Here is the overall synopsis for I Love Lucy:
Cuban-born bandleader, Ricky Ricardo, and his wife, Lucy, live in a Brownstone apartment building on East 68th Street in New York City. The beautiful but daffy Lucy has the nasty habit of getting into jams, scrapes, and predicaments of all kinds. The Ricardos' best friends and landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz, frequently find themselves in the middle of Lucy's outlandish escapades, whether she's plotting to land a part in her husband's nightclub act, determined to write her first novel, or concocting yet another sure-fire "get-rich-quick" scheme (tv.com).
Here is the overall synopsis for Desperate Housewives: Main focus being Season 1
Bree Van De Camp is the stereotypical stepford wife, or, according to her husband Rex, their life runs like a “detergent commercial.” Susan Mayer is the recently divorced, single mother who is domestically impaired. Gabrielle Solis fits the role of the trophy wife, who receives extravagant gifts from her rich husband, Carlos. Lastly, Lynette Scavo, who was once a powerful corporate woman, is presently a stay at home mother, raising four children under the age of six.
Do you see a parallel between the two shows?
Each of the four main characters in Desperate Housewives, is a component in creating the classic housewife.
The Parallel:
Bree Van De Kamp: The domestic side of Lucy
Perfect 50s Stepford Wife, old fashioned, cooks, stay at home mother
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Lucy:
50s housewife, cooks, cleans, homemaker
Lynette Scavo: The stay at home mother of Lucy
Children under the age of 6, cares for the kids, cooks, unconventional
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Lucy:
Child Little Ricky, cares for Ricky at home
Gabrielle Solis: The money spending side of Lucy
Shopping, manicures, grooming, spending husband Carlos' money without his acknowledgement
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Lucy:
Quick money making schemes, Ricky constantly yelling at her for spending money on dresses, beauty salon
Susan Mayer: The slapstick/physical situation side of Lucy
Antics include: sneaking in people's homes, locked out of home naked, falling in thorn bushes
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Lucy:
Antics include: dressing as Superman and locking herself outside on window sill, locking herself in freezer
Here is why Desperate Housewives is a hit show, and why I Love Lucy made it happen.
