Desperate Housewives became a cultural phenomenon when it premiered in 2004. People loved following the daily scandals of the housewives living on Wisteria Lane. Not only was the series full of soapy fun, it was an enthralling mystery that contained sharp, dark humor about life beyond the white picket fences.
The series ran for eight full seasons during which it accumulated a number of awards and accolades. Its influence can still be felt on modern-day primetime television. But do you ever wonder what happened to the cast of the series after it went off the air in 2012? Now you can catch up on what the stars of the show are up to these days.
James Denton - Mike Delfino
When Mike Delfino moved into a house on Wisteria Lane, he quickly became a hot commodity among the housewives. Edie Britt and Susan Mayer had quite the rivalry over who would win his affections. The romantic relationship between Susan and Mike was one of the most popular in the series.
After Desperate Housewives ended, Denton moved on to another soapy series, Devious Maids. On Maids he recurred as Peter Hudson. Now he can be seen starring as Doctor Sam Radford on the Hallmark Channel series, Good Witch. He also has a film called Selfie Dad in the works where he plays a struggling father who creates a YouTube channel.
Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young
She may not have been seen in every episode but Mary Alice Young’s presence could be felt across all eight seasons of Desperate Housewives. Her suicide in the pilot episode served as the catalyst for the entire plot of the series. Strong continued to have a major role through appearances in dreams and flashbacks.
Strong also narrated the majority of the series and won an Emmy Award for her voice-over work. Post-Housewives, she continued to appear in numerous series such as The 100, Fear the Walking Dead, and more recently, The CW’s Supergirl. At present, she stars as Nora Walker on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.
Ricardo Antonio Chavira - Carlos Solis
Carlos and Gabi were one of the series’ most rocky relationships but they did stay married for a majority of the show, for better or for worse. From cheating scandals to blindness to going broke, Carlos has run the gamut of wild Housewives storylines.
As for the actor, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, he moved on to get roles in several popular dramas like The Santa Clarita Diet, Hawaii 5-0, Jane the Virgin, and Scandal. These days, Chavira is either laying low or struggling to find another main role. His last project was an episode on the short-lived NBC series, Rise. He’ll next star in a drama called Reefa.
Vanessa Williams - Renee Perry
Williams entered Wisteria Lane in the seventh season of the series. She was meant to play a similar role to Edie Britt’s character after Sheridan’s departure. She ruffled a few feathers with her passive-aggressive attitude but eventually cemented her status as a true housewife. She was Lynette’s former college friend and had actually slept with Lynette’s husband, Tom, in the past.
Vanessa Williams was already well-known for her role on Ugly Betty when she landed Desperate Housewives. Sadly, she hasn’t managed to land another long-running show since then but she is working consistently. Next up for Williams, she’ll return to voice Amanda Waller in the DC animated feature, Batman: Hush.
Dana Delany - Katherine Mayfair
When Katherine entered the scene in season four, she was initially a rival to Bree. She was a dedicated homemaker with impressive cooking skills and seemed to outdo Bree at every turn. But eventually, the two women became friends and even opened a catering business together. Delaney has had no shortage of success before or after Housewives.
She is an Emmy Award-winning actress best known for her work on the series China Beach. These days she is starring in the CBS series, The Code. Unfortunately for Delaney, The Code was pulled from the CBS schedule and is likely due for cancellation. Luckily she has an HBO mini-series, The American Guest, to fall back on.
Nicollette Sheridan - Edie Britt
Sheridan bounced into the acting scene with her acclaimed role as Paige Matheson on the CBS primetime soap opera, Knots Landing. The role helped her earn her spot on Desperate Housewives as local troublemaking vixen, Edie Britt. Britt became a fan-favorite character due to her constant scandals and Sheridan’s humorous performance.
But her character was shockingly killed off in the show’s fifth season due to behind-the-scenes drama. But that didn’t stop Sheridan from landing another juicy soap role on The CW’s reboot of Dynasty as the iconic character of Alexis Carrington. Recently though, Sheridan left Dynasty to take care of her ailing mother and is currently taking time off of acting.
Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis
As one of the most successful women on this list, Eva Longoria has become a household name thanks to her production company and brand deals. While her character on Desperate Housewives, Gabrielle Solis, was (initially) known for her gold-digging tendencies, in real life Longoria is an outspoken advocate for women empowerment and has single-handedly built herself a lucrative empire.
Longoria’s performance as Gabrielle helped turn her into a lovable character who underwent some of the best development and growth of the show. At present, she has several films in the works and she is an executive producer on the upcoming ABC series, Grand Hotel.
Marcia Cross - Bree Van de Kamp
Speaking of housewives with the best character development, look no further than Marcia Cross’s iconic portrayal of homemaker Bree Van de Kamp. It comes as no surprise that Cross’s portrayal as Bree garnered her numerous accolades and critical praise. All Bree has ever wanted was to maintain the illusion of perfection but she has had to deal with plenty of obstacles thrown in her way.
Over time, she changed from the judgmental, conservative, housewife she began the show as into a strong, confident, independent businesswoman with a deep love for her friends. Cross has had a steady career since she began but she has been keeping a low-profile the last few years as she recently revealed she was struggling with cancer but is now, thankfully, in remission.
Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo
Lynette became a favorite housewife due to her more realistic nature over the other housewives. She was based on someone Marc Cherry knew from his childhood. Lynette struggled to take care of her many rambunctious children and balance her volatile relationship with husband, Tom. Felicity Huffman is an acclaimed actress who has won been nominated for many awards during her years as an actress.
After Desperate Housewives, she starred on the ABC series, American Crime, for all three seasons. She also recently had a role in the Netflix miniseries, When They See Us. Unfortunately, Huffman has recently been arrested on federal charges for her part in a college admissions scandal. It’s unclear where her career will go from here.
Teri Hatcher - Susan Mayer
As the de facto lead character of the series, Susan Mayer was often getting herself into hilarious situations due to her tendency to be a klutz and somewhat naive about the world. Most of her storylines revolved around her love life since she was definitely a hopeless romantic. Her relationship with Mike Delfino was a big part of her story throughout all eight seasons.
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She won a Golden Globe and several Screen Actors Guild awards for her portrayal as Mayer. Over the last few years, Hatcher had guest stars on several television shows such as The CW’s Supergirl and The Odd Couple. But she has focused more on her other interests, such as cooking, and even became a Chopped champion after winning a holiday episode competition. She also started her own YouTube channel called Hatching Change.
