Season 1

The first season of Desperate Housewives revolves around the desperate events and situations in the lives of the four main housewives: Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle  as well as related characters. The season follows many themes such as romance, mystery, economic issues, crime and betrayal. This article contains episode summaries for the first season of Desperate Housewives.

Season Summary
In the United States, original episodes of season one aired between October 3, 2004 and May 22, 2005.

Starring

 * Teri Hatcher - Susan Mayer (23/23)
 * Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo (23/23)
 * Marcia Cross - Bree Van de Kamp (23/23)
 * Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis (23/23)
 * Nicollette Sheridan - Edie Britt (15/23)
 * Steven Culp - Rex Van de Kamp (21/23)
 * Ricardo Antonio Chavira - Carlos Solis (22/23)
 * Mark Moses - Paul Young (19/23)*
 * Andrea Bowen - Julie Mayer (22/23)
 * Jesse Metcalfe - John Rowland (15/23)
 * Cody Kasch - Zach Young (14/23)
 * Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young (23/23)
 * and James Denton - Mike Delfino (20/23)

Note: The billing order for the cast is different in the pilot episode. *Also featured in archive footage in episode 1.12, accounting for a 20th appearance.

Recurring Guest Stars
1 Each was credited in but absent from an additional episode. 2 Not credited in "1.04", in which only his voice is featured.
 * Brent Kinsman - Preston Scavo (20/23) 1
 * Shane Kinsman - Porter Scavo (20/23) 1
 * Doug Savant - Tom Scavo (17/23) 1
 * Zane Huett - Parker Scavo (15/23) 1
 * Joy Lauren - Danielle Van de Kamp (10/23)
 * Shawn Pyfrom - Andrew Van de Kamp (10/23)
 * Harriet Sansom Harris - Felicia Tilman (9/23)
 * Christine Estabrook - Martha Huber (8/23)
 * Roger Bart - George Williams (6/23)
 * Lupe Ontiveros - Juanita "Mama" Solis (6/23)
 * Lucille Soong - Yao Lin (6/23)
 * Ryan Carnes - Justin (5/23)
 * Bob Gunton - Noah Taylor (5/23)
 * Sam Lloyd - Dr. Albert Goldfine (5/23) 2
 * Richard Roundtree - Mr. Shaw (5/23)
 * Pat Crawford Brown - Ida Greenberg (4/23)
 * Lesley Ann Warren - Sophie Bremmer (4/23)
 * Richard Burgi - Karl Mayer (3/23)
 * Jeff Doucette - Father Crowley (3/23)
 * Terry Bozeman - Dr. Lee Craig (2/23)
 * Mehcad Brooks - Matthew Applewhite (2/23)
 * Nick Chinlund - Detective Sullivan (2/23)
 * Kathryn Joosten - Karen McCluskey (2/23)
 * Alfre Woodard - Betty Applewhite (2/23)
 * Jill Brennan - Tish Atherton (1/23)
 * Maria Cominis - Mona Clarke (1/23)
 * Dakin Matthews - Reverend Sikes (1/23)
 * Betty Murphy - Alberta Fromme (1/23)

Main Plot Points

 * Mary Alice committing suicide and setting off the first mystery of the series.
 * Susan's growing relationship with new neighbor, Mike Delfino.
 * Lynette dealing with her troublesome kids.
 * Bree's perfect world falling apart right in front of her eyes.
 * Gabrielle struggling to hide her affair from her fearsome husband, Carlos.
 * Edie's competing with Susan for Mike's love, with things only getting worse from there.