The first season of Desperate Housewives , an American television series created by Marc Cherry , commenced airing in the United States on October 3, , concluded May 22, , and consisted of 23 episodes. It tells the story of Mary Alice Young , a seemingly perfect housewife who commits suicide, fearing that a dark secret, involving her, her husband, and their son would be exposed. All of them live in the suburb of Fairview on Wisteria Lane. Narrating the series from the grave, Mary Alice describes how her friends try to find out the reason for her suicide, while trying to deal with the problems of their personal lives. Desperate Housewives ' first season aired in the United States U. Later, after his previous agent was arrested for embezzlement , he hired a team of new agents, who saw the script "as a soap opera with dark comedy in it".