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Is it possible for a television program to be so successful in the early going that it dooms its own chances for long-term success? When Desperate Housewives debuted in the fall of 2004, it was like nothing viewers had seen in a long, long time. The show gradually built its audience week after week, eventually moving into position to challenge CSI as the top-rated program on television. With the show’s success came fame for the lead actresses, most of whom had never been a part of something this popular. Reports of catfights and salary disputes invariably surfaced, but Desperate Housewives entered its second season poised to build on the gains it had made in its first. From the moment its season premiere hit the air, it did just that, boosting its audience well over the prior season’s norms. Unfortunately, something was missing on the creative side, and only now, halfway through the 2005-2006 season, is the show beginning to find its way again.

Trying to keep track of the ladies of Wisteria Lane requires a very lengthy scorecard, as Desperate Housewives features one of television’s largest ensembles. Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) is the bumbling beauty next door, a divorced mother trying to raise a teenage daughter while juggling the various men in her life. Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) is a mother of four who gave up her career to raise her children, only to be sent back to the workforce when her husband lost his job. Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) is the classic Stepford Wife, striving for an immaculate home and perfect children, only she must deal with the recent death of her husband. Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) is a materialistic ex-model, dealing with the repercussions of a first-season affair and her husband’s prison stint. Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) serves as the neighborhood sexpot, while new neighbor Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) is still surrounded by mystery.

At the end of the first season, we saw the core female characters working together to learn what caused their neighbor Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) to kill herself. These woman often saw their characters embark on distinct story arcs, but they always came together to help each other through life’s challenges while also attempting to uncover the truth about the season’s big mystery. Two things changed in the second season, and, while the show has begun to recover from the first, the verdict on the other change is still pending. During the first month of the season, the four core characters – Susan, Lynette, Bree, and Gabrielle – dealt with their own story lines, rarely crossing over with each other and seldom interacting. This robbed the show of the sense of community and friendship that had helped to define it. Wisely, creator Marc Cherry started bringing the girls back together, and we once more understand the role they play in each other’s lives.

Along with the camaraderie shared by these women, the first season was driven by uncertainty surrounding Mary Alice. Attempting to develop a similar unifying thread in the second season, Cherry offered the Applewhite family, and, thus far, results have been mixed. We never really saw Mary Alice interact with the other housewives, yet we felt her connection to them all the same. In the case of Betty Applewhite, we have seen her interactions with her neighbors – albeit rarely – and yet she feels much more removed from the day-to-day proceedings. Something is clearly amiss regarding her basement’s imprisoned resident, although even his escape shed little light on the proceedings. We know little about the Applewhites and even less about what their overriding secret might be. Paul Young (Mark Moses), the first season’s creepy “villain,” still holds more allure as a bit player than Betty Applewhite or her family.

As with most of television’s best programs, Desperate Housewives is a winner because of its strong writing and its complex characters. Wisteria Lane offers us a variety of suburban character studies, and each viewer surely has his favorites. I give a slight nod to the Scavo family, as Tom (Doug Savant) and Lynette represent two of the program’s most well-drawn characters. The men of this program generally are outshined by their female counterparts, but Savant manages to provide a more-than-capable foil for screen wife – and recent Emmy winner – Huffman. The breakout male star, however, is James Denton, but his juicy role as Susan’s on-again, off-again flame may have a lot to do with that. The women and the men of Wisteria Lane are testaments to the potential that exists within the medium of television. Consider this one man’s wish that Desperate Housewives continues along its path back to greatness.

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