Discover
"One Wonderful Day" is the 23rd episode and first season finale of the American comedy-drama television series Desperate Housewives. It was originally broadcast in the United States on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) on May 22, 2005. The episode was directed by Larry Shaw and written by John Pardee, Joey Murphy, series creator Marc Cherry, Tom Spezialy, and Kevin Murphy.
In the episode, the mystery surrounding the suicide of series narrator Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) is resolved. Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) finally discovers the truth about Gabrielle's (Eva Longoria) affair while Bree (Marcia Cross) learns that her husband has died. Meanwhile, Zach (Cody Kasch) holds Susan (Teri Hatcher) hostage and Tom (Doug Savant) forces Lynette (Felicity Huffman) to go back to work.
According to Nielsen ratings, the episode drew over 30 million viewers upon its initial broadcasting in the United States, becoming the most-watched program of the night across all networks, as well as the highest-rated episode of Desperate Housewives. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, most of whom complimented the writers for wrapping up the season's major story arcs. However, Ann Hodgman of Entertainment Weekly criticized the episode for being predictable and spending too much time on the Mary Alice storyline. In 2009, TV Guide listed "One Wonderful Day" as the 55th best television episode of all-time.
Original Release
05/22/2005
US Release
05/22/2005
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Teri Hatcher | Susan Mayer |
Felicity Huffman | Lynette Scavo |
Marcia Cross | |
Eva Longoria | Gabrielle Solis |
Nicollette Sheridan | Edie Britt |
Steven Culp | |
Ricardo Chavira | Carlos Solis |
Mark Moses | Paul Young |
Andrea Bowen | Julie Mayer |
Jesse Metcalfe | John Rowland |
Directors
Writers
John Pardee, Joey Murphy, Kevin Etten, Katie Ford, Marc Cherry, Kevin Murphy, Tom Spezialy
Creators
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Teri Hatcher | Susan Mayer |
Felicity Huffman | Lynette Scavo |
Marcia Cross | |
Eva Longoria | Gabrielle Solis |
Nicollette Sheridan | Edie Britt |
Steven Culp | |
Ricardo Chavira | Carlos Solis |
Mark Moses | Paul Young |
Andrea Bowen | Julie Mayer |
Jesse Metcalfe | John Rowland |
Cody Kasch | Zach Young |
Brenda Strong | Mary Alice Young |
James Denton | Mike Delfino |
Doug Savant | Tom Scavo |
Harriet Sansom Harris | Felicia Tilman |
Richard Burgi | Karl Mayer |
Mehcad Brooks | Matthew Applewhite |
Jolie Jenkins | Deirdre Taylor |
Terry Bozeman | Dr. Craig |
John Newton | Jonathan Lithgow |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Marc Cherry | Executive Producer |
Tom Spezialy | Executive Producer |
Kevin Murphy | Executive Producer |
Michael Edelstein | Executive Producer |
Larry Shaw | Producer |
Adam Barr | Producer |
Chris Black | Producer |
Alexandra Cunningham | Producer |
David Grossman | Producer |
Stephanie Hagen | Producer |
Joey Murphy | Producer |
John Pardee | Producer |
George W. Perkins | Producer |
Charles Pratt Jr. | Producer |
Charles Skouras III | Producer |
Katie Ford | Producer |