Desperate Housewives - TV-PG

Desperately addictive, but majorly mature.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: ABC Cast: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross Genre: Drama
Available on: DVDDownloadCell phone

Common Sense Note

Parents should know that this show's focus on adult characters and situations makes it a poor fit for your kids and teens. Characters (adults and teens alike) have had affairs, covered up crimes, been addicted to drugs and alcohol, lied, and manipulated other characters in just about every imaginable way. Many of the storylines are presented in a tongue-in-cheek way, but young viewers may not be able to differentiate between parody and drama.

Families who watch this show may want to discuss the desperate housewives themselves: Are they good or bad role models for women? How are they stereotypical -- and how do they defy those stereotypes? How do they get power in their lives? What do they get from each other? Also, the teen characters have been shown drinking, doing drugs, having sex with adults, and lying to parents. While these characters are not central to the show, their actions warrant some discussion. Is their behavior realistic? How should their parents respond when they catch them in the act?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Kate Pavao

The highly addictive, Emmy-winning DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES centers on the women of Wisteria Lane and their struggles to cope with suburban life. In the show's pilot episode, one of the main characters' friends committed suicide. Amid the standard soap opera plot elements (affairs, addictions, cover-ups), the repercussions of this central mystery are still playing out throughout the tree-lined neighborhood.

The ongoing mystery has created a nice wrapper for the show, and the dead woman acts as narrator, adding a creative -- and creepy -- touch. Stars Teri Hatcher (Susan), Felicity Huffman (Lynette), Marcia Cross (Bree), and Eva Longoria (Gabrielle) give great comedic performances, and there are outrageous moments (klutzy Susan getting covered in cremated ashes, for example). And surely something positive can be gleaned from the women's friendships with one another, and from the show's examination -- however extreme -- of the complicated lives women lead. In one heartfelt moment, for instance, three friends discuss the overwhelming nature of motherhood.

But this is adult fare. In the first season alone viewers were treated to Gabrielle's sexual relationship with a minor, Lynette's dependence on Ritalin, Bree's husband's S&M fetish, a naked nanny, a suicide, a hit-and-run with no consequences, and a grizzly strangulation. And things have only gotten more complicated and eyebrow-raising since. At the very least, you need to have a conversation with your kid (see the above note for ideas). And you might get embarrassed watching the show with them.

Viewers who enjoy Desperate Housewives might also like Gilmore Girls and Grey's Anatomy.

Season 2 Notes
In the second season, frazzled Lynette, a former career superstar, returns to the workforce; Martha Stewart-esque Bree faces her husband's death; single-mom Susan's new romance is ending; and sexy Gabrielle's rich husband is now in jail and she's pregnant (perhaps with his child).

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content S&M and an adult-minor affair. Plenty of skimpy, suggestive outfits.
Violence Suicide, murder, hit-and-run. A teen character held a gun on his father and threatened to shoot another character.
Language Mostly mild ("damn," "hell"), with the occasional "ass" or "bitch."
Message
	Social Behavior Wisteria Lane's ladies wield power in pretty traditional ways, for a soap opera -- manipulation, wielding their sex appeal, deceiving people they care about, etc. Most of the characters are Caucasian, though Gabrielle and Carlos are Latino, and season two featured an African-American family.
	Commercialism Product placements from Buick, KFC, Halston, etc.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco One teen uses drugs and drinks. A protagonist was addicted to her kids' medication.