I first encountered Desperate Housewives, was when I was watching an episode of the Oprah show where she was interviewing some of the cast. I must admit, I was curious. First of all the name of the show was very interesting. It was hailed as the next big thing on TV. In fact I think Teri Hatcher, who plays Susan one of the key characters in the show said on Oprah that what Sex and the City did for single women, Desperate Housewives does for housewives. Then came the promos on Star World. I was intrigued, and eagerly awaited the pilot episode. Whatever I had planned for that particularly Friday night was very quickly rescheduled. 10 p.m. Friday. The first episode of Desperate Housewives. The first 5 minutes of the show revealed that this was a programme that was every bit as exciting as it promised to be. I mean how many shows have you seen that begin with a climax? The show is narrated by a dead woman. Now, if that’s not a plot with a difference, then I don’t know what is. Mary Alice, a seemingly happy suburban housewife, with the perfect life takes a gun to her head. And thus begins Desperate Housewives. The show then introduces to all the main characters one by one - Susan, the lonely divorcee; Bree, the suburban housewife Barbie; Lynette, ex corporate whiz and now harried mother of 4; Gabrielle, the adulteress; and Edie, the friendly neighbourhood man eater. There are a host of other characters – husbands, children, nosy neighbours and love interests… all of whom are integral to the plot, but the show revolves mainly around these key women. Each one of these women has deep dark secrets haunting them. They aren’t perfect. Even when they are perfect. Except that they’re all thin and gorgeous (Oprah also pointed this out. I should give her writing credit for this review) The story is a mixed bag of fun. It’s part thriller, part romance, part comedy, part tragedy. But what really makes me want to watch it, Friday after Friday, is that I totally relate to this show. I find I have a little of each character in me. And some of what happens on the show happens in my life. I’m talking about burnt food, bratty kids, clueless husbands, unhappy marriages, the works. Ladies, watch this show. Watch it alone or watch it with friends. But watch. The performances are fantastic. The casting is superb. The storytelling is riveting. And it’s nice that something as ordinary as the lives of lonely desperate women can be the stuff an extraordinary, award-winning show is made of. I’m a fan for life.