Desperate Housewives might have ended in 2012, but it was a big deal when it was on the air. For eight years, fans were hooked while watching the dramatics and scandals of those on Wisteria Lane.
But, while making the series, there was also drama behind the scenes, as well as hilarity.
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These are the 10+ behind-the-scenes secrets from Desperate Housewives that fans didn’t know.
1. Their *Vanity Fair* photoshoot was a complete disaster.
After the show took home its Golden Globe, the five female leads were invited to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair .
Getting them all to work together was a complete mess.
The cover read, “You Won’t Believe What It Took Just To Get This Photo!”
The writer of the article then revealed that each cast member had demands that needed to be met to keep them happy.
In the end, fans learned that there was a pecking order between the women.
And that drastic measures needed to be taken to keep the arguing at bay.
A rep from ABC was at the shoot to make sure that Hatcher didn’t pick her outfit first and wasn’t in the center of all of the group photos.
When Hatcher did get to pick first, this reportedly made Eva Longoria upset.
2. Actor Neal McDonough wouldn’t film love scenes for religious reasons.
Neal McDonough played Dave Williams, Edie’s husband, in season 5 of the show.
But the actor refused to film any scenes with his on-screen wife that were sexual in nature because of his Catholic faith.
He alleges that his refusal is what led to him being fired from the show.
During an interview , Neal proclaims that he has always put his faith and family first and that it hasn’t always been easy.
Supposedly, refusing to do love scenes is what cost Neal a role in the series Scoundrels as well.
3. They had to change the narrator’s name for a random reason.
The narrator of the series, Mary Alice Young, takes her life in the first episode.
Originally, the character was named Mary Alice Scott, but they had to change it because their lawyers found there was only one other Mary Alice Scott in the country at the time.
4. A nearly n**e scene didn’t make it to air.
The series had many steamy love scenes, but the show had to be kept at a PG-13 rating.
Otherwise, Desperate Housewives would have lost out on its primetime slot, as well as alienated a significant portion of its audience.
Actor James Denton told *VH1* about one of the sexiest scenes that the show ever filmed.
“Dana and I were in Bree’s kitchen completely doing it on the kitchen counter and we shot it almost completely naked — like, with very, very little clothes on…”
That’s quite the mental picture James is painting.
5. Eva Longoria relied on Felicity Huffman after her marriage ended.
While there was a lot of drama between the actresses, there were moments of friendship, too.
After Longoria’s marriage to Tony Parker fell apart, she relied on Huffman’s friendship, and they were reported to be close friends through much of filming.
6. Teri Hatcher broke two ribs while filming.
While there were many injuries that occurred on the show, some also happened in real life.
During a scene where Susan Mayer stumbles into a wedding cake, Hatcher actually broke two ribs. She kept filming but was likely in pain.
7. James Denton was happy with his character’s ending.
Mike Delfino’s death was one of the more tragic events to happen in the series, but the actor who played him was happy with this conclusion.
Denton felt like it was an intense scene and that it was preferable to letting the character fade away into a boring storyline.
8. Dana Delany wanted Bree and Katherine to be together.
The two characters had a strong friendship, but the actress who played Katherine wanted them to end up together.
“I really thought that Bree and Katherine should be together. I really did. I felt like they were two sides of the same coin,” Delany told VH1 .
9. The series might have inspired the *Real Housewives* franchise.
While it’s never been directly confirmed, there are many people who believe that the Bravo franchise was inspired by this fictional series.
There is a definite overlap between the style of these women as well as the dramatic way they interact with one another.
10. Teri Hatcher’s character almost got written off the show.
Due to mounting tension between the actresses, Hatcher’s character came incredibly close to being taken out of the show completely.
It was supposed to happen in season 5 after the deadly car accident that nearly led to a revenge killing.
This would have been quite the scandal as she was considered the star of the show at the time.
Desperate Housewives is no Game of Thrones . It wouldn’t have been able to survive the loss of its lead character.
It really conveys just how miserable (or desperate) everyone working on the show must have been.
11. The cast and crew threw parties, too.
While there are some iconic parties that happen in the series, the cast also enjoyed hosting their own.
Marc Cherry was reported to throw the best parties of anyone. These rare moments of togetherness must have been a nice reprieve from all the drama!
12. Nicollette Sheridan sued after her character got written off.
In 2010, the actress sued the creator of the series, Marc Cherry, for wrongful termination of her contract after the character of Edie was written out.
The judge eventually tossed the case , and the entire thing was a big mess, with the other actresses picking sides.
Sheridan later alleged abuse on the set.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Sheridan said on CBS’s The Talk that she was written off for speaking up about abuse on set.
She said, “I was a victim of assault and battery by my boss on the set, and I reported him and was retaliated against and fired off the show.”
13. Staffers also claimed Marc Cherry was a nightmare to work with.
The Daily Beast published an article where they interviewed former staffers, and they also felt Cherry was r**e and difficult to work with.
“He will dress you down in front of the staff. He will assault an idea. He is very confrontational in this way. He has hissy fits.”
14. Lynette is based on Marc Cherry’s mother.
Some of Marc’s fondest childhood memories revolve around a giant box of Legos and listening to the conversations his mother would have with her circle of friends.
Marc says that, like Lynette, his mom had a great and sometimes dark sense of humor.
15. Felicity Huffman really does love Dough Savant in real life.
Felicity Huffman can’t say enough nice things about her former TV husband, Dough Savant.
She said that over the course of their eight-year friendship , life began imitating art. They remain incredibly close friends.
16. James Denton is exactly like Mike Delfino in real life.
Well, maybe not exactly alike. I’m sure if we were to compare the criminal records of these two, one would likely come up wanting.
But James is just as handy as Mike, and he also bombs around in an old blue pickup truck as well.
17. Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman have always been close.
Eva has said that even in the early days of Desperate Housewives , Felicity was always there for her. She would stand up for Eva, especially when she was being bullied by a certain costar.
18. Felicity Huffman campaigned for equal pay among the four lead actresses.
As you might imagine, this created some waves and didn’t sit particularly well with certain members of the cast.
But the way Felicity reasoned , they needed all four of them to make the show work. Hence, all four women should be paid the same.
19. Felicity Huffman was cast on the spot.
Huffman first heard about the show from a friend during an afternoon visit to her home. After her audition, Felicity received a call while she was still in the parking lot.
It was her agent letting her know that she’d booked the job.
20. Terri Hatcher is on board for a reboot.
Terri made a cameo appearance on the local LA news show, KTLA 5 . Toward the end of the segment, Terri was asked if she would be interested in going back to Wisteria Lane.
Surprisingly, Terri said that she would be the first to sign up!
Although Eva Longoria seems less enthused.
Eva was asked a similar question by Jimmy Kimmel . She stated that in her opinion, the characters had already been fully mined and there was no stone left to overturn.
Way to burst our bubble, Eva.
21. Eva’s Longoria’s favorite scene will likely surprise you.
Of all the moments and memories that Eva Longoria has from her time spent as Gabrielle Solis, her favorite scene was when she had to cut her own lawn in a ball gown .
22. Marcia Cross is the total opposite of Bree Van De Kamp in real life.
Marcia has said how at times, she’s wished that she could be as controlling as Bree.
The actress jokes that she has a hard enough time controlling her own thoughts, let alone the actions of others.
She based the character on a former roommate.
According to Marcia, the inspiration for Bree came in the form of her life-long friend and former roommate, Marianne Contreras .
Could you live with a neat freak like Bree? I know I sure couldn’t.
24. There might just be a movie in the works.
It would appear that Eva Longoria has changed her tune regarding a Desperate Housewives reunion.
She was asked just last year whether or not she’d be on board for a movie. “I’d do it tomorrow ,” Eva flatly stated to Good Morning America .
Last Updated on November 25, 2020 by Amanda Steele
