- Release Date: September 1, 2009
- Publisher: ABC Studios
- Price: $37.49 on Amazon.com
- Rating: TV 14
- Run Time: 1,032 minutes
- Special Features: Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Cherry-Picked: Creator Marc Cherry’s Favorite Scenes, “What More Do I Need?” – A Very Good Read, I Know Things Now: Desperate Housewives Celebrates 100, So Very Teri, Commentaries
- Starring: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria Parker, Nicollette Sheridan, Dana Delany, Brenda Strong, James Denton, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Doug Savant, Kyle MacLachlan, Neal McDonough, Shawn Pyfrom, Charlie Carver, Max Carver, Joshua Logan Moore, Kendall Applegate
- Genre: Comedy, Soap
I’m not sure why but there are critics who think “Desperate Housewives” jumped the shark (I hate that phrase by the way) all the way back in season two. I have no idea what they are talking about since five seasons in, “Housewives” is still very enjoyable and probably one of my top ten shows on television. And that’s coming from a guy who generally prefers sci-fi, action, and other “guy” shows.
To help create some new storyline opportunities, season five of “Desperate Housewives” jumps five years into the future. I know a lot of people hate time jumps and consider them jump the shark moments but I thought it was a great idea that really invigorated the show. The kids have all grown up presenting many new ideas for stories. For example, one of the best storylines of the season (which involves Porter getting in trouble with the law after he falls in love with an older woman) would not have been possible without the time jump. Season four wasn’t bad itself but the time jump allowed the show to almost reach the heights of season one again.
Season five of “Desperate Housewives” contains the 100th episode of the series which was probably my favorite episode of any show of the year. Most shows will have huge twists, a death, or something else to spice up the episode but “Housewives” used a new approach. The episode focuses on a character named Eli Scruggs (played by Beau Bridges) who had never been in an episode before and dies in the first few minutes. Eli is the neighborhood’s resident handyman and the episode looks back on how he helped each of the housewives through a difficult time. This episode was absolutely wonderful and heartwarming. I rarely cry while watching a TV show or movie but this episode brought a few tears to my eye.
If you’ve been picking up each of the season sets, you should definitely pick up season five since I think it was probably the second best season overall. If you haven’t watched “Desperate Housewives” before, you really should pick the DVDs up sometime. The show is a great mix of comedy and drama that has almost always been on my list of top ten shows. The acting is also very good from the main housewives (Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria Parker) and husbands (especially Doug Savant who always cracks me up) to the supporting players (Shawn Pyfrom is particularly great as Andrew). “Housewives” is obviously geared towards women but I personally think most men would enjoy it as well.
Since “Desperate Housewives” is a show still on the air, the video and audio quality are both very good. There is a small amount of grain but the transfer is overall pretty sharp and clear. A Blu-ray release for “Desperate Housewives: The Complete 5th Season” would have been nice because of the show’s colorful sets but the DVD does a pretty good job.
ABC Studios usually provides a pretty large assortment of quality extras and “Desperate Housewives: The Complete 5th Season” is no exception. The extras include:
- “What More Do I Need?” – A Very Good Read (11:13)-All about “Desperate Housewives” table reads. Interesting but not really essential viewing.
- I Know Things Now: Desperate Housewives Celebrates 100 (20:49)-A very good featurette about the 100th episode. The lead actresses even get into a cake fight.
- So Very Teri-All about Teri Hatcher and her knack for physical comedy. I know a lot of people dislike the Susan character but I always get a lot of laughs out of her.
- Cherry-Picked: Creator Marc Cherry’s Favorite Scenes-This is exactly what it sounds like. Marc Cherry picks out a few of his favorite scenes and talks about them.
- Bloopers-I usually don’t get a lot of laughs out of blooper reels but there is actually some good stuff in this one.
Don’t believe the people that believe “Desperate Housewives” jumped the shark in season two. While the show hasn’t yet returned to the heights of season one (season 5 came close), it is still a great comedic drama that most viewers will enjoy. Highly recommended.
