Desperate Housewives Was Inspired By A Conversation Over A Real-Life Tragedy

The birth of Marc Cherry's "Desperate Housewives" was a textbook case of art imitating life. According to a 2004 interview with The New York Times, Cherry recalled watching the 2002 trial of Andrea Yates (who was accused and later convicted of killing her five children, a verdict that was overturned in 2005) with his mother and discussing its horrifying details. Baffled, Cherry asked her whether she could imagine such a desperate situation and mental state in which a woman could go as far as to murder her own children. "I've been there," said Cherry's mother, shocking her son beyond belief.

As the TV writer explained, "You have to understand I've always seen my mom as the perfect wife and mother, a woman who aspired to being a homemaker. That's what she wanted, and that was her life. And it was shocking to find out that she indeed had moments of great desperation..." Cherry also added that only then did he start to realize how tough it must've been for her mom to raise three children (he had two sisters only a few years older than him) while their father was far away from home doing his master's degree.

Essentially, she was a single parent in suburbia, tasked with raising kids and being a full-time housewife with a line of chores that seemed to never end. After his mom shared stories and how all that felt to her at the time, Cherry recognized that every woman in similar circumstances must've had such despairing moments, too, and the idea was born to start writing about four housewives — which resulted in a hit series that ran for eight years on ABC.

From 2004 until the series' end in 2012, Cherry's soap-dramey won seven Emmys and numerous other awards. Its ensemble cast, which included Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, and Brenda Strong, was undeniably its main appeal; they all played strong, vivacious, and easily relatable women living in the fictional street of Wisteria Lane. The show's intricate plot offered fascinating murder mysteries, infidelities, betrayals, and power plays within a small and tight-knit community of people. Although it was a program that revolved around women, motherhood, and spicy romances, it also boasted such talented male actors as Kyle MacLachlan (who'd love to return), Doug Savant, Ricardo Chavira, and Mark Moses, among others.

Given its enormous fanbase that kept growing and growing over the years, it comes as no surprise that a reimagining/reboot of "Desperate Housewives," titled "Wisteria Lane," is already in the works at Hulu. As we reported before, there are no current plans for the original cast members to return to Wisteria Lane (which is a shame), and instead of Cherry (though he's whispered to be involved in some creative capacity and has mentioned reboot ideas in the past), the series will come from writer-creator Natalie Chaidez and Kerry Washington and Pilar Savone as executive producers.