It's really a pretty good show.
I assumed it was another stupid "reality show" and I would never even think about watching it.
I was sitting with my wife when it came on a couple weeks ago and watched it with her. It's actually very good and very funny.
I would describe it as a bit of a spoof on the daytime soaps. Where daytime soaps take a year to have a character change their shoes, Desperate Housewives has about a years worth of living crammed in before the opening credits.
I was watching it the other night and the domestic partner comes through prepared to scoff at me.
ten minutes later he's still standing there watching and asking me a bunch of crap like, "who's she?" "what did he do?"
It's definitely tongue in cheek. (and many other places as well.