There are plenty of American drama shows focusing on peaceful life with family friends. The roles of familiar characters are obvious: a handsome guy whom the heroine has a crush on, a perfectionist friend, and a friend with an eccentric personality. Sometimes the American sense of humor feels a bit different from that of Korean, and sometimes it is hard to relate to it. In case if you are tired of these “average” dramas, here is a unique drama for you: Desperate Housewives.
  The plot of the story mainly consists of hiding and revealing various villagers’ secrets. On the surface it seems like a drama series on peaceful suburban life with happy neighbors, but once you begin to watch any episode you will be surprised by all the hidden secrets and dramatic reversals, so thrilling and on such a large scale. In terms of practicing English, on the other hand, we can get enough opportunity to learn correct pronunciation and use of Standard English as the background of show is middle-class America.
  The drama covers the life of four housewives living on Wisteria Lane, and when we first meet them it would make us laugh because they somewhat resemble our own mothers. It doesn’t belong to any single specific genre like romance, thriller, mystery, or action---rather, it should be called a mixed genre. The drama deals with not that happy subjects such as fraud, divorce, adultery, death and so on, but it is well structured in terms of plot. Furthermore, each season centers on each main character in turn, concentrating on the character’s life and secrets respectively. Viewers can easily infer the story while they are watching. For example, the main theme of the first season is the suicide of Mary Alice Young, and how the remaining four housewives try to solve the mystery of why she killed herself. Small and disparate events are added to the main story line. 
  The housewives are characterized as having distinctive personalities from each other. First, Bree always seeks perfection with cleaning, cooking, and educating her children. But sometimes it puts her in trouble as it brings about a family feud between Bree and other family members. Second, Susan is a lovely woman despite her clumsy and mistake-prone personality. When you see her talking to her daughter, it’s hard to tell which one is the mother. Third, is Gabrielle. She used to be a fashion model before her marriage and likes to enjoy a freewheeling lifestyle. She’s selfish, but it’s hard to hate her as she is very cute. Finally, there is Lynette. She is a very realistic, rational person who used to be a successful career woman but had to give up her dream for her children. She often comes into conflict with her husband because of it.
  The series premiered in 2004 and ended after its eighth season in 2012, receiving unlimited love and support from Americans viewers. I hope you do not just view this as study material, but enjoy the series as the Americans did. Put aside our everyday Korean dramas for a while and try Desperate Housewives. It can help you study English and come across a new culture as well.