15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Desperate Housewives – TVLine

Along with the fan-favorite series “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives” revived ABC in a huge way when it premiered in 2004. ABC’s gamble on the bombastic show proved fruitful, as the show was a huge ratings success and has inspired numerous series in its wake. Created by Marc Cherry, who got his start writing on “The Golden Girls,” the series is set on Wisteria Lane, a beautiful suburban enclave. The protagonists are four neighbors involved in all kinds of personal troubles and scandals, including infidelity and plenty of murder.

A primetime soap that also functions as a mystery and a comedy, “Desperate Housewives” is a heady mix of “Twin Peaks” surrealism, the suburban black comedy of “American Beauty,” and the dishiness of “Knots Landing.” “Desperate Housewives” influenced many shows that followed, though few managed its distinct tonal balance. If you’re in search of other series that blend mystery, campy drama, and amusing intrigue, we’ve got you covered. Here are 15 shows to watch if you like “Desperate Housewives.”

Both “Desperate Housewives” and “Big Little Lies” begin with a mysterious death in an affluent community. In “Desperate Housewives,” it’s the death of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), while “Big Little Lies” keeps the identity of both the victim and the perpetrator a mystery until the end of the first season. Based on a novel by Liane Moriarty, the series was created by David E. Kelley, with Jean-Marc Vallée serving as the director of the first season. The series is set in Monterey, California, and follows five women (played by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz) who become involved in a homicide investigation and other dramatic squabbles.

Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Big Little Lies” features some wonderfully campy moments (Laura Dern snarling “I will not, not be rich,” for example) paired with explorations of serious topics like domestic abuse. The acting on the series is top-notch, and Vallée’s direction, which emphasizes flashbacks and memory, gives the show a moody, visually stunning style. As in “Housewives,” it also mixes shocking drama with humor for a wonderfully entertaining ride.

“Desperate Housewives” pulls off a tricky tonal balance between comedy, soapy drama, and mystery. If you’re looking for a show that similarly masters this tonal mishmash, check out “Dead to Me.” The Netflix series stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as Jen and Judy, who meet in a grief support group. The two women become fast friends, until Judy reveals her dark reason for attending the support group.

What follows is a brilliant tragicomedy that tackles grief and intense friendships with biting wit and pitch-black humor. Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Dead to Me” is filled with mysteries, plot twists, and cliffhangers — it’s the kind of show that’s hard not to binge. We don’t want to spoil too much about the plot, but suffice it to say that Jen and Judy’s relationship is one of the most complex friendships we’ve ever seen on screen, and their mutual grief spirals are both shocking and comical. Applegate and Cardellini deliver amazing performances, and they’re joined by a supporting cast that includes Ed Asner, James Marsden, and Natalie Morales.

Following his success with “Desperate Housewives,” Marc Cherry turned his attention to “Devious Maids,” a Lifetime series that owes a lot to his time on Wisteria Lane. Based on a Mexican series, “Devious Maids” follows five maids (played by Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez, Judy Reyes, and Edy Ganem) who work in Beverly Hills and become embroiled in the many problems of their wealthy employers, as well as some of their own.

Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Devious Maids” begins with a death; in this case, the murder of a fellow maid that Marisol (Ortiz) is determined to solve. Soapy intrigue and larger-than-life characters define the series, and its cast sells the campy material. “Desperate Housewives” alum Eva Longoria serves as an executive producer and appears in one episode, and the supporting cast includes soap star Susan Lucci, who plays dramatic heiress Genevieve Delatour. She’s frequently a scene-stealer, such as the moment when she wonders if her potentially fatal kidney disorder can be cured by getting facials. Though it borrows liberally from “Desperate Housewives,” the formula works well here.

“Good Girls” is a smart and thrilling take on what suburban women will do to stay afloat, and fans of “Desperate Housewives” are almost guaranteed to enjoy the mischief the titular girls get themselves into. The NBC series follows Beth (Christina Hendricks), her best friend Ruby (Retta), and her younger sister, Annie (Mae Whitman). All three women are struggling financially and having all sorts of marital and/or child-rearing issues, so Beth hatches a plan to rob the grocery store where Annie works. What begins as a relatively straightforward criminal act grows complicated when the women learn that the supermarket is a front for a gang led by charming criminal Rio (Manny Montana).

“Good Girls” is the perfect mix of funny, thrilling, and heartfelt, and the three leads all give captivating performances. The intrigue grows more intense when Beth develops sizzling, burn-through-your-TV-hot chemistry with Rio, and her character development is a delight to behold. The show succeeds thanks to the sparkling charm of its leading ladies, and its exploration of the anger and ennui suburban women face makes it the perfect companion to “Desperate Housewives.”

Setting-wise, “Desperate Housewives” and “Sex and the City” are pretty different. While “Desperate Housewives” takes place in the suburban enclave of Wisteria Lane, “Sex and the City” is one of the all-time great New York City shows. Still, both series have a very strong sense of place and, more importantly, they both depict a charming — and yes, chaotic — group of women as they navigate adulthood, and especially the complex world of romance.

The core four of “Sex and the City” are Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), a shoe-obsessed columnist; the buttoned-up Charlotte (Kristin Davis); the free-wheeling and promiscuous Samantha (Kim Cattrall); and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), a cynical pragmatist. Narrated by Carrie via her newspaper column, the show explores what it’s like to be a career-driven, love-seeking woman at the turn of the century. Fans love to argue about the show’s most memorable boyfriends, and it holds up despite being something of a late-’90s time capsule.

Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Jane the Virgin” wears its televisual influences on its sleeve, and it isn’t afraid to take huge swings in terms of tone and zany plotlines. Based on the Venezuelan telenovela “Juana la Virgen,” “Jane the Virgin” stars Gina Rodriguez as Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a 23-year-old Venezuelan-American woman saving herself for marriage. Jane’s life plan is upended when she accidentally becomes pregnant via artificial insemination after a routine checkup at the doctor’s office. The biological father of the surprise baby is Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), Jane’s boss at the hotel where she works. This creates a surprising love triangle between Rafael and Jane’s doting boyfriend, Michael Cordero (Brett Dier).

“Jane the Virgin” is both a parody of telenovela and a full-throated soap opera, winking at the audience through meta-textual elements but providing plenty of juicy drama and emotional stakes to keep audiences invested. Gina Rodriguez is pitch-perfect as Jane, and the show would be dead in the water without her ability to believably embody Jane’s particular brand of naivety and determination. The show’s supporting cast is just as essential, and it ranks as one of the best CW shows of all time.

“Melrose Place” is an example of a spin-off that’s better than the original series. A spin-off of the “Beverly Hills, 90210” universe, “Melrose Place” is set in a Los Angeles apartment complex and follows the many sensational antics of its residents. As in “Desperate Housewives,” the show’s contained setting is essential, proving that the escapades of a group of neighbors can be as dramatic as anything else.

The two shows both feature Marcia Cross, who in “Melrose Place” plays Kimberly, a doctor with a very dramatic villain arc. In one of TV’s wildest wig-wearing moments, Kimberly removes her hair to reveal a massive scar on her head, exposing not only her injury but the extent of her derangement. Other outlandish plots include resurrections and fake deaths, an apartment bombing, a case of split personality disorder, blackmail, a deadly wedding, and a stolen baby. The show is at its best when it leans into the absurdity, with shocking twists that rival the many secrets of “Desperate Housewives.”

The Lifetime series “Army Wives” was once popular enough that it boasted promotional spots from both John McCain and Barack Obama ahead of the 2008 election. Ostensibly bipartisan in its appeal, the show follows four Army wives and one Army husband as they bond over their shared experiences. As in “Desperate Housewives,” the show tackles the trials and tribulations of housewives who live side by side but come from different backgrounds and face complex familial issues.

The wives in question are Roxy (Sally Pressman), who marries Private First Class Trevor LeBlanc (Drew Fuller) after knowing him for less than a week; Pamela (Brigid Brannagh), who’s secretly acting as a surrogate to get her family out of debt; Denise (Catherine Bell), who’s suffering from a domestic abuse situation at home, and Claudia Joy (Kim Delaney), the self-assured leader of the group. Rounding out the squad is psychiatrist Roland (Sterling K. Brown), whose wife (Wendy Davis) is readjusting after two years in Afghanistan. The characters form an enjoyably diverse group, and the earnestly supportive dynamic between them anchors the series.

“Desperate Housewives” functions as a biting satire of suburban America, exploring the seedy underbelly of those cul-de-sacs and manicured lawns. The underrated Showtime series “Weeds” takes that directive to the extreme. Created by Jenji Kohan of “Orange Is the New Black” fame, the show presents a rare female antihero during the male-dominated era of prestige TV. (Fun fact: “Breaking Bad” almost didn’t happen because of “Weeds.”) Mary-Louise Parker plays Nancy Botwin, a suburban woman living in a fictional Southern California suburb. When her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack, Nancy starts selling weed to maintain the upper-middle-class lifestyle her family is accustomed to.

As Nancy becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld (creating a front to manage her growing business and even selling a proprietary weed strain known as “M*LF”), the show ventures into dark, morally complex territory, taking unexpected turns as the seasons wear on. But like “Desperate Housewives,” “Weeds” is also extremely funny, and Parker’s fearless performance shines as brightly as the sun.

The connection between “Desperate Housewives” and “Pretty Little Liars” is more than surface-level. Following the success of “Desperate Housewives” on ABC, Alloy Entertainment set out to find the teenage version of that show. The company’s president and CEO, Leslie Morgenstein, distilled the “Housewives” formula: a primetime soap with a murder mystery and (initially) an anonymous narrator. That led Morgenstein to Sara Shepard, who wrote the novel series that would become “Pretty Little Liars.”

When you break them down to their bare bones, it’s clear the two shows share some DNA. “Pretty Little Liars” (which also has an in-universe connection to “Riverdale”) follows four teenage girls who live in the small town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. The former friends have drifted apart since the disappearance of their ringleader, Alison (Sasha Pieterse), but are brought back together after receiving threatening texts from someone known as “A.” As the Liars band together to try to uncover A’s identity, countless shocking secrets are revealed, leading to soapy intrigue and jaw-dropping twists.

In the decade following “Desperate Housewives,” ABC had another juicy hit on its hands in the form of “Revenge.” Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, a mysterious woman who arrives in the Hamptons as a fresh-faced newcomer. Her next-door neighbors are the Graysons, an extremely wealthy family in the top tier of the Hamptons’ upper crust. While Emily initially appears harmless, she’s actually a next-level schemer. She blames the Graysons for the destruction of her family years earlier, and weaves an intricate plot to take her revenge. The family’s matriarch, Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), proves herself a very formidable nemesis.

Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Revenge” ratchets up the drama to 100 and never takes its foot off the gas when it comes to thrilling tension. Every episode features twists and cliffhangers guaranteed to keep you coming back for more, as allegiances shift and secrets are revealed. Indeed, Emily’s quest for revenge becomes complicated when she develops relationships with folks in the Hamptons community and must decide where her loyalties lie.

One of the best TV shows streaming on Apple TV, “Bad Sisters” is a murder mystery that takes place in a very different locale than “Desperate Housewives.” Still, both shows have a sharp sense of humor and an affection for messy women that make them a well-matched pair. Developed by Sharon Horgan, one of its stars, “Bad Sisters” follows the tight-knit Garvey clan, five parentless sisters who live in and around Dublin. Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), the second-oldest, is married to JP (Claes Bang), an abusive a-hole, and when he shows up dead, the sisters are implicated in a potential murder.

From there, the series follows two timelines: the investigation following JP’s death, and the months leading up to his untimely passing, as the sisters plot to free Grace from her horrible marriage. Because JP was loathed by many, the suspects in his murder are plenty, though it’s clear Grace’s sisters felt a unique hatred towards the man. This dark comedy, which features bold performances and fascinating character development, will appeal to fans of “Desperate Housewives” itching for tales of women behaving badly. Yet at its core, “Bad Sisters” is a story about the profound power of sisterly love.

Though Wisteria Lane in “Desperate Housewives” is not a literal country club, the suburban street is defined by its own set of social codes, including the maintenance of a wealthy facade. In “Palm Royale,” Kristen Wiig maneuvers around the rules of the rich and well-connected as Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, a middle-aged woman determined to become a member of a country club in Palm Beach. The year is 1969, and amidst changing social norms and explosive politics, the gates of Palm Royale remain as impenetrable as ever. Maxine has to get crafty in her plot to scale these glitzy walls, backstabbing and scheming her way to the top.

“Palm Royale” features a colorful mashup of genres and tones, much like “Desperate Housewives.” It’s modeled after a classic soap opera, and its campy storytelling is sprinkled with clever jokes. Despite its over-the-top drama, “Palm Royale” also features shrewdly drawn characters that provide depth to this campy extravaganza. The show boasts an amazing cast who bring these characters to life, including Ricky Martin, Leslie Bibb, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Carol Burnett, and Patti LuPone. Sadly, the show was canceled after two seasons, but thankfully it didn’t end on a cliffhanger.

The Hunting Wives” is not a serious show, and that’s exactly what makes it so fun. The “SNL” parody of “The Hunting Wives” described it as “like if The L Word took place in Yellowstone,” which isn’t far off. Brittany Snow plays Sophie, a recent transplant to the town of Maple Brook, Texas. She gets to know Margo Banks (Malin Akerman), the flirtatious wife of Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), a wealthy oil tycoon running for governor. As Sophie falls in with Margo and her clique, a group of gun-toting Republican housewives (Sophie is a liberal from Boston), she’s drawn into Margo’s captivating orbit. It turns out the hunting wives have a lot of secrets — but so does Sophie.

The show feels like a dishy, sultry beach read, concerned more with juicy twists and campy dialogue than it is with realism. Akerman goes all out with her performance, playing Margo like an alluring loose cannon, and Snow adds some wrinkles to Sophie’s girl-next-door demeanor. As in “Desperate Housewives,” the show depicts what’s really going on beneath the surface of a glitzy enclave, capturing a group of women going entirely off the rails.

Following “Desperate Housewives” and “Devious Maids,” Marc Cherry’s most recent television production is “Why Women Kill,” which features many of the themes present in his previous work. The first season of the show takes place in three different time periods, all in the same Californian mansion. Ginnifer Goodwin plays a housewife in the 1960s, Lucy Liu plays a socialite in the 1980s, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste plays a lawyer in the 2010s. As they all reckon with the infidelity of their husbands, these betrayals eventually lead them to murder. Season 2 takes place in 1949 and follows the violent rivalry between two housewives, played by Allison Tolman and Lana Parrilla.

Tonally, “Why Women Kill” has a lot in common with “Desperate Housewives,” as both shows revel in camp humor and over-the-top melodrama. “Why Women Kill” features a clever, time-hopping structure that pays off in the finale, as the stories overlap in a mesmerizing conclusion. The show’s social commentary is paired with quippy humor and splashy costumes that keep it zipping along. Liu is a delight as a cutting diva with a much younger suitor (and many of the best lines), while Goodwin plays her housewife with an undercurrent of quiet despair.