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The eighth and final season of ''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...
'', a television series created by Marc Cherry, began broadcasting in the United States on September 25, 2011, and concluded on May 13, 2012.ABC Announces Fall Series Premiere Dates: Late Starts for "Once Upon a Time", "Man Up"
''TV By the Numbers'', June 27, 2011
The season was promoted as ''Kiss Them Goodbye''. ''Desperate Housewives'' was renewed for an eighth season by
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
on May 17, 2011. The deceased character Mary Alice Young continues to narrate the events in the lives of her
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 insid ...
residents
Susan Delfino Susan Delfino is a fictional character played by Teri Hatcher on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. The character was created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry. She first appeared ...
, Lynette Scavo,
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, thr ...
,
Gabrielle Solis Gabrielle "Gaby" Solis () is a fictional character portrayed by Eva Longoria on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. Longoria was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her ...
, and
Renee Perry Renee Perry is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. She is portrayed by Vanessa Williams, and is the second African-American housewife to be a maj ...
. 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 Finale may refer to: Pieces of music * Finale (music), the last movement of a piece * ''Finale'' (album), a 1977 album by Loggins and Messina * "Finale B", a 1996 song from the rock opera ''Rent'' * "Finale", a song by Anthrax from ''State of Eu ...
. 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 Disney Star Private Limited is an Indian media conglomerate and a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Disney Star network runs more than 70 TV channels in eight languages, reac ...
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

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 tto 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 ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
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 Billing is a performing arts term used in referring to the order and other aspects of how credits are presented for plays, films, television, or other creative works. Information given in billing usually consists of the companies, actors, directo ...
, 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 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 insid ...
residents and her former best friends. Teri Hatcher portrayed
Susan Delfino Susan Delfino is a fictional character played by Teri Hatcher on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. The character was created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry. She first appeared ...
, 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 Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...
portrayed Lynette Scavo, now separated from her husband. Marcia Cross portrayed
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, thr ...
, who takes charge in the cover-up. Eva Longoria portrayed
Gabrielle Solis Gabrielle "Gaby" Solis () is a fictional character portrayed by Eva Longoria on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. Longoria was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her ...
, whose life suffers radical changes following the cover-up. Vanessa Williams portrayed
Renee Perry Renee Perry is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. She is portrayed by Vanessa Williams, and is the second African-American housewife to be a maj ...
, 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 Douglas Peter Savant (born June 21, 1964) is an American actor, known for his roles as Matt Fielding in the Fox prime time soap opera '' Melrose Place'' (1992–97), Tom Scavo in ABC comedy-drama '' Desperate Housewives'' (2004–12), and as Sgt. ...
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 Charles William David Mesure (born 12 August 1970) is an English Australian actor known for his work in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America. Birth and education Mesure was born in Somerset, England. When he was five, his fami ...
also joined the main cast as Ben Faulkner, a ruthless, self-made contractor who finds Renee attractive. Furthermore,
Madison De La Garza Madison Lee De La Garza (born December 28, 2001) is an American actress. De La Garza is known for playing Juanita Solis on ''Desperate Housewives''. She is the younger half-sister of singer Demi Lovato. Early life and family Madison Lee De La G ...
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 Karen McCluskey (née Simonds) is a fictional character from the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives''. The role was played by Kathryn Joosten, who won the Primetime Emmy Award twice for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in ...
), Kevin Rahm (
Lee McDermott '' Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Str ...
) 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 Charles Carver Martensen (born July 31, 1988) is an American actor and screenwriter. His best known roles include Porter Scavo on the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives'', Ethan on the MTV television series ''Teen Wolf'', Scott Fros ...
, Joshua Logan Moore and
Darcy Rose Byrnes Darcy Rose Byrnes (born November 4, 1998) is an American and Irish actress, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Abby Newman on ''The Young and the Restless'' and ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', Penny Scavo on ''Desperate ...
respectively as Porter,
Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado * Parker, Florida * Parker, Idaho * Parker, Kansas * Parker, Missouri * Parker, North Carolina *Park ...
and
Penny Scavo ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Stro ...
, 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 José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...
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 Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress, known for her roles as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix and Pop TV sitcom '' One Day at a Time'', Darci Factor in The CW dramedy ''Jane the Virgin'', Vanessa Diaz on the HBO ...
in the role of Claudia Sanchez, Alejandro's new wife,
Daniela Bobadilla Daniela Bobadilla (born April 4, 1993) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for playing Sam Goodson in the FX (TV channel), FX series ''Anger Management (TV series), Anger Management''. She has also appeared in other film and television roles ...
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,"Desperate Housewives" Exclusive: Miguel Ferrer to School Susan
, ''TV Line'', August 19, 2011
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,"Desperate Housewives" Switcheroo: Andrea Parker In, Jessica Hecht Out as Tom's New GF
, ''TV Line'', August 19, 2011
Max Carver Max Carver (born Robert Maxwell Martensen Jr; August 1, 1988) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Preston Scavo in the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives'', as Aiden on the MTV teen-horror drama ''Teen Wolf'', and in the ...
appearing as
Preston Scavo ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young ( Brenda St ...
, 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 Shawn Caminiti Pyfrom (born August 16, 1986) is an American actor and singer, who has appeared in several television series and films, and is best known for his portrayal of Andrew Van de Kamp on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's ''Desperate Ho ...
and
Joy Lauren Joy Lauren Jorgensen (born ) is an American producer, director and writer and former actress. She is known for playing Danielle Van de Kamp on the ABC comedy-drama series '' Desperate Housewives''. Life and career Lauren was born Lauren Joy Jo ...
playing Bree's son and daughter, Andrew and
Danielle Van de Kamp ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Stro ...
, 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 Steven Bradford Culp (born December 3, 1955) is an American actor. Culp appeared in films '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993), ''James and the Giant Peach'' (1996), ''The Emperor's Club'' (2002), and most notably in the 2000 politica ...
reprising his role as
Rex Van de Kamp Dr. Rex Van de Kamp is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. The character is played by actor Steven Culp, and is the first and late husband of one of the series' protagonists, Bree Van de Kamp (portrayed by ...
, Bree's deceased first husband who appears in a flashback,
Christina Chang Christina Chang () is a Taiwanese actress, who has appeared in ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''CSI: Miami'', and ''Nashville (2012 TV series), Nashville''. Currently she plays Dr. Audrey Lim, Chief of Surgery, on ''The Good Doctor (TV series), The G ...
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 ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Stro ...
, 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 Anne Emily Bergl''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 25 April 1975) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Rachel Lang in the supernatural horror film '' The Rage: Carrie ...
as
Beth Young ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young ( Brenda St ...
, Richard Burgi as
Karl Mayer Karl Mayer is a fictional character portrayed by Richard Burgi and created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series ''Desperate Housewives''. He is the ex-husband of housewife Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) an ...
, Maria Cominis as Mona Clarke, Ellen Geer as Lillian Simms, Valerie Mahaffey as
Alma Hodge ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young ( Brenda St ...
,
David Starzyk David Starzyk (born July 14, 1961) is an American actor. Career Starzyk has guest-starred in a number of notable television series, including ''Home Improvement'', '' Felicity'', ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' '' Pacific Blue'', ''NYPD Blue'', ' ...
as Bradley Scott, and Kiersten Warren as
Nora Huntington ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). It focuses on the residents living on the fictional Wisteria Lane as narrated by their deceased neighbor, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Stro ...
.


Episodes


Ratings


United States (ABC)


Live ratings


Live + 7 Day (DVR) Ratings


International ratings


Canadian ratings (On CTV)

* This episode was delayed on its original airing, due to a football overrun on
CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
. * This episode was moved to CTV Two, due to the
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
airing on
CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
. * This episode was moved to CTV Two, due to the
NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
airing on
CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
. * 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. * This episode was moved to an earlier time, due to the airing
The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
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.


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 8-21 airs later than normal due to the first semi final of the '' Eurovision Song Contest 2012'' airing before ''Desperate Housewives''.


DVD release


References


External links

* {{Desperate Housewives 2011 American television seasons 2012 American television seasons