Desperate Housewives is an exaggerated look at the dark secrets of suburbia – in this case those surrounding the mysterious suicide of a well-known and loved housewife living on the fictitious Wisteria Lane.

One of the most lauded new shows on TV, Desperate Housewives is so chock-full of scandal and drama that the DVD is the only real way to keep tabs on the residents of Wisteria Lane. A warning, though, to anyone who has a lot of work to do and plans on picking up this DVD: You won’t be able to stop watching. With no commercials, viewers get to watch episodes back-to-back (or in my friends’ and my case this weekend, back-to-back-to-back-to-back) and watch dozens of horrendously enticing storylines unfold.

The extras included with the series are plentiful, but pretty light. There are, of course, the standard extended and deleted scenes. Most entertaining are “Dressing Wisteria Lane” and “Desperate Housewives Around the World” – short segments that take an inside look at the housewives’ wardrobes and their roaring international popularity. Though entertaining, the real treat in this set is the episodes themselves.

– Caitlin Smith