Desperate Housewives (season 7)

Desperate Housewives (Season 7)
ABC promotional poster for the seventh season of Desperate Housewives. From left to right: Lynette, Susan, Renee, Gabrielle, and Bree.
Starring	Teri Hatcher Felicity Huffman Marcia Cross Eva Longoria Vanessa Williams Ricardo Antonio Chavira Doug Savant Mark Moses Kathryn Joosten Kevin Rahm Tuc Watkins with Brenda Strong and James Denton
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23[1]
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 26, 2010 – May 15, 2011

The seventh season of Desperate Housewives, a television series created by Marc Cherry, began airing on September 26, 2010^[2] and concluded on May 15, 2011.^[3] The deceased Mary Alice Young continues to narrate the events in the lives of her friends and Wisteria Lane residents, Susan Delfino, Lynette Scavo, Bree Van de Kamp and Gabrielle Solis. New housewife Renee Perry is introduced in this season. Paul Young returns to the lane and is the center of this season's mystery.

Season seven was originally intended to be the final season, according to creator Marc Cherry, but the season 8 was the series' last. The first episode of the season aired in Latin America on October 6, 2010. Season 7 premiered in Ireland on Tuesday, October 12, 2010. Season 7 began airing in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2010. It started airing at 9:00 PM on October 25, 2010 on OSN's Show Series in the Middle East. It began airing in Israel on December 12, 2010. Season 7 began airing in France in the translated version on April 14, 2011 on Canal Plus.

The series saw the lowest ratings in its history in the seventh season. In the first 12 episodes, the series attracted very similar viewership to the second half of the sixth season and hit season highs of 4.4 in the 18-49 demographic^[4] and continued around 3.5 - 4.3 until mid January.^[5] But after the thirteenth episode of season seven, "I'm Still Here", the ratings declined heavily because of the consecutive competition from the 68th Golden Globe Awards^[6] and then saw even lower numbers, against the 2011 Grammy Awards and then the Country Music Association Awards. "Desperate Housewives" lost many viewers in the second half of its season, and unlike the previous season, it failed to pick up again towards the end of the season. The show hit series lows of 2.7 in 18-49 demographic twice and continued to receive ratings between 2.7 - 3.1 in the last 11 episodes with the exception of "Searching" which was promoted by ABC after the 83rd Academy Awards and had a lead in from the season premiere of Secret Millionaire. This is the first time in its history that it did not place in the 20 most watched shows, ranking as the 26th most watched show, although it did place as the 13th most watched scripted show during the 2010-11 television season.^[7] The season averaged 11.85 million viewers per episode and is ABC's third most watched scripted show in total viewers after Body of Proof and Modern Family.^[7] In the 18-49 demographic, the show ranked 20th.^[7]

Production

Desperate Housewives has been picked up for a seventh season.^[8] The first episode of the seventh season aired on September 26, 2010. The season finale aired on May 15, 2011.

Cast

Moses's character returned as the subject of the season's main mystery.

The seventh season had thirteen roles receiving star billing, with eight out of twelve returning from the previous season. The series is narrated by Brenda Strong, who portrays the deceased Mary Alice Young, as she observes from beyond the grave the lives of the Wisteria Lane residents and her former best friends. Teri Hatcher portrayed Susan Delfino, who has moved out of the lane following a financial crisis. Felicity Huffman portrayed Lynette Scavo, who endures extreme marital problems. Marcia Cross portrayed Bree Van de Kamp, now divorced and starting a relationship with her contractor. Eva Longoria portrayed Gabrielle Solis, who discovers that her eldest daughter was switched at birth. Ricardo Antonio Chavira portrayed Carlos Solis, Gabrielle's husband who is close to discover the truth about his mother's death. Doug Savant portrayed Tom Scavo, Lynette's husband who is keeping a secret from her. James Denton portrayed Mike Delfino, Susan's husband who decides to take a job in Alaska in order to earn more money. Former Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams joined the cast as a sort of fifth lead (following the departure of three supporting housewives over the previous two seasons) in the role of Renee Perry, Lynette's best friend from college.^[9][10] Several years after leaving the contractually bound cast following the second season, Mark Moses returned in the role of Paul Young, Mary Alice's widower whose mysterious arc is the season's main storyline.^[11][12] Kathryn Joosten was promoted from "also starring" to a formal "starring" castmember in the role of elderly neighbor Karen McCluskey. Former recurring guest stars Kevin Rahm and Tuc Watkins were also promoted to "starring" castmembers respectively playing Lee McDermott and Bob Hunter, a gay couple.^[13][14] Kyle MacLachlan asked to be let go from the main cast after the sixth season to pursue other projects, but he made two guest appearances during this season as Orson Hodge, Bree's ex-husband.^[15]

Also starring were Charlie Carver as Porter Scavo and Joshua Logan Moore as Parker Scavo, Lynette's sons, as well as child actors Madison De La Garza as Juanita Solis, Gabrielle's oldest daughter, and Mason Vale Cotton as M.J. Delfino, Susan's son. The role of Penny Scavo was recast, with Kendall Applegate being replaced by Darcy Rose Byrnes.^[16][17] Andrea Bowen left the "also starring" cast, but returned as a guest star during one episode as Julie Mayer, Susan's daughter.

This season featured many established and new guest stars. Part of Susan's storyline were Lainie Kazan portraying Maxine Rosen, Susan's landlady who also hires her to model on her erotic website,^[18] Lesley Ann Warren returning as Sophie Bremmer, Susan's mother who is now fighting cancer, Gregory Itzin featuring as Dick Barrows, a dialysis patient encountered by Susan, Aaron Lustig acting as Craig Lynwood, Fairview Memorial Hospital's transplant coordinator, and John Rubinstein in the role of Principal Hobson, headmaster at M.J.'s school and Susan's former boss. Part of Lynette's storyline were Max Carver playing Preston Scavo, another of Lynette's sons, Lois Smith portraying Allison Scavo, Tom's mother, Polly Bergen returning as Stella Wingfield, Lynette's troublesome mother, Larry Hagman appearing as Frank Kaminsky, Stella's new husband, and Brent and Shane Kinsman reprising their roles as the younger versions of Preston and Porter in flashbacks. Part of Bree's storyline were Shawn Pyfrom and Joy Lauren in the roles of Bree's son and daughter, Andrew and Danielle Van de Kamp, Brian Austin Green appearing as Keith Watson, Bree's contractor and lover for the first part of the season,^[19][20] John Schneider and Nancy Travis respectively playing Richard Watson and Mary Wagner, Keith's parents, Rochelle Aytes appearing as Amber James, the mother of Keith's son, Dakin Matthews playing Reverend Sykes, reverend at the local Presbyterian church, and future series regular Jonathan Cake in the role of Chuck Vance, a detective and Bree's lover towards the end of the season.^[21][22] Part of Gabrielle's storyline were Daniella Baltodano portraying Celia Solis, Gabrielle's youngest daughter, Rolando Molina and Carla Jimenez respectively playing Hector and Carmen Sanchez, Juanita's biological parents and the legal parents of Carlos and Gabrielle's biological daughter Grace, Stephanie Faracy in the role of Miss Charlotte, a doll store owner, and Tony Plana appearing towards the end of the season as Alejandro Perez, Gabrielle's perverted stepfather. Part of the main mystery arc were Harriet Sansom Harris returning as Felicia Tilman, who still seeks revenge on Paul after he killed her sister,^[23][24] Emily Bergl portraying Beth Young, Paul's new wife, former series regular Cody Kasch in the role of Zach Young, Mary Alice and Paul's son, and Steven Culp and Christine Estabrook reprising their roles as Rex Van de Kamp (Bree's deceased first husband) and Martha Huber (Felicia's sister who was killed by Paul) in the season premiere in a series of flashbacks that explained the events that led to the development of main mystery of the season. Orson Bean played Roy Bender, now married to Mrs. McCluskey, while Mindy Sterling appeared as Mitzi Kinsky, another resident of Wisteria Lane.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
135	1	"Remember Paul?"	David Grossman	Marc Cherry	September 26, 2010	13.06[25]
After losing Orson and her business, Bree begins to rebuild her life while Susan and her family struggle to adapt to their changed life with their financial troubles. Lynette finds herself questioning her life after the arrival and stay of a frenemy from college and Gaby is shocked to learn the truth about her mother-in-law's death. In the meantime, Paul Young, Mary Alice's widower, returns with blatantly shady motives.
136	2	"You Must Meet My Wife"	Larry Shaw	Dave Flebotte	October 3, 2010	13.23[26]
Renee begins spending a lot of time with Tom, who discovered that he is diagnosed with postpartum depression, which Lynette doesn't believe. Bree begins to think about her contractor sexually, and accidentally runs someone over because of it while Gabrielle learns a heart-wrenching secret. Because of her sexy new job, Susan is weighted with guilt to keep it a secret from her loved ones while Paul's new wife finally arrives on Wisteria Lane.
137	3	"Truly Content"	Tara Nicole Weyr	Matt Berry	October 10, 2010	12.38[27]
Lynette is stunned when Tom's doctor prescribes marijuana as a cure for his depression. Gaby decides to do a little research to see how her biological daughter is doing while Renee takes Bree to a night out in a club, but when Renee begins to flirt with Keith, the competition begins between the two of them and Susan gets an important lesson from an unexpected person. Meanwhile, the women invite Beth to their weekly poker game in an attempt to find out some dirty little secrets about Paul.
138	4	"The Thing That Counts Is What's Inside"	David Grossman	Jason Ganzel	October 17, 2010	12.67[28]
Susan is horrified when the sexy internet company she's been working for makes her their billboard model and confronts Maxine about this. Tension continues to heat up as Renee tries to steal Keith away from Bree. Lynette learns her daughter Penny is helping a lot with the new baby and inadvertently takes advantage of her. Gabrielle and Carlos meet their birth daughter but Gabrielle gets a little too close.
139	5	"Let Me Entertain You"	Lonny Price	Sara Parriott & Josann McGibbon	October 24, 2010	12.16[29]
Susan infuriates Maxine after she loses a big client. Renee and Gaby share intimate secrets about each other to the wrong people, leading to a smackdown while Bree gets increasingly exhausted by Keith's sexual appetite. Lynette is nervous after Tom hires his own mother as the baby's nanny without talking to her first. A new housewife, Emma Graham, puts on a cabaret show with surprising results.
140	6	"Excited and Scared"	Jeff Greenstein	Jeff Greenstein	October 31, 2010	11.10[30]
Susan is forced to reveal her secret to Mike after Paul discovered her secret and blackmails her. Juanita becomes suspicious of Gaby spending a lot of time with Grace and Lynette is worried about Tom's mother's memory lapses. Bree learns a secret about Keith and Paul takes Beth out on a date.
141	7	"A Humiliating Business"	Larry Shaw	Marco Pennette	November 7, 2010	12.72[31]
A reluctant Susan accepts Lynette's offer to be baby Paige's nanny. After undergoing menopause, Bree is pressured to tell Keith the truth, resulting in meeting Keith's parents. Renee makes a proposal that Lynette can't refuse and Gaby fears that Bob might be trying to seduce Carlos after they become friends and attempts to reunite Bob with Lee. Beth begins to question Paul's motives for returning to Wisteria Lane and it is revealed that Beth is actually the daughter of Felicia, Paul's sworn enemy.
142	8	"Sorry Grateful"	David Grossman	Annie Weisman	November 14, 2010	11.92[32]
Bree invites Keith's parents to a Thanksgiving dinner and discovers some family secrets but starts to get worried when Keith's father, Richard, begins to flirt with her. Susan fights with Lynette about her techniques to make baby Paige fall asleep and Renee reminds Tom about their past. Gaby learns that her time with Grace might be threatened and Beth tries to learn more about Paul's past misdeeds.
143	9	"Pleasant Little Kingdom"	Arlene Sanford	Dave Flebotte	December 5, 2010	11.36[33]
Gabrielle tries to keep Grace in her life and breaks down when Carmen decides to take Grace with her as they flee from Fairview. Keith prepares a special dinner for Bree and a drunk Renee accidentally shares a dark secret with Susan. Paul's plan is finally revealed which causes anger among the residents of the lane.
144	10	"Down the Block There's a Riot"	Larry Shaw	Bob Daily	December 12, 2010	11.60[34]
Juanita learns the truth about the baby switch and confronts Gabrielle. Susan tells Tom the secret that Renee told her while Richard tries to drive a wedge between Bree and Keith. Paul puts his house-buying scheme into action which causes a riot to break out during the protest of the half-way house, resulting in some people getting seriously injured and at the end of the day, Paul gets shot by an unknown gunman.
145	11	"Assassins"	David Warren	John Paul Bullock III	January 2, 2011	12.19[35]
Paul finds out that Beth is Felicia Tilman's daughter. A therapist asks Carlos and Gabrielle to erase Grace from their lives. Susan learns she will need kidney dialysis every 48 hours. Renee finally tells the secret between her and Tom to Lynette. After Orson returns, Bree must deal with her feelings and choose between Orson and Keith. Detectives try to find the person responsible for shooting Paul Young.
146	12	"Where Do I Belong"	David Grossman	David Schladweiler	January 9, 2011	12.83[36]
Susan's mother and aunt visit her at the hospital, Lynette plots revenge against Tom, Gabrielle becomes increasingly obsessed with getting Grace back and Bree wants to be friends with Beth.
147	13	"I'm Still Here"	Lonny Price	Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott	January 16, 2011	10.25[37]
Bree finds out that a woman, who is looking for Keith, has a son that he knows nothing about and Susan tries to have a conversation during her dialysis treatment at the hospital. Stella, Lynette's mother, decides to marry a new boyfriend and Bob and Lee decide to adopt an 8-year-old girl while Gabrielle and Carlos get burgled by a carjacker; Paul has plans for Beth when he accompanies her to a local cabin.
148	14	"Flashback"	Andrew Doerfer	Matt Berry	February 13, 2011	9.20[38]
While in therapy, Gabrielle learns the truth about her past; Keith becomes suspicious about Bree's secret; Lynette's mother tells a lie to a coroner about Frank's death; Mike confronts Zach about Paul's shooting; someone makes arrangements to give Susan a new kidney.
149	15	"Farewell Letter"	David Grossman	Marco Pennette	February 20, 2011	10.58[39]
Gabrielle and Carlos head to Texas to visit Gabrielle's stepfather's grave; Bree convinces Keith to go to Florida along with his son; Lynette prohibits Porter and Preston from bringing home girls; Renee tries to use Susan's dialysis to help her get into a restaurant, but fails; after sending Zach to a rehab facility, Paul decides what to do about Beth.
150	16	"Searching"	Larry Shaw	Jeff Greenstein	March 6, 2011	11.35[40]
Jenny Hunter-McDermott and Juanita Solis perform in a school talent show; Civil War reenactors interrupt Susan and Mike's lovemaking; When an ER clerk tells Beth to go to another floor with her kidney donation paperwork, she uses drastic measures, and commits suicide by shooting herself in the head; While on a date, Renee pays a waitress to babysit Paige.
151	17	"Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed"	David Warren	Annie Weisman	April 3, 2011	9.05[41]
Paul tries to stand between Susan and her kidney transplant; Felicia is released from prison and swears revenge against Paul; Gabrielle is furious about a neighborhood party planned by Renee; Tom is caught between working with Carlos and a job opportunity; Andrew's drinking concerns Bree.
152	18	"Moments in the Woods"	David Grossman	John Paul Bullock III	April 17, 2011	9.11[42]
Susan makes a huge bet at a casino; Renee teaches Lynette to order a saleslady around; Carlos finds out that Andrew was responsible for his mother's hit and run; Felicia tries to make peace with Paul, despite her hatred of him.
153	19	"The Lies Ill-Concealed"	Larry Shaw	David Schladweiler	April 24, 2011	10.15[43]
When Tom attends a business seminar, Lynette attends to flower arrangements; she later tries to pose as a successful woman to no avail; Susan has nightmares about Paul Young; Gabrielle is forbidden to be friends with Bree by Carlos; Felicia tries to get help from Mrs. McCluskey in an attempt to get revenge against Paul.
154	20	"I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday"	David Warren	Jason Ganzel	May 1, 2011	9.44[44]
After taking illegal action, Bree is caught by Chuck Vance, a police officer; someone, possibly Felicia, has been poisoning Paul with antifreeze; despite a family obligation, Tom must complete his work.
155	21	"Then I Really Got Scared"	Larry Shaw	Valerie A. Brotski	May 8, 2011	10.00[45]
Bree finds out Chuck Vance has researched her; they later do something surprising, involving a hooker; Juanita is unable to sleep after watching a horror movie; Paul checks his food for any sign of antifreeze; Susan brings refreshments that could be fatal to people; Tom and Lynette have a vacation argument.
156	22	"And Lots of Security..."	David Grossman	Joe Keenan	May 15, 2011	10.25[46]
The police have reason to believe Susan and Felicia were poisoning Paul; Tom and Lynette learn that a couple are going through a rough patch; Gabrielle is shaken after finding out her past may not be behind her; Bree learns something about Chuck's relationship with men.
157	23	"Come on Over for Dinner"	Larry Shaw	Bob Daily	May 15, 2011	10.25[46]
The Wisteria Lane residents each enjoy a progressive dinner celebrating Susan's return to the lane. Lynette accepts Tom's departure, Bree connects with Chuck (and burns the entree) and Gabrielle is attacked by her stepfather. When Carlos kills him, the housewives cover it up.

United States (On ABC)

Episode number Production number	Title	Original airing	Rating	Share	Rating/share (18–49)	Total viewers (in millions)	Rank per week	Note
135 7-01	Remember Paul?	September 26, 2010	8.1	12	4.3	13.056	#15	[25]
136 7-02	You Must Meet My Wife	October 3, 2010	8.2	12	4.4	13.234	#13	[26]
137 7-03	Truly Content	October 10, 2010	7.9	12	3.9	12.379	#15	[27]
138 7-04	The Thing That Counts Is What's Inside	October 17, 2010	8.0	12	3.9	12.669	#12	[28]
139 7-05	Let Me Entertain You	October 24, 2010	7.7	12	3.9	12.159	#16	[29]
140 7-06	Excited and Scared	October 31, 2010	7.3	11	3.5	11.096	#24	[30]
141 7-07	A Humiliating Business	November 7, 2010	7.8	12	4.1	12.716	#12	[31]
142 7-08	Sorry Grateful	November 14, 2010	7.4	11	3.8	11.921	#18	[32]
143 7-09	Pleasant Little Kingdom	December 5, 2010	7.1	11	3.6	11.359	#11	[33]
144 7-10	Down the Block There's a Riot	December 12, 2010	7.4	11	3.6	11.598	#15	[34]
145 7-11	Assassins	January 2, 2011	7.5	12	3.8	12.194	#7	[35]
146 7-12	Where Do I Belong	January 9, 2011	8.0	12	3.9	12.831	#9	[36]
147 7-13	I'm Still Here	January 16, 2011	6.3	10	3.1	10.251	#17	[37]
148 7-14	Flashback	February 13, 2011	5.7	9	2.7	9.201	#28	[38]
149 7-15	Farewell Letter	February 20, 2011	6.5	10	3.1	10.580	#19	[39]
150 7-16	Searching	March 6, 2011	7.2	11	3.4	11.351	#11	[40]
151 7-17	Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	April 3, 2011	5.8	9	2.9	9.047	#26	[41]
152 7-18	Moments in the Woods	April 17, 2011	5.9	9	2.7	9.105	#19	[42]
153 7-19	The Lies Ill-Concealed	April 24, 2011	6.2	10	3.1	10.150	#13	[43]
154 7-20	I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday	May 1, 2011	6.0	9	2.8	9.438*	#20	[44]
155 7-21	Then I Really Got Scared	May 8, 2011	6.2	10	2.9	10.001	#20	[45]
156 7-22	And Lots of Security...	May 15, 2011	6.6	10	3.1	10.251	#22	[46]
157 7-23	Come on Over for Dinner	May 15, 2011	6.6	10	3.1	10.251	#22	[46]

^*This episode was interrupted during its original airing by the breaking news of Osama Bin Laden's death which may have resulted in a lower than expected rating than usual.^[47]

United Kingdom (On Channel 4)^[48]

In the UK, the season first airs on E4 on Sunday nights at 10pm, and on Channel 4 on Wednesday nights at 10pm.

Episode number	Title	Channel 4		E4 (+1)		Total viewers
		Airdate	Viewers^a	Airdate	Viewers^a
135 7-01	Remember Paul?	October 17, 2010[49]	2.38m - #4[50]	October 13, 2010	2.38m	2.38m
136 7-02	You Must Meet My Wife	October 24, 2010	1.82m - #18	October 20, 2010[51]	436,000 - #6	2.26m
137 7-03	Truly Content	October 31, 2010	1.26m - #31	October 27, 2010	335,000 - #11	1.60m
138 7-04	The Thing That Counts Is What's Inside	November 7, 2010	1.17m - #31	November 3, 2010	651,000 - #3 (389,000 - #1)	2.21m
139 7-05	Let Me Entertain You	November 14, 2010*	1.07m - #31	November 10, 2010	232,000 - #11	1.30m
140 7-06	Excited and Scared	November 21, 2010*	701,000 - #31	November 17, 2010	677,000 - #3 (210,000 - #4)	1.58m
141 7-07	A Humiliating Business	November 28, 2010*	976,000 - #31	November 24, 2010	716,000 - #3 (294,000 - #1)	1.99m
142 7-08	Sorry Grateful	December 5, 2010*	782,000 - #31	December 1, 2010	713,000 - #4 (356,000 - #1)	1.85m
143 7-09	Pleasant Little Kingdom	December 12, 2010	748,000 - #29	December 8, 2010	682,000 - #4 (314,000 - #3)	1.74m
144 7-10	Down the Block There's a Riot	December 19, 2010	750,000 - #31	December 15, 2010	784,000 - #5 (294,000 - #2)	1.83m
145 7-11	Assassins	April 13, 2011	2.02m - #6	April 10, 2011	404,000 - #9	2.42m
146 7-12	Where Do I Belong	April 20, 2011	1.35m - #16	April 17, 2011	531,000 - #6 (204,000 - #6)	2.09m
147 7-13	I'm Still Here	April 27, 2011	1.49m - #13	April 24, 2011	621,000 - #2 242,000 - #3	2.35m
148 7-14	Flashback	May 4, 2011	900,000 - #31	May 1, 2011	722,000 - #2 (294,000 - #2)	1.92m
149 7-15	Farewell Letter	May 11, 2011	900,000 - #31	May 8, 2011	646,000 - #2 (200,000 - #9)	1.75m
150 7-16	Searching	May 18, 2011	810,000 - #31	May 15, 2011	734,000 - #2	1.54m
151 7-17	Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	May 25, 2011	1.35m - #21	May 22, 2011	669,000 - #2 (201,000 - #5)	2.22m
152 7-18	Moments in the Woods	June 1, 2011	1.27m - #24	May 29, 2011	716,000 - #2	1.99m
153 7-19	The Lies Ill-Concealed	June 8, 2011	800,000 - #31	June 5, 2011	765,000 - #1 (195,000 - #4)	1.76m
154 7-20	I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday	June 15, 2011	830,000 - #31	June 12, 2011	686,000 - #2 (327,000 - #2)	1.84m
155 7-21	Then I Really Got Scared	June 22, 2011	1.37m - #28	June 19, 2011	750,000 - #3 (235,000 - #2)	2.36m
156 7-22	And Lots of Security...	June 29, 2011	828,000 -#31	June 26, 2011	842,000 - #1 (343,000 - #1)	2.01m
157 7-23	Come on Over for Dinner	July 6, 2011	790,000 -#31	July 3, 2011	898,000 - #2 (302,000 - #2)	1.99m

^aViewers in millions. ^*These 4 episodes aired at the later time of 10.30pm on Channel 4.

The show took a break at Christmas until April and eventually returned to its previous time-slots of airing on E4 on Sundays, and on Channel 4 on Wednesdays. The series eventually returned on April 13, 2011 on Channel 4 and E4 from Sunday, April 17, 2011.

Canadian Ratings (On CTV)

Episode number Production number	Title	Original airing	Total viewers (in millions)	Rank per week
135 7-01	Remember Paul?	September 26, 2010	1.284	#28[52]
136 7-02	You Must Meet My Wife	October 3, 2010	2.029	#14[52]
137 7-03	Truly Content	October 10, 2010	1.734	#17[52]
138 7-04	The Thing That Counts is What's Inside	October 17, 2010	2.003	#11[52]
139 7-05	Let Me Entertain You	October 24, 2010	1.511	#20[53]
140 7-06	Excited and Scared	October 31, 2010	2.116	#9[54]
141 7-07	A Humiliating Business	November 7, 2010	2.059	#9[55]
142 7-08	Sorry Grateful	November 14, 2010	2.093	#11[56]
143 7-09	Pleasant Little Kingdom	December 5, 2010	1.952	#8[57]
144 7-10	Down the Block There's a Riot	December 12, 2010	1.927	#10[58]
145 7-11	Assassins	January 2, 2011	1.799	#4[59]
146 7-12	Where Do I Belong	January 9, 2011	1.914	#8[60]
147 7-13	I'm Still Here	January 16, 2011	1.289	#21[61]
148 7-14	Flashback	February 13, 2011	1.297	N/A[62]
149 7-15	Farewell Letter	February 20, 2011	1.641	#23[63]
150 7-16	Searching	March 6, 2011	1.770	#16[64]
151 7-17	Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	April 3, 2011	1.503	#18[65]
152 7-18	Moments in the Woods	April 17, 2011	1.596	#14[66]
153 7-19	The Lies Ill-Concealed	April 24, 2011	1.210	#22[67]
154 7-20	I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday	May 1, 2011	1.665	#13[68]
155 7-21	Then I Really Got Scared	May 8, 2011	1.052	N/A[69]
156 7-22	And Lots of Security...	May 15, 2011	1.386	#23[70]
157 7-23	Come on Over for Dinner	May 15, 2011	1.386	#23[70]

New Zealand on TV2

The Seventh Season began in New Zealand on 14 February 2011 around the time it always has in the 8:30pm Monday timeslot which it has had for all 7 years. The season ended on July 18, 2011 with the highest rating of the show since Season 5 of 525,000 viewers. It also marks the first time in the series history in which episodes have aired consistently each week with no breaks. This season average 418,555 viewers.

All ratings sourced from: Throng Ratings. The first episode premièred to what was a series low rating of only 375,000 viewers but was still one of the highest rating shows for the night. The next 2 episodes rose steadily while Episode 4 hit an impressive 444,790 viewers. Episode 5 managed to remain around this high while the next 4 episodes only managed to hover below 400,000. Episode 10 managed 431,000 viewers while Episode 11 dropped to just under 400,000. Episode 12 pulled in a massive 460,000 viewers and at that point was the highest rated episode of the season. Up until episode 21, the ratings moved between over 390,000 viewers to 430,000 viewers. Episode 21 hit over 450,000 viewers while Episode 22 hit a series low 370,090 viewers. Episode 23 (season finale) premièred after a television special and pulled in 525,575 viewers, the highest in nearly 3 years for the show.

Episode number	Title	Original airing	Viewers
135	Remember Paul?	February 14, 2011	375,350
136	You Must Meet My Wife	February 21, 2011	396,890
137	Truly Content	February 28, 2011	404,960
138	The Thing That Counts Is What's Inside	March 7, 2011	444,790
139	Let Me Entertain You	March 14, 2011	432,150
140	Excited and Scared	March 21, 2011	380,290
141	A Humiliating Business	March 28, 2011	389,740
142	Sorry Grateful	April 4, 2011	394,060
143	Pleasant Little Kingdom	April 11, 2011	378,980
144	Down the Block There's a Riot	April 18, 2011	431,520
145	Assassins	April 25, 2011	398,780
146	Where Do I Belong	May 2, 2011	460,080
147	I'm Still Here	May 9, 2011	391,410
148	Flashback	May 16, 2011	414,070
149	Farewell Letter	May 23, 2011	397,930
150	Searching	May 30, 2011	424,070
151	Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	June 6, 2011	398,060
152	Moments in the Woods	June 13, 2011	423,630
153	The Lies Ill-Concealed	June 20, 2011	422,600
154	I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday	June 27, 2011	433,150
155	Then I Really Got Scared	July 4, 2011	451,520
156	And Lots of Security...	July 11, 2011	370,090
157	Come on Over for Dinner	July 18, 2011	525,470

Ireland On RTÉ 2

• Desperate Housewives airs Tuesdays at 9.55pm on RTÉ 2.
• All ratings below are supplied from The RTÉ Guide. The ratings are supplied by TAM Ireland/Nielsen TAM.
• Season 7 averaged 437,348 viewers, down a little from the sixth season's average.

Episode number	Title	Original airing	Timeslot	Viewers	Rank
135	Remember Paul?	October 12, 2010	9:55pm	532,000	#2
136	You Must Meet My Wife	October 19, 2010	9:55pm	464,000	#1
137	Truly Content	October 26, 2010	9:55pm	447,000	#1
138	The Thing That Counts Is What's Inside	November 2, 2010	9:55pm	485,000	#1
139	Let Me Entertain You	November 9, 2010	9:55pm	415,000	#1
140	Excited and Scared	November 16, 2010	9:55pm	434,000	#2
141	A Humiliating Business	November 23, 2010	9:55pm	447,000	#1
142	Sorry Grateful	November 30, 2010	9:55pm	448,000	#1
143	Pleasant Little Kingdom	December 7, 2010	9:55pm	420,000	#1
144	Down the Block There's a Riot	December 14, 2010	9:55pm	415,000	#1
145	Assassins	March 1, 2011	9:55pm	499,000	#1
146	Where Do I Belong	March 8, 2011	9:55pm	477,000	#2
147	I'm Still Here	March 15, 2011	9:55pm	415,000	#2
148	Flashback	March 22, 2011	9:55pm	452,000	#2
149	Farewell Letter	March 29, 2011	9:55pm	440,000	#1
150	Searching	April 5, 2011	9:55pm	427,000	#1
151	Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed	April 12, 2011	9.55pm	389,000	#1
152	Moments in the Woods	April 19, 2011	9.55pm	377,000	#1
153	The Lies Ill-Concealed	April 26, 2011	9.55pm	409,000	#1
154	I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday	May 3, 2011	9.55pm	386,000	#1
155	Then I Really Got Scared	May 10, 2011	10.05pm*	410,000	#2
156	And Lots of Security...	May 17, 2011	9.55pm	393,000	#1
157	Come on Over for Dinner	May 24, 2011	9.55pm	478,000	#1

• Episode 155 was scheduled to start at 10.05pm but was delayed until 10.15pm due to the 2011 Eurovision Semi-Final 1 running 10 minutes over.

DVD Release

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season (Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition)[71]
Set Details			Special Features
23 Episodes 6-Disc Set English / Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround) Spanish (Dolby 2.0) Audio Commentaries			Desperate For Trivia Growing Up On Wisteria Lane Bloopers Deleted Scenes
Release Dates
Region 1		Region 2		Region 4
August 30, 2011		October 31, 2011

References

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6. Sunday Final Ratings: "Brothers & Sisters", "Bob's Burgers" Adjusted Down; Plus "Golden Globes", "Undercover Boss", "CSI: Miami" & More, TV By the Numbers, January 19, 2011
7. 2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages, TV By the Numbers, June 1, 2011
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48. BARB, scroll to relevant week.
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