Desperate Housewives Characters, Ranked Worst To Best

Summary Desperate Housewives had well-drawn characters and juicy drama, making it a fan favorite for eight seasons.

The show explored a range of characters, from entertaining villains to misunderstood neighbors, sparking fan love and criticism.

The series featured characters like Gaby, Bree, and Lynette, each bringing unique dynamics and growth to the Wisteria Lane drama.

The primetime soap Desperate Housewives was full of twists and turns that wouldn't have been nearly as compelling without its colorful cast of characters, and when those Desperate Housewives characters are ranked, it's not a popularity contest; it's about who is the most interesting to watch. Fans would love to see a reboot given the well-drawn characters on the series. From the Wisteria Lane group who have been friends since they moved to the charming street to their love interests and enemies, everyone has a story, a secret, and their own quirky sense of humor.

Desperate Housewives ranked among the best, juiciest TV dramas, giving fans eight seasons of compelling soapy characters. While there have been calls for a Desperate Housewives reboot, it would hard to replicate the dynamic between some of the characters introduced in this series. From the villains that fans loved to hate to the misunderstood neighbors to the misused new additions to the drama-loving central women, the Desperate Housewives characters range from terrible to hugely entertaining.

Related Desperate Housewives Ending, Explained After a dramatic eight seasons, the popular drama TV Desperate Housewives has a memorable series finale that lives up to the show's quality.

Karl Mayer

Played By Richard Burgi

Susan's ex-husband, Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi), is one of the least-liked characters because he is a jerk, simply put. While he's married to Susan, he has an affair with his secretary, which is frustrating since there couldn't be a bigger cliché than that. He doesn't care about their relationship or their daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), and he believes that he's more intelligent than anyone around him. He's very much a stereotype of a wealthy divorced man, never given much depth or a chance to grow.

Karl is definitely the worst of the main characters on Desperate Housewives. He's so tough to watch that it would have been enough to simply explain Susan's personal life and then never actually show him onscreen. Every once in a while, he might contribute to the drama in Susan's life, but she has so many other compelling storylines in the show that her irritating ex-husband isn't really needed to move the drama along.

John Rowland

Played By Jesse Metcalfe

John Rowland was a pivotal character in the first season of Desperate Housewives and helped to earn the show its reputation as a steamy and scandalous prime-time soap opera. He was the attractive young gardener who was also having an affair with the married Gaby, whom he works for on Wisteria Lane. Throughout the affair, John experiences moments of guilt, obsession, and anger leading to the memorable moment when he reveals the affair to Gaby's husband, Carlos.

It is easy to feel sorry for John in many ways. As a teenager who is in a sexual relationship with an older woman, he is being groomed and his erratic behavior can very much be attributed to that. However, his obsession over Gaby becomes frightening at times and when he is reintroduced in season 2 with a new wife, he immediately reengages with his affair, showing that he is capable of being as deceitful and treacherous as many of the other men in the show.

Carlos Solis

Played By Ricardo Antonio Chavira

Gaby (Eva Longoria) and Carlos Solis (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) seem like they have it all... at least on paper. They're married, wealthy, and live in a mansion on Wisteria Lane. The only problem? Carlos can be pretty mean. He's traditional and wants a picture-perfect life, and even in the best Desperate Housewives episodes, he's not always likable.

Carlos is so controlling and conceited that he even messes with Gaby's birth control so that they can have a baby, which is horrible, especially since she didn't initially want children. It's only when Carlos ends up losing his eyesight that he starts being a nicer person and his motivations are more out in the open, but by then, the damage is done. He does add some humor as the straight man being roped into Gaby's chaotic drama, but this doesn't make up for him mistreating his wife.

Mike Delfino

Played By James Denton

When ranking Desperate Housewives husbands, Mike Delfino (James Denton) is one of the best. Susan quickly falls in love with Mike, the kind plumber who moves to Wisteria Lane in the show's first episode. He keeps a low profile, but he actually moved to the neighborhood in order to play detective and look into the disappearance of Deirdre, a woman he was once in a relationship with. However, the show draws out Mike's motivations for too long, making him a bit of a bland character in the beginning

Mike can be a frustrating character for the narrative since he's often wishy-washy about his feelings for Susan, dragging out the will-they, won't-they aspect of their relationship. It's clear that they're meant to be, but they break up and get back together so many times that it can be tough to watch. Mike isn't a terrible person at all, but he could put more effort into his romance with Susan.

Tom Scavo

Played By Doug Savant

Tom Scavo (Doug Savant) is a sweetheart who definitely deserves a nicer partner than Lynette. He's an easygoing guy who is a good dad and wants to provide for his family. At times, Tom even seems a bit boring compared to other Desperate Housewives characters and like he doesn't have much of a personality.

He's not the most interesting character on the show, but his presence does help to make Lynette more interesting.

Tom's role in the series seems to be to prove that Lynette should be more caring and compassionate, so it makes sense that he's a typical suburban dad. He's not the most interesting character on the show, but his presence does help to make Lynette more interesting and does help to create conflict in her storylines, moving her part of the plot forward. However, while he comes across as the more likable one in the Scavo marriage, he can be scatter-brained and disorganized, leaving his beleaguered wife to pick up the slack.

Katherine Mayfair

Played By Dana Delany

Katherine Mayfair is one of the wilder characters on Wisteria Lane, whose ups and downs throughout the series range from entertaining and interesting to problematic and forgettable. However, it is Dana Delany's performance on Desperate Housewives that does the character the biggest service. Katherine was initially a cold and very domestic housewife who developed into a more central character when she started a relationship with Mike.

In season 6 of the series, Mike left Katherine when he decided to get back together with Susan and eventually marry her which led to Katherine's nervous breakdown. It was a dramatic shift for the character with Katherine insisting to people that she was still with Mike and later stabbing herself to frame him. Delany left the show in season 6, but her performance helped to elevate the season overall.

Betty Applewhite

Played By Alfre Woodard

Desperate Housewives is full of great characters, but sometimes their storylines were a little too wild, and their implausibility took center stage. This was certainly the case with Betty Applewhite. Oscar nominee Alfre Woodard joining the cast of Desperate Housewives at the end of the first season set the stage for an exciting new addition to the show with Betty being the matriarch of the first Black family of Wisteria Lane.

The Applewhites proved to have a secret, just like everyone else on their street, with Betty keeping her son locked in the basement after fearing that he was a murderer. Unfortunately, the mystery was uneven and a bit creepy in tone, which brought down Betty's character. However, Woodard's performance combined wholesome friendliness with a chilling undercurrent, which helped elevate her to the point that many fans wished she had stayed around longer.

Angie Bolen

Played by Drea DeMatteo

Drea DeMatteo is famous for playing the tragic character of Adriana on The Sopranos, but she was also quite effective as Angie Bolen in Desperate Housewives. Angie was introduced in season 6 as a new neighbor on the street who was a loving mother and wife but also a fierce and blunt woman. Of course, she is also hiding a secret as she and her husband are actually fugitives on the run.

The slow pace of Angie's storyline made her character a bit mixed, despite a strong start. DeMatteo's performance was a spark in the show that was very much needed, however. Angie brought a wonderful new dynamic to the ensemble, playing a rougher and less domestic woman compared to the other female characters in the series. Her short time on the show was memorable even if it was a little uneven.

Susan Mayer

Played By Teri Hatcher

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) often takes center stage in Desperate Housewives, despite being the least interesting of the four female leads. She's sweet, a good friend, a good mom, and also very creative. She has been working as an illustrator for children's books, which is a fascinating career and sets her apart from the other housewives on Wisteria Lane who don't work. The show, of course, doesn't get to delve into her professional life much since the scandals on Wisteria Lane take the spotlight.

Susan is a solid character because she has a sense of humor that never rests, adding much-needed levity to the show. She's kooky and clumsy and approaches life with laughter, even though she has a lot to be upset about, such as her ex-husband's infidelity. When Susan loses Mike, it's one of the most emotional Desperate Housewives deaths, and it gives her a push toward more dramatic storytelling, but she's still a light in the series.

Edie Britt

Played By Nicollette Sheridan

Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) is a scheming, manipulative mean girl who never grows up and seems like she's stuck in high school forever. None of the women on Wisteria Lane like her, but she doesn't care because she basically only wants to find a wealthy husband, even if it's one of theirs. Edie sets her sights on Susan's ex Karl, and because she doesn't care about anyone's feelings or thoughts except for her own, many of her actions on the show are in other morally dubious areas.

Edie was able to shake things up while the other women of Wisteria Lane were tight-knit.

Edie might not be a good person, but she's an incredibly entertaining part of Desperate Housewives, and fans were not happy to see her leave the show. Edie was able to shake things up while the other women of Wisteria Lane were tight-knit. She made them doubt one another and brought essential conflict to the series.

Mary Alice Young

Played By Brenda Strong

Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) is kind of like Ali DiLaurentis on Pretty Little Liars: she's gone before the show begins, but she was the Queen Bee figure who was at the center of the friend group. Without Mary Alice and all of her secrets, there would be no Desperate Housewives story at all. She helps to kickstart a lot of the mysteries in the show, remaining important years after her death.

It's heartbreaking when fans tune into the pilot and learn that Mary Alice passed away. Her friends and family didn't know that she was struggling. She narrates the show and her death allows her to have knowledge of everything that her closest friends were hiding. Mary Alice is kind and caring and one of the best characters on the show. It wouldn't be as poignant without her.

Lynette Scavo

Played By Felicity Huffman

Felicity Huffman's Desperate Housewives character is definitely nicer than Edie, whose schemes get frustrating after a while. Lynette is a wife and mother who is trying her best to juggle her family life with her career. She isn't always easy to sympathize with, however. She can be cold and selfish and treats her husband Tom like an afterthought most of the time.

Lynette has her moments of humor, but she should care about the people in her life more. The worst thing that she does is sabotage her husband's chance at getting an amazing promotion. But Lynette is clearly a loyal friend. The amount of stress in her life can sometimes prevent her from acting that way, but she's always there for the circle of housewives when the latest scandal drops. She somehow manages to stay just on the fringes of most of the scandals in the series, which is part of what makes her so interesting.

Karen McClusky

Played By Kathryn Joosten

The best side characters on TV shows often become fan favorites, which can lead to them taking on more central roles. Such is the case with Karen McClusky on Desperate Housewives, who, while initially overlooked, became such a key character that her death marked the series finale. Karen was introduced in the first season as something of an antagonist as the grumpy and nosy neighbor.

Her death at the end of Desperate Housewives makes for a bittersweet end for the fan-favorite character.

However, as the character is featured more often, it is revealed that she is actually a very caring and kind person who really wants to help people. It is a thoroughly satisfying arc to see all the wonderful and selfless things Karen does while also remaining one of the funniest characters in the series. Her death at the end of Desperate Houseewives makes for a bittersweet end for the fan-favorite character.

Gaby Solis

Played By Eva Longoria

Gaby Solis is one of the best characters on Desperate Housewives because she has the biggest arc. She's introduced as a spoiled brat who only cares about hair, makeup, and clothing to a caring mother and friend. It even makes sense when Gaby cheats on her husband Carlos with John (Jesse Metcalfe) because she feels trapped in her marriage and like Carlos doesn't truly understand her.

Gaby spends a lot of the early episodes hiding her truth from everyone while trying to unravel their secrets. She loves the Wisteria Lane gossip but is terrified of being the subject of it. It's also interesting to watch Gaby struggle with whether to become a parent and when she does have children, she loves them so much, and they change her outlook on life. While most dramas tend to suffer when children are added to storylines, Gaby's children only enrich her stories.

Bree Van de Kamp

Played By Marcia Cross

Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) is the best character in Desperate Housewives as she is the absolute epitome of a desperate housewife. Even though she's cold and can be uncaring, her desire to be the perfect Suzy Homemaker is always entertaining and is the heartbeat of the series. Bree sums up what happens when someone trades happiness for perfection. It's clear that she's miserable and that a manicured lawn and beautiful home and fancy things can't save her.

Like Gaby, Bree goes through a tremendous amount of growth in the series. She also, however, regresses at multiple points in the show. Each time she does, it's because something has damaged her perfectly cultivated image. The show wouldn't be what it is without Bree. Even in the worst Desperate Housewives episodes, Bree is entertaining to watch. Bree makes Desperate Housewives the soapy drama it is.