LAST year saw singletons around the globe mourn the loss of Channel 4's must-see show Sex And The City. The final episode where Carrie walked off into the sunset with Big had most female viewers in tears. We were elated for our heroine, but panicked by the thought of life without the girls and our weekly dose of Dior.

But ladies, do not fret; the city has moved to the suburbs. This week saw the Channel 4 premiere of our saviour show, Desperate Housewives, a darkly humorous affair which follows the outwardly perfect lives of the folk of the fictional Wisteria Lane.

Many have branded the show a natural sequel to Sex And The City and the potential scenario if Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha all got married, had kids and moved to the suburbs. Although the Manolo Blahniks have been traded in for pool boys and picket fences, this gem has all the glamour, intrigue and fantasy we require to distract us from the toils of daily life.

The show primarily focuses on the women of Wisteria Lane. Each character has her own trait, from the man-eating divorcee to the frustrated career woman turned "mom" and the trophy wife who has a penchant for sexy gardeners.

Not surprisingly, these racy ladies have already been condemned by feminists everywhere for their portrayal of all the negative female stereotypes imaginable. The right wing US Bible belt has also had its say and branded the show "depraved", but one thing's for sure, the majority of the American public are lapping it up.

Ratings for the show, which launched in the States in autumn, have soared and a similar effect is hoped for in the UK.

Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives, apparently hawked his concept around all the major US TV networks to no avail, until ailing ABC decided to take the plunge. Since then, ABC has not looked back, with average viewing figures for the programme of over 22 million, and commercial advertising sales pitched at $400,000 per 30 seconds.

Thanks to the bored housewives of Wisteria Lane, this once prime-time loser is now America's hottest network.

So what's the attraction of this dark tale of the suburban idyll and why has the show made such an impact?

Could it be that women are empathising with these characters or is it just our desire for a shift back to Knots Landing and the fantasy dramas of the 1980s?

I think it's a bit of both, as well as the whole reassuring notion that behind every portrayal of suburban bliss and perfection, all is not as rosy as it may seem.

Whether we like to admit it or not, even on our own territory and in the suburbs which are familiar to us, tales of adultery, culinary competitiveness and extreme materialism are rampant. I'm sure we can all think of a domestic diva or two on our own doorsteps.

Perhaps women are drawn to this drama because it is liberating to know there is often more to the suburban ideal than meets the eye and that it is ridiculous to believe as modern women we can achieve the domestic perfection displayed in 1950s detergent ads.

As Yorkshire Dales drama Emmerdale celebrated another ratings victory over soap rival EastEnders this Christmas, outstripping the London-based show by three million viewers, perhaps the discerning television connoisseur is rejecting city living viewing in favour of life in the country and the manicured lawns of the suburbs.

Could it be that the success of TV shows today is more an issue of location, location, location?

Updated: 08:33 Saturday, January 08, 2005