Desperate Housewives/YMMV

Character Tropes

 * Creator's Pet: Susan, Susan, Susan. Marc Cherry has made it clear that she's his favourite character.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse:
 * Orson Hodge, who went from being a one-off character, to a short-term villain, to one of the main characters on the show.
 * Edie Britt's role was increased when she proved popular with the fans.
 * Harsher in Hindsight: A season 5 episode deals with Juanita wearing make up to school in order to look more like her mother Gabby. On being asked why she did it, Juanita claims that a couple of girls at school told her she couldn't possibly be related to Gabby as she wasn't pretty enough.
 * in the finale is even sadder now that.
 * Hollywood Homely: Gabrielle supposedly loses her beauty after becoming a mom, but c'mon--this is Eva Longoria Parker we're talking about. Not even sweats can make her look bad. It gets even more ridiculous when other characters comment that she's out of shape.
 * Magnificent Bastard:
 * Paul Young, as of Season 7.
 * Orson is defintively this in season 8.
 * Unintentionally Sympathetic:
 * Paul Young. Granted he but it is difficult not to feel at least a little sorry for him given the estrangement of his son, his long stay in prison and the constant hostility and distrust of the people who were supposedly his friends and neighbours. In fact, read that back. His most unsympathetic trait is
 * During season 8, we discover that Karen is suffering from cancer, and that it was the reason she kicked Roy out, in order to protect him, since his wife died from cancer. The poor Cool Old Lady never was shown so vulnerable.
 * What the Hell, Casting Agency?: Eva Longoria playing a former catwalk model. She is an extremely beautiful woman, yes, but she is also 5' 2".

Episode-Specific Tropes

 * Angst? What Angst?: So the sweet Woobie everyone's known for years turns out to be  Meanwhile, the new neighbor   right in front of your house and takes off. Yet the next day, all anyone cares to talk about is that Susan is moving ten blocks away. Just another week on Wisteria Lane...
 * Fridge Brilliance: Season 6 finale: Why did Angie spill one of her precious seconds by throwing the car door shut?.
 * Nightmare Fuel: The riot against  This was surprisingly scary stuff for a normally comedy and drama driven show.
 * Wangst: The first half of Season 8. Oh so much. Especially considering how they handled everything else they've been through for the past seven seasons.

Show-Wide Tropes

 * Fan-Preferred Couple: Mike and Susan to the point where in the opening of season 6,
 * Romantic Plot Tumor: Mike and Susan in the fifth season.
 * Seasonal Rot: Some fans have noted a decline in quality in season five.
 * Testosterone Brigade: Just read the first sentence on the main page. At the height of its popularity, ABC even ran an ad with a guy admitting he watched it... and (unconvincingly) claiming that it was for the story. Riiiiiight.