ABC’s Desperate Housewives is famous for its campy soap opera tone and female friendships. James Denton, who is starring in the film Perfect Harmony, shared that since his character dies at the end of the series, it would be tough for his character to come back in a reboot. Denton said, “There hasn’t been much talk about it. I do agree with you that it seems like a no-brainer, but it would have to be my evil twin, which they’re not above, I’m sure,” according to Yahoo! News.
Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), and Gaby Solis (Eva Longoria) have a bond that would make a lot of people envious as they’re there for each other all the time. While their friendship is the core of the series, the show is also known for killing off many characters. While some mean-spirited ne’er-do-wells deserved to go, a lot didn’t.
Updated on October 22nd, 2022 by Aya Tsintziras: In the years since the finale of Desperate Housewives aired, it has been fun to see the cast take on other projects. Cross played Jean Peck in several episodes of the hit Netflix thriller You and Longoria has had roles on Empire, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Telenovela. When looking back on Desperate Housewives, it’s impossible not to remember the many tragic deaths that take place over the seasons. Several fan favorite characters passed away, which still feels heartbreaking, and their passings changed the show forever.
Rex Van De Kamp
Pharmacist George Williams (Roger Bart) is in charge of Rex’s (Steven Culp) prescriptions in season 1, and he decides to kill Rex. This becomes one of the wilder storylines on a series known for some plotlines that go in intense directions that no one could have predicted.
This isn’t an incredibly tragic death because Bree and Rex’s marriage was failing and it never seemed like she really loved him. But since the passing of a main character’s spouse is no small thing, this was still an important moment in the series.
Karl Mayer
Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi) isn’t a likable character and is one of the worst Desperate Housewives husbands, and he dies in a wild way in the season 6 episode “If…” When a plane crashes into a home, he happens to be inside it and doesn’t survive.
Susan’s ex-husband and the father of her child never treated her the way that he should have, but his death was still a little emotional. Susan started wondering if there was a way for her to stay with Karl, and she thinks about how things could have worked out. While Karl treated Susan terribly during their marriage and after, Susan will always remember her former partner and the father of her daughter and his death is difficult for her.
Ida Greenberg
Ida Greenberg passes away in season 4 after living on Wisteria Lane and being part of the other characters’ daily lives. When a tornado devastates the area, Ida is a hero who helps Lynette and Tom Scavo and their children escape and find safety.
Ida’s death is the hardest on Karen McCluskey, as the two were pals, and it’s heartbreaking watching Karen realize that she has lost someone who was so important to her. This death was a sad, tough reminder that anything can happen to anyone when they least expect it.
Lillian Simms
Lillian Simms’s niece, Katherine Mayfair, isn’t a fan favorite character as she has a lot of baggage and secrets and isn’t always nice to other people. Lillian’s death is tragic as she was holding onto a horrible memory and Katherine didn’t want her to tell anyone. Katherine and Lillian knew that Katherine’s child Dylan died in a tragic accident and that Katherine adopted a girl and told everyone that this was her daughter.
In season 4, Lillian passes away, and she is a ghost on Wisteria Lane with a few other former residents in the series finale. While viewers didn’t get to know Lillian very well, this is still an upsetting storyline as Lillian had to hold onto so much grief and pain.
Juanita Solis
It’s very emotional for Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) when his mother Juanita (Lupe Ontiveros) dies. Losing a parent is never easy, making this one of the saddest passings on Desperate Housewives.
This death isn’t as tragic as some others because while Carlos is devastated, Gaby didn’t have a great relationship with her mother-in-law. Juanita knew that Gaby was cheating on her son and hated her for it and didn’t try to see things from Gabby’s perspective, which is that she felt lost and alone in her marriage.
Glen Wingfield
In the season 5 episode “Connect! Connect!,” Lynette shares that her ex-stepdad Glen (Richard Chamberlain) has died, which is really tough for her.
Lynette thought that her parents got divorced because Glen had an affair but he tells her that he is gay and that’s the reason why the marriage broke up. This changes Lynette’s entire perspective on her family and she supports him. It’s really sad to hear that Glen died when the characters had been repairing their relationship as Lynette realizes that she lost a lot of time with him and that things could have been much smoother and happier between them.
Paige Dash
It’s always tragic when a child dies, making Paige Dash’s (Madeleine Michelle Dunn) death one of the most emotional moments on the show.
This death is even worse since Susan is the one who kills Paige. Mike says that he was driving the car that killed Paige, but it was really Susan. Paige was only three years old at the time of the car crash, making this one of the hardest deaths to come to terms with. Of the Desperate Housewives main characters, Susan is one of the most well-written, and this experience changes her as she feels terrible guilt about her part in the accident.
Edie Brit
Edie Brit (Nicollette Sheridan) dies in the fifth season upon being electrocuted. This death isn’t as emotional as some others but while not everyone loves Edie, it’s still a shocking moment on the show and one that fans might not have seen coming.
The other main characters living on Wisteria Lane have a complicated relationship with Edie, which makes this an even bigger storyline. But since Edie is part of their social circle, she is one of them, and it’s incredibly tough for Gabby, Lynette, Bree, and Susan to say goodbye as they never imagined that something like this would happen.
Eli Scruggs
It’s truly devastating when Eli Scruggs (Beau Bridges) passes away, making this a death that tugs on the heartstrings every time that viewers think about it.
This storyline is also well-done and takes into account the feelings that the other main characters are dealing with during this difficult time. When Eli has a heart attack, viewers find out how much he cared about the people in the neighborhood, and how much they loved him in return. He had a bond with everyone and he is truly missed on Wisteria Lane.
Mary Alice Young
When Desperate Housewives begins, viewers learn that Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) ended her own life, and that was completely crushing to fans everywhere.
Mary Alice’s death is the impetus for the story at large, forcing her best friends to look at their lives and what makes them happy. No one expected this to happen, so it’s a really big deal within this show’s universe. Mary Alice’s friends realize that there is a lot about their friend that they didn’t know and this kicks off the show’s major theme that everyone keeps secrets.
Karen McCluskey
When Karen McCluskey (Kathyrn Joosten) dies in the series finale “Finishing The Hat,” it’s one of the most emotional moments in the series. Everyone loves her so much and she is almost like a grandmother to the ladies. It’s tough to watch her pass away, and there isn’t a dry eye on Wisteria Lane when it happens.
This death is extra sad since it happened at the end of the show when fans were already preparing to say goodbye. There’s nothing like a series finale of a beloved show to bring out all the feels. While fans love the Desperate Housewives relationships as the show has some truly romantic scenes, Karen is a significant character as well.
Mike Delfino
Mike’s (James Denton) death on Desperate Housewives is the most emotional, hands down because watching Susan lose the love of her life is terrible. Donnie (Sal Landi), a loan shark, kills Mike right after a romantic Susan/Mike moment, which makes it even harder to watch. Mike and Susan had something special and they were looking forward to a future together after spending a lot of time dancing around their connection and the fact that they love each other.
The fact that Mike’s ghost is looking on as Susan says goodbye to Wisteria Lane makes this even more tragic and beautiful. This definitely isn’t a storyline that Desperate Housewives fans will soon forget.
