10 Best Shows Like Desperate Housewives And Devious Maids Update 04/2024

Shows Like Desperate Housewives And Devious Maids

In addition to being entertaining and stylish, Desperate Housewives was a huge hit because it was jam-packed with secrets, twists, and dark turns, just like these series.

There are some shows that are difficult to categorize. Desperate Housewives has it all: adultery, blackmail, shocking deaths, and plot twists, as well as every type of relationship you can think of. The show’s fans adored the gorgeous style and endearing characters, as well as the shocking secrets that lurked beneath the surface of this idyllic suburban setting.

It is possible for fans to watch the series again on Hulu, but instead of doing so, they should consider checking out one of the following series instead. Even die-hard fans of Desperate Housewives will find something to watch on these shows, which feature everything from new hits to classics.

1. Bridgerton (Netflix)

Bridgerton (Netflix)

Using the female gaze and the perspective of a young woman, Bridgertontells a love story. Desperate Housewives fans will likely enjoy Bridgerton (which will return for a second season this fall!). An upper-class Regency-era English family is the setting for this series, which is full of developing romances and hidden family secrets. It also has an equally gorgeous aesthetic.

2. Gossip Girl (HBO Max)

Gossip Girl, like Desperate Housewives, focuses on women at the center of scandals. Gossip Girl’s central characters are no strangers to getting their hands dirty, just like the real-life housewives.

Other bad things that have been done by these “best friends” include: phone theft, infidelity, sleeping around with each other’s significant others, and blackmail. Gabrielle, on the other hand, would undoubtedly approve of the attire. Gossip Girl has six seasons streaming on HBO Max, and a reboot is in the works.

3. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix, Hulu)

Grey's Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy, like Desperate Housewives, is a 2000s show. The result is a unique vibe that will be familiar to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans. Grey’s Anatomy lasted much longer than Housewives, which went off the air shortly after the turn of the century. The latter is now in its 17th season and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most popular medical dramas of all time, is a good choice for fans looking for something to keep them occupied for the long haul.

4. Killing Eve (Hulu)

Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy’s Christina Yang) stars in Killing Eve, which has a tone and black humor reminiscent of Desperate Housewives. There’s a lot of murder and danger in Killing Eve, but it’s done in an amusing way. The female protagonists in Killing Eve are complex and interesting. Oh’s Eve becomes fixated on finding Jodie Comer’s assassin Villanelle, and their growing feelings for one another complicates their relationship.

5. One Tree Hill (Hulu)

One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill will satisfy fans of Desperate Housewives’ focus on family dynamics and drama. This show centers on the lives of two half-brothers who are in their early teens. Nathan and Lucas are rivals who despise each other, but they are related by blood to the same troublemaking father who affects the lives of pretty much everyone in their small town. Plot concerns boys and their mothers, telling tales of these dynamics from the sons’ perspective in a manner similar to how Housewives explores the same dynamics (think Bree and Andrew).

6. Ozark (Netflix)

Both Desperate Housewives and Netflix’s original drama Ozark deal with adultery on a regular basis. There were two unfaithful housewives out of the four main characters on the show, and everyone except Lynette had experienced being cheated on. When Marty discovers evidence that his wife has an extramarital affair, the family drama in Ozark really heats up. They must remain united for the sake of their family’s safety, so things do work out in the end, but not without a lot of drama. The story revolves around the mischief that Marty and his family get into when he accepts a job as a money launderer for a drug cartel.

7. Pretty Little Liars (HBO Max)

Pretty Little Liars (HBO Max)

Fans of Desperate Housewives will know that Pretty Little Liars can boast more instances of blackmail than that show, which is saying a lot. A text message from “A,” who appears to know all of the friends’ secrets in the wake of the alleged death of their friend Alison, begins the plot of PLL, just as Mary Alice’s suicide on Housewives did after she discovered she was being blackmailed. There is a similarity between the ladies of PLL and the housewives in that both have a penchant for failed relationships.

8. Scream Queens (Hulu)

Scream Queens will likely appeal to Desperate Housewives fans who enjoyed the show’s murder mystery elements. It’s about a series of murders that the main characters try to avoid and solve in this short-lived show. A sorority house with a murky history is plagued by grisly murders in Season One, which takes place on a college campus. A new serial killer is on the loose in season two’s setting, a learning hospital.

9. The Americans (Amazon Prime)

The Americans (Amazon Prime)

The Americans places a lot of emphasis on Philip and Elizabeth’s marriage as the show’s central plot point. Desperate Housewives fans will likely enjoy the romance, danger, and intrigue in this full-on, high-brow Cold War espionage drama. The setting is another similarity between The Americans and Desperate Housewives: both series are largely set in the suburbs.

10. You (Netflix)

When it comes to stalking, there’s no shortage of shows like Desperate Housewives and the Netflix original You, which stars Penn Badgley, who previously played Dan Humphrey in Gossip Girl. serial killer Joe sees himself as romantic hero in twisted tale focuses on serial stalker and murder Joe, who believes he is romantic. He is a predator who preys on women, and when they let him down, he kills them in cold blood. It’s surprising how much murder and romance there is in this series.

desperate housewives

Madilyn Ivey is a Seattle-based writer, reader, and film buff. As a young girl, she worked as an air hostess and a book shelver. The former Screen Rant employee is now a free-lance writer for the website. She’s a University of Puget Sound graduate.