant Tom Paris on the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager''. He has also served as an executive ...

(director),

Tom Spezialy Tom Spezialy is an American television producer, director and screen writer. In 2007, began serving as executive producer of ''Reaper''. Career Spezialy began his career in 1989 writing for the CBS television series '' Doctor Doctor''. He has al ...

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. Season 2, no. 14. Karl becomes jealous of Susan and Dr. Ron McCready's relationship. Knowing that Susan had not yet mentioned her and Mike's past, Karl breaks open a pipe under the sink, sends Ron out to get Mike, then watches happily as Ron and Mike get into a fight on the street which ends with Ron breaking up with Susan and then driving off. Later on, Karl asks Edie to marry him; however, when Edie learns of their

sham marriage A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into without intending to create a real marital relationship. This is usually for the purpose of gaining an advantage from the marriage. Definitions of sham marriage vary b ...

, she demands that Karl propose to her and throw her a lavish wedding. Karl and Susan sleep together one night and, as revenge, Edie burns Susan's house down, prompting Karl to buy her a new one as another attempt to get her back, only to be stopped by Mike. Karl eventually leaves Edie."

It Wasn't Meant to Happen The second season of the American dramedy-mystery television series '' Desperate Housewives'' commenced airing in the United States on September 25, 2005 and concluded on May 21, 2006. The season continues the story of the Wisteria Lane residents, ...

". Larry Shaw (director),

(writer),

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. April 30, 2006. Season 2, no. 20.

Season 3

Karl appears only in the episode " Children and Art" to play the bad cop for Julie and

Austin McCann Austin McCann (born 21 January 1980) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a defender. During his career, McCann played in the Scottish Premier League for Heart of Midlothian as well as having spells in both the Scottish and English ...

, who have started dating. This backfires when he gets mad at Susan for dating Ian Hainsworth, a married English man whose wife is in a coma.

Season 4

Karl returns when Susan meets him at a Lamaze class as his pregnant new wife, Marissa (played by

Sunny Mabrey Sunny Mabrey (born November 28, 1975) is an American actress and model. Prior to debuting in films, Mabrey appeared in music videos, such as "Nookie" from Limp Bizkit. Her breakthrough came after she played the lead role, man-eating alien Sara, i ...

), is there; Mike is not there as he was receiving his 30 days chip." Opening Doors".

David Grossman David Grossman ( he, דויד גרוסמן; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born i ...

(director), Dahvi Waller (writer),

Jordon Nardino Jordon Nardino is a television writer. He has worked on several television series, including ABC's '' Desperate Housewives'' and NBC's '' Smash''. He has also worked on ''Gilmore Girls'', ''Threat Matrix'', and, more recently, ''10 Things I Hat ...

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. May 4, 2008. Season 4, no. 14. Karl constantly teases Susan about how things are going for him including Marissa being an author and a law student and him becoming partner of his firm and he constantly puts Mike down for referring to him as "the plumber". Susan however brings Mike along to the next class and makes herself and him dress up in order to impress Karl, where they both lie and say they have a party to go to after and that Mike now owns his company. However Susan becomes disappointed when Mike mentions he was in rehab. When Susan confronts Karl, he tells her that Mike is a good guy and he'd be better for her then he ever would. In the five year time skip between seasons 4 and 5, it is presumed Karl and Marissa had their child.

Season 5

Karl reappears in the second episode, when Julie asks him to help her with her insurance. He mentions to Susan having awareness of her affair with painter Jackson Braddock, and teases her about her taste in men, prompting Susan to ask him to leave. Karl reappears yet again in the eighteenth episode of the fifth season, " A Spark. To Pierce the Dark.". He has enrolled his son Evan in Susan's art class, where Susan gives them an art assignment to draw what makes them happy. Evan draws his mother being pierced with a sword. Susan, concerned, approaches Karl, and it turns out that Marissa has left them because she could not handle being a mother, leaving him to raise Evan by himself. The experience has led Karl to come to an understanding of why it bothers Susan to see him and understand the ramifications of his infidelities during his marriage to Susan. Susan sympathizes with him, as although she always wanted Karl to feel what he had done to her, she also regrets that it happened to him." A Spark. To Pierce the Dark.".

(director),

Alexandra Cunningham Alexandra Cunningham (born 1972/73) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and television producer. Biography From 1998 through 2000, she attended the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at The Juilliard School. Her plays inclu ...

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. March 22, 2009. Season 5, no. 18. Bree later hires Karl as her divorce lawyer." Bargaining".

(director),

David Schladweiler David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. May 3, 2009. Season 5, no. 21. When Bree's husband,

Orson Hodge Orson Hodge is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. The character is played by Kyle MacLachlan. Orson is introduced in the final episodes of the second season of the series, and becomes the main mystery ...

, blackmails her into staying in the marriage, Karl and Bree begin an affair.

Season 6

Karl and Bree continue their affair during the first part of the sixth season. Karl decides to propose to Bree during the annual Christmas party, even hiring an engine plane with a banner behind it with the message "Will you marry me, Bree? Love, Karl" to fly over

Wisteria Lane Wisteria Lane is the name of a fictional street at the center of U.S. television drama series '' Desperate Housewives''. ''Desperate Housewives'' storylines primarily center on the residents of the street. The set for Wisteria Lane is located insi ...

. Karl shows up at the party and tells Orson about the proposal. The two men end up getting into a fight inside Santa's Workshop, which Bree tries unsuccessfully to defuse. The fight is brought to an end when the pilot of the plane Karl hired suffers a fatal heart attack at the controls, and subsequently crash-lands into the party, smashing straight into the workshop. As a result of the crash, Karl is killed while Orson is rendered paralyzed." Boom Crunch".

(director),

John Pardee John Pardee is an American screenwriter and television producer, and was an executive producer for ''Desperate Housewives''. During the 1990s, Pardee wrote episodes of several television series, including the cartoon ''Doug''; the short-lived si ...

(writer), Joey Murphy (writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. December 6, 2009. Season 6, no. 10. Part of the following episode is devoted to Susan wondering what would have happened to her life if she had not divorced Karl, while another part centers on Bree contemplating a hypothetical marriage to Karl." If...". Larry Shaw (director),

Jamie Gorenberg Jamie Gorenberg is an American television producer and Television writer, writer. Her most prominent work is on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's dramedy, ''Desperate Housewives''. She began working on the series as a producer and screenwriter ...

(writer). '' Desperate Housewives''. ABC. January 3, 2010. Season 6, no. 11. In his will, Karl leaves Susan his partial ownership of a local strip club.

Season 8

Richard Burgi makes one last, uncredited appearance as Karl in the series finale, "

Finishing the Hat ''Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines, and Anecdotes'' is a memoir by American musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. It was published on October 29, 201 ...

", as one of the ghosts that watch Susan and her family leave Wisteria Lane.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayer, Karl Desperate Housewives characters Fictional American lawyers Television characters introduced in 2004 pl:Znajomi Susan Mayer#Karl Mayer