12 Things You Didn’t Know About Desperate Housewives

Marc Cherry, the show's creator, was inspired by his mom's tales of feeling "desperate" when she lived in the suburbs. Its success meant he could pay off a $100K debt to her.

James Denton told VH1: "Mike [Delfinio] was a real blue-collar guy with a dog and a pick-up truck and that’s me exactly. I’m always working on something around the house."

Eva Longoria (Gabrielle Solis) nailed her audition when show's creator asked how she liked the rest of the script. Longoria replied: "I only read my part." (Typical Gaby!)

Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo) loved to play charades at the cast parties she hosted, Dana Delaney (Katherine Mayfair) told VH1: "She really is a killer charades person."

The housewife based most on Cherry's mother? Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross).

One of the show's biggest fans was Oprah, who came to the set for a visit and filmed a 15-minute segment for HER show in which she played a new neighbor.

Two other titles being considered were "The Secrets of Wisteria Lane" and "The Secret Lives of Housewives." But "Desperate Housewives" stuck, and the pilot attracted 21.3 million viewers.

The pink dress that Gaby wears to mow the lawn was loaned to a high-school senior to wear to her prom, after the teen asked for photos so she could find a knock-off.

In one episode Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) stumbles into a wedding cake. Hatcher broke two ribs but kept filming. via Pinterest

The set for Wisteria Lane was built in 1946, and was used for other shows, including "Leave it to Beaver," and "The Munsters."

Teri Hatcher brought baked goods to her audition!

The biggest on-set flirt was Josh Henderson (Austin McCann), according to James Denton.