Susan Mayer

Biography

Susan Delfino (née Bremmer and formerly Mayer) is a fictional character played by Teri Hatcher on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. The character was created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry. She first appeared in the pilot episode of the series on October 3, 2004, and appeared in every episode until the series finale on May 13, 2012. Susan resides on the fictional Wisteria Lane in Fairview, Eagle State, the primary setting of the show. One of four lead characters, Susan is characterized as being a "notoriously clumsy" romantic with a "magnetic charm." Her storylines tend to focus on her romantic relationships, most notably with Mike Delfino (James Denton), whom she marries twice in the series. Cherry created Susan as a girl next door archetype and intended for the character to provide an emotional anchor for the series. When developing the character, Cherry drew upon his personal experiences as well as those of single women in his life. The role was written for Mary-Louise Parker, who turned it down; as a result, Hatcher was cast in early 2004. Hatcher's portrayal of the character is both comedic and vulnerable. During the series' debut season, both the character and Hatcher's performance received positive critical reception; however, as the series progressed, the character was received less favorably by critics and fans. Hatcher has received both a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance in the series.

== Development and casting == While developing the series, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry envisioned Susan as a girl next door and chose her to convey this image. In the original pilot, the character's surname was spelled "Meyer" but had to be changed to "Mayer" for clearance purposes. Cherry commented, "I knew Susan was going to be my anchor character, and I didn't really know my take on her at first. And then it occurred to me that one of these women should be divorced ... I thought there was something so real about a woman saying, 'I don't have much time left,' and when this available hunky guy moves onto the street, something in her saying 'Let me at him'". The character is a compendium of single mothers in Cherry's life "desperate to land a man". He also drew upon his own personal experiences while creating the character. Julia Louis-Dreyfus expressed interest in the role, but ABC executives felt she was not right for the part. Actors considered for the role include Courteney Cox, Calista Flockhart, Heather Locklear, Mary-Louise Parker, and Sela Ward. Cherry wrote the part with Parker in mind, but she rejected the offer, later explaining "it just didn’t feel like I was gonna [sic] serve it as well as someone else might". Teri Hatcher auditioned for the role in January 2004 and impressed Cherry immediately. After a second audition, Hatcher read for the role in front of network executives. Cherry praised her performance, saying "it was the best audition I've ever seen in network". Hatcher later commented, "I don't think they were hot to hire me for Susan ... I was maybe on a B-list, certainly not an A-list". Despite her reservations, Hatcher was the third reported cast member to have been cast in the series on February 18, 2004.

== Personality and characteristics ==

Susan is primarily characterized as the girl next door. Teri Hatcher stated "I’m not exactly her, but I get her. I get her insecurities, her flaws." She called the character "a great representation of what [everyone] deals with daily. Our responsibilities can be overwhelming and things often don't go as you planned, so you have to roll with it. Susan celebrates rolling with it". She is a hopeless romantic and often expresses her feelings more openly and vulnerably than the other characters in the series. The series begins a year after Susan's first divorce, when she is still emotionally raw. Throughout the series, several other characters have confronted Susan about her inability to live happily and without drama. Susan has a close relationship with her daughter, Julie (Andrea Bowen), who often acts as the parent figure in the relationship. Susan's accident-proneness is commonly used throughout the series to provide comic relief. Her susceptibility to bad luck and embarrassing situations have created some of the series' most memorable moments, including accidentally burning down Edie's house and being locked out of her own house completely naked. Susan's poor cooking skills have also become a running gag in the series.

== Storylines ==

=== Past ===

Susan Bremmer was born on December 8, 1966 and was raised by single mother Sophie Bremmer (Lesley Ann Warren), who told her that her father was a member of the United States Merchant Marine who had died in the Battle of Hanoi during the Vietnam War. She was a cheerleader in high school and graduated as valedictorian of her class. She graduated from community college with an art degree. Eventually, Susan began writing and illustrating children's books, the first of which was Ants in My Picnic Basket. In 1989 Susan married Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi) after two months of dating, and in 1990 gave birth to their only daughter, Julie. The following year, the family moved to Wisteria Lane in Fairview, Eagle State, where Susan quickly befriends Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), her new neighbor. Susan became close friends with Katherine Davis (Dana Delany) and Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) in 1994, however Katherine had to move out one year later. Still, she gained friends in Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) in 1996, and Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) in 2003 when they move to Wisteria Lane. In 2003, Karl had an affair with his secretary, Brandi (Anne Dudek), and ended up falling for her, leaving Susan and abandoning Julie. The two divorced and agreed to share custody of Julie, although the court ruled that Julie would be living with her mother.

=== Season 1 === One year after the divorce, Susan has started to consider dating again, even if that means dating someone who makes fun of her cooking. Susan takes an interest in Mike Delfino (James Denton), a plumber she meets at Mary Alice’s wake, who tells her he has recently moved in the neighborhood, renting the Simms’ house. Susan soon begins dating Mike, despite competing with realtor Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) for his affection. Meanwhile, Susan begins investigating Mary Alice's suicide after she and her friends discover a blackmail letter while putting away her belongings, one week after her funeral. Later, Susan discovers that Mary Alice's husband, Paul (Mark Moses), had their son, Zach (Cody Kasch), committed to a youth mental institution after he broke into the Van de Kamps’ house and decorated it for Christmas, Julie begins corresponding with Zach without Susan's knowledge and hides him in her room when he escapes from the institution. When Susan finds Zach in her home, she and Mike return him to Paul; however, Julie and Zach begin dating. Paul fabricates unconvincing lies to thwart Susan's efforts to discover his family's secrets too. As her relationship with Mike progresses, Susan becomes suspicious of his past, especially when she finds a gun and large sums of money in his kitchen cabinet. Additionally, evidence connecting Mike to the recent murder of a Wisteria Lane resident, Martha Huber (Christine Estabrook), surfaces. Susan ends the relationship when police inform her that Mike was convicted of manslaughter and drug trafficking. However, Susan learns the murder was accidental and the two renew their relationship, with Mike deciding to move in with Susan. While Mike is away on business, Susan finds Zach, armed with a handgun, in Mike's house. He vows to kill Mike when he comes home as he believes Mike killed Paul.