How to watch Desperate Housewives online: stream every episode from anywhere

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An entertaining depiction of sin in suburbia

watch desperate housewives online
(Image credit: Channel Nine)

Ah, Wisteria Lane. All white picket fences, ridiculously toned residents, and unimpeachable facades. But this irreverent comedy-drama wasted no time in revealing the illicit desires and dark secrets that lurked beneath the surface. The jewel of the 2004-2005 television season, Desperate Housewives deftly combined elements of American Beauty, Sex and the City and even Twin Peaks to forge a potent soap-opera cocktail: equally light, bubbly, and sharp and tangy.

Want to know how to watch Desperate Housewives online from anywhere? Read on as we detail how here - it's even possible to do so free in most regions.

Desperate Housewives cheat sheet

Airing on ABC between 2004 and 2012, Desperate Housewives was a comedy-drama from the brain of series creator Marc Cherry. It ran for 8 seasons and amassed 180 episodes, with the two-hour finale being broadcast on May 13 2012. In the US, all episodes can be streamed FREE as part of Hulu’s month-long trial.

We’re introduced to Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle moments after the death of their friend and neighbor Mary Alice Young; it’s her honeyed voice that narrates the events of each episode from beyond the grave. She regularly explicates on their personal lives: Susan (Teri Hatcher) is an accident-prone single mom unlucky in love; Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has traded a career for full-time domesticity and four rowdy children. Bree (Marcia Cross) desperately seeks perfection – she’s described as “like someone running for the Mayor of Stepford” by her son – and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is a disenchanted former ex-model having an affair with the hunky teenage gardener.

Desperate Housewives may have teetered on the absurd – arson, murder, felony and accidental death were daily occurrences on Wisteria Lane – but it was never less than entertaining. Over eight seasons there were tornadoes, plane crashes, cover ups, shoot outs, sociopaths, and multiple arrests. 

Tempering any narrative excess, however, was quality writing that demonstrated a keen awareness of human behavior. The characters might have made immoral choices, but they often had our sympathy anyway. Kathryn Joosten in particular was a delight as disgruntled neighbor Karen McCluskey, a recurring role that earned her several Primetime Emmy awards.

So, if that sounds like the mind balm you're after, then prepare to greet the enigmatic residents of Wisteria Lane, as we detail how to watch Desperate Housewives online from wherever you are.

How to watch Desperate Housewives online from outside your home country

If you find yourself outside your country of residence and struggling to access regional streaming services, chances are that’s due to geo-blocking restrictions – leaving you unable to connect to your preferred VOD platform and therefore binge-watch Desperate Housewives.

Luckily, this doesn’t need to be a drama. Downloading the best VPN will let you watch Desperate Housewives wherever you’re located. This invaluable piece of kit changes your IP address, allowing you to watch all your favorite shows Live or On Demand, just like you were watching from back home…with your husband, gardener, or significant other.

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While there are literally hundreds of VPNs to choose from, our favorite is ExpressVPN. Not only is it quick, intuitive to use, and simple to install, it's compatible with a plethora of devices – Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Xbox, PlayStation, iOS and Android phones, to name just a few.

Plus, ExpressVPN's flexible 30-day money back guarantee is difficult to refuse. And, even better than this, you can purchase a yearly subscription for a 49% discount and 3 months extra FREE – a brilliant deal for an essential bit of software.

Once installed, simply select the location of your home country and click connect. You’ll then be able to watch Desperate Housewives online – a giddy eight seasons – no matter where in the world you’re streaming from.

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How to watch Desperate Housewives online in the US for FREE

Hulu

You can watch all 180 episodes of Desperate Housewives on Hulu. New subscribers are entitled to a 30-day Free Trial before being charged a dime, and you can cancel at any time…allowing avid fans to  enjoy all 8 seasons of the show without leaving a trace on their bank statement.

If this popular platform takes your fancy, then it’s only $5.99 per month for access to an extensive library of (ad-supported) TV shows and movies, which includes The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu Original Little Fires Everywhere, and Academy-Award winning movies like Parasite. If you want to do away with annoying interruptions, then upgrade to Ad-Free Hulu for $6 more each month.

US viewers have another option, though, if they’re reluctant to add another streaming service to their monthly outgoings. IMDB TV is also an ad-supported service but, as a result, its televisual content is completely FREE to view, including the entire Desperate Housewives back catalogue. It also has a selection of films and TV classics old and new, like Schitts Creek, Lost, Ugly Betty, and Bewitched. Thank you IMDB!

If you’re a completist and want the option to watch Desperate Housewives offline, then you can purchase each season via Amazon Video, Google Play, or Vudu for around $14.99 to $19.99.

How to watch Desperate Housewives online in Canada

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Amazon Prime Video is here to help Canadian fans get their hit of Desperate Housewives. They provide a 30-Day Free Trial throughout most of Canada, although Quebec residents are offered two months for the price of one instead of a complete free pass. But the monthly CND$7.99 fee is well worth it. In addition to various perks, you can enjoy the entirety of Desperate Housewives over 60 days, as well as being able to stream Amazon Originals like dark Superhero drama The Boys or the Sci-Fi comedy Upload.

Fans of shows featuring sterling ensemble casts might want to shell out on a digital download. If so, then Apple iTunes and Google Play have Desperate Housewives available to buy for around CND$20 per season.

Don’t forget that, if you find yourself temporarily out of the country, then you can still connect to your Amazon account in Canada by using a VPN.  Just install it and select your home country, and you’ll be free to watch Desperate Housewives online no matter where you are.

How to watch Desperate Housewives online in the UK

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UK fans of the Wisteria Lane-based drama can also get their fix from Amazon Prime Video.  It offers a month-long free trial that gifts viewers access to over 18,000 movies and nearly 2,000 TV shows, as well as premium delivery, unlimited music, and lots more. When your 30 days of no-strings-attached fun ends, you’re charged £7.99 each month. Buy an annual membership, though, and this works out at £6.58 a month instead. And if you’re a student? Count yourself lucky, as you’ll get six months free instead of one.

Amazon also offers the ability to buy individual episodes or whole seasons outright. At between £1.99 and £2.99 per episode – depending on whether you buy it in SD or HD – it’s better value to purchase an entire season, given they usually contain about 20 episodes each. Each season ranges from between £12.99 and £19.99, with the final entry being the priciest. If Amazon isn’t really your bag, then Apple iTunes and Google Play also offer the salacious soap-opera for digital download.

It’s worth reiterating that, if you’re abroad for business or on vacation, downloading ExpressVPN will let you catch up on the affairs of your Desperate Housewives no matter where you are, allowing you to circumvent any geo-blocking restrictions.

How to watch Desperate Housewives online for FREE in Australia

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Drama queens 'down under' might have it best, as all 8 seasons of Desperate Housewives are available to stream and for FREE courtesy of 9Now, the Nine Network’s on demand platform. Just sign-up for a free account to get access to every episode of the deliciously wicked American drama.

But if you’re already a convert, you might want to download the show for keeps. Google Play lets you buy individual episodes or season boxsets at the fixed price of AUS$2.99 per episode, or AUS$22.49 per season.

Daniel Pateman
Daniel Pateman

Daniel Pateman is a freelance writer, producing articles across the cultural spectrum for magazines like Aesthetica, Photomonitor, The Brooklyn Rail and This is Tomorrow. He also provides text-writing services to individual curators and artists worldwide, and has had work published internationally. His favourite film genre is horror (bring on Scream 5!) and he never tires of listening to Absolute 80s on the radio.