Eva Longoria Age When Desperate Housewives Started
Eva Longoria was 29 years old when Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004, having been cast as Gabrielle Solis after a competitive audition process. The series was created by Marc Cherry and produced by Cherry Productions and Touchstone Television, with the pilot ordered by ABC in early 2004 following strong script coverage and network notes. Longoria had moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s, booking guest roles on shows such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Bold and the Beautiful before landing the Desperate Housewives role, which became her breakthrough lead television part. Forbes reported her early career trajectory and salary progression from the pilot season onward.
The pilot was filmed in 2003 at Universal Studios Hollywood and on location in Los Angeles, with casting director Scott Genkinger and executive producers Marc Cherry, Tom Spezialy, and Michael Edelstein overseeing the search for the four leads. Longoria beat out hundreds of actresses for the role of Gabrielle, a materialistic former model married to a wealthy businessman, and her performance was shaped by Cherry’s emphasis on comedic timing and layered character arcs from the first table read. Desperate Housewives premiered to 21.6 million viewers, making it one of the highest-rated new series launches of the 2004–2005 television season and propelling Longoria to international fame within weeks of the first episode airing.
Desperate Housewives Premiere Date and Production Timeline
Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC on October 3, 2004, at 9:00 p.m. ET, following the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy, and the first season consisted of 23 episodes that concluded on May 22, 2005. The show was produced by Cherry Productions in association with Touchstone Television, a Disney-owned studio label, with primary filming at Universal Studios Hollywood and exterior shots of the fictional Wisteria Lane set on Colonial Street in Universal City, California. Disney’s SEC filings from 2005 reference Desperate Housewives as a key content asset for ABC’s primetime lineup.
The series was renewed for a second season shortly after the pilot’s strong ratings and critical reception, with ABC ordering the full 23-episode second season in November 2004, while the first season was still airing. Longoria’s contract for the first season included standard pilot-to-series options and per-episode compensation that rose as the show’s ratings and ratings share among the 18–49 demographic increased. By the end of the first season, Desperate Housewives had won multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations, establishing Longoria, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Marcia Cross as the central ensemble of one of the most-watched scripted series on television.
Eva Longoria Career Before and After Desperate Housewives
Before Desperate Housewives, Eva Longoria appeared in guest roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, The Bold and the Beautiful, and General Hospital, and had a recurring part on The Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2003