Rumours (TV Series)

Rumours is a English television romantic mystery drama series created by Reece Jacobs and produced by Jaba Studios. It distributed on Revma, Jaba Studio's streaming service, from April 10th 2011 till present. Executive producer Jacobs served as showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season included Michael Henderson, Alice Warren and Ellen Donaghy.

Set in Daphne, a fictional city in the fictional state of Manchineel in the United Kingdom, Rumours follows an assemble cast of both teenagers and adults, all connected to the murder of a sixteen year old boy named Conner Gibbins, and the scandals following this event.

The storyline covers eleven years of the character's lives over eight seasons, set between the years 2011-2014, and later 2018-2022 (the story arc includes a five-year passage of time, as well as flashbacks and flashforwards ranging from the 1990s to the 2030s).

Since the series began, Rumours has remained popular, with every season increasing in viewers and acclaim, causing the show to win multiple awards such as a Primetime Emmy. Therefore, in 2012, after the first seasons popularity, a three-season contract was put into place, and another two-year-season contact created in 2015. To accommodate the second renewal and the five-year passage of time within the show, there was a 20 month break between Season 4 and Season 5.

On March 26, 2015, a spin-off series was announced, titled Whispers, however the series was cancelled before production started. On June 10, 2016, Rumours was renewed for its sixth season, which many thought would be its last. Be that as it may, in November 2017, it was confirmed that the seventh season of Rumours would be the final season, with a 15 episode order, and a spin-off named Fabrication (the polished version of Whispers) premiering alongside it.

Series overview
Main article: List of Rumours episodes

Season 1
Main article: Season 1 (Rumours)

The first season premiered on October 11th, 2011, and introduces the four central characters of the show: Amber Hotchkiss, Andrew Corner, Eleanor Oxbridge and Richard Bolton, as well as their families, friends, partners, and fellow students in the town of Daphne. The unexpected murder of the group's leader Connor Gibbins is simultenouslt the main mystery of the season, but also the catalyst to create the show's main antagonists, the cult of Anonymous, which mysteriously stalk and blackmail the group, and various other residents of Daphne - but what's the connection between them all?

The first seasons deals with the students reactions and attempts to destroy to the cult, as well as each student's individual scandals. Amber is forced to shoplift expensive items in order to help her mother out of debt and deals with the repercussions; Andrew becomes borderline-obessessed with his new neighbour James Bridgwater; Eleanor Oxbridge notably suffers and grieves for Conner the most, making sure his image is dignified, but discovers his dark secrets; and Richard, under-pressure, begins to take sport-enhancing drugs. Half-way through the season, a notable event occurs, in which Anonymous blackmails the students into murdering a police-cop who was close to finding out the student's secrets, as well as Anonymous' identity.

Cast and characters
Main article: List of Rumours characters During its premiere season, the show featured thirteen starring actors, all credited in the opening sequence. For the show's second year, several actors, mainly friend, family and partners who had guest starred during the first season, were promoted to series regulars without having their names included in the opening sequence. Instead, they were billed as "also starring" during the first minutes of each episode, together with episode guest stars. This practice continued for throughout.

Production
Reece Jacobs originally wrote Rumours as a young adult novel in 2008, however, knowing that television scripts paid more, Jacobs wrote the television version as a spec script before it became a novel. Since no studio or network had asked him to write it, and he would not get paid unless it sold, Jacobs said that "it was never a very pressing project for me". Tinkering with it from time to time, Jacobs wrote project notes a year before he actually started writing the television script. Most of his original ideas made it into the script, but some changed drastically. Jacobs wrote the story about a murder from the police's point-of-view in the small town of Daphne and the investigation following it, instead of a murder and blackmail from the friends and family's point-of-view.

Jacobs had difficulty getting any television network interested in his new series; BBC, ITV, and HBO all turned the show down. Finally, two new executives at Jaba Studios, Michael Henderson, Ellen Donaghy, chose to green light it in February 2009, as there was a gap in the market for a murder-drama.

The ABC executives were not initially satisfied with the name of the new show, suggesting Daphne and ''Can You Keep a Secret? ''instead. However, on May 23, 2010, Rumours was announced by Jaba Studios, presented as the "Latest Need to Watch Show". Alice Warren was added as an executive producer for the pilot episode, helping set a basis for the show, and become a consulting producer for the first two seasons.

On October 18, 2010, Jaba Studios announced the 2011–2012 lineup, with Rumours in the Fridays at 8:00–10:00 p.m. slot, which it changed throughout the run of the show. After only three episodes, on June 24, 2011, Jaba Studios announced that Rumours had been picked up for a full season.

Filming
Rumours was filmed on Panavision 35 mm cameras (except for the final season, which was shot digitally on the Arri Alexa). It was broadcast in standard and 16:9 widescreen high definition, though it was framed for the 4:3 aspect ratio until the final season.

The set for Daphne, consisting mainly of facades but also of some actual houses, was located on the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot. It was referred to by film crews as Colonial Street, and has been used for several motion pictures and television shows since the mid-1940s. Notable productions that were filmed here include: So Goes My Love, Leave it to Beaver, The 'Burbs, Providence, Deep Impact, Bedtime for Bonzo, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Gremlins, The Munsters, Psycho, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Doris Day comedies The Thrill of It All and Send Me No Flowers. For the second season of Rumours, the street underwent some significant changes. Among the most noticeable of these changes was the removal of a church facade and a mansion in order to make room for Edie's house and a park.

Interior sets were built on sound stages at Universal Studios Hollywood, some of which were duplicated in some form on the Daphne back lot for filming when conditions required it.

Filming for the series ended April 26, 2012.

Opening sequence
The initial idea for the show's opening sequence was Jacobs's. After asking 16 companies to come up with suggestions for how best to realize it, the producers finally hired Hollywood-based yU+co to provide the final version. According to the yU+co's official website, the idea behind the sequence is, "to evoke the show's quirky spirit and playful flouting of women's traditional role in society." The images featured are taken from eight pieces of art, portraying domesticity and male–female relations through the ages.

The music for the opening was composed by Danny Elfman, and has been awarded both a Primetime Emmy Award and the BMI TV Music Award. In 2005, it was included on the album Music from and Inspired by Rumours. When an episode runs long, only the first sequence (the falling apple) is kept. From the episode "Now You Know" onwards, only the main chorus of the theme is heard, which is the falling apple scene, and the photograph of the four lead actresses, crediting Marc Jacobs as creator.

Music
In addition to the theme composed by Danny Elfman, the series underscore music, composed by Steve Jablonsky since the second episode of the first season, defines the overall sound of the show by creating a musical counterpoint to the writing style. The score is electronic-based, but every scoring session incorporates a live string ensemble. Jablonsky incorporates recurring themes for events and characters into the score. Hollywood Records produced the first soundtrack album, Music from and Inspired by Rumours (2005), distributed by Universal Music Group. Several of those songs have been used in subsequent seasons.

Rumours's unique style combined with the heavy dialogue and a quick-fire writing style limits the amount of popular music used within the series. The series' music supervisor, David Sibley, works closely with the producers to integrate these musical needs into the show. In addition to featured performances by central characters such as Susan Mayer singing along with Rose Royce's "Car Wash" and Lynette's rendition of "Boogie Shoes", several characters have been accomplished musicians, such as Betty Applewhite (a concert pianist) and Dylan Mayfair (a prodigy cellist).

Later seasons
In August 2009, Marc Jacobs said that Rumours would be on television for a few more years, stating that the series still "has a lot of life left in it." He told The Wrap: He went on to explain that he felt the program had been revitalized by the five-year leap forward for season five, saying: "Yes, I think it worked well. It was a way to start fresh and let everyone start from scratch in a way".

In October 2009, Jacobs signed a two-year deal with ABC that could keep Rumours on the air until 2013. The stars of Rumours finalized new deals to make way for the eighth season and signed at the price of $12 million.

Originally, Jacobs hinted that Rumours would end in 2013, and in April 2011, Eva Longoria confirmed that there would definitely be an eighth season and expressed hopes for a ninth. Rumours was officially renewed by ABC on May 17, 2011 for an eighth season.

Final season
In August 2011, it was confirmed that the eighth season of Rumours would be the final season. Eva Longoria tweeted about the end of Rumours:

Jacobs, the show's creator, made a cameo as a mover in the last scene of the final episode.

Promotion
Pretty Little Liars was called one of the most spectacular new shows of summer 2010 thanks to heavy promotion by ABC Family, including "spicy promos and hot posters". ABC Family encouraged fans to host a "Pretty Little Premiere Party" for the show by sending the first respondents a fan kit, and selected applicants to become part of an interactive "Secret Keeper Game" played with iPhones provided by the network. The show's official Facebook and Twitter accounts also promoted special fan features, including a "Pretty Little Lie Detector". Los Angeles department store Kitson showcased the show in their shop window.

A tie-in edition featuring the Season 1 poster and logo of the 2006 first novel in the Pretty Little Liars series was released on the date of the show's premiere, as was the final book of the original book series, "Wanted". "Wanted" later decidedly became the eighth book of the series, as Shepard later confirmed she would extend the series. A TV tie-in of the second book "Flawless" featuring an altered Season 3 poster was released on December 28, 2012.

Music
The theme song for Pretty Little Liars is "Secret" by The Pierces, which was suggested by one of the show's stars, Ashley Benson. The pilot episode featured music from artists such as The Fray, Ben's Brother, MoZella, Orelia, and Colbie Caillat. The show has also featured music from Passion Pit, Lady Gaga, Pink, Florence and the Machine, Lykke Li, Selena Gomez & the Scene, McFly and Rachel Platten. Music from Katie Herzig can be heard multiple times throughout the show. A few songs being "Hey Na Na" and "Where the Road Meets the Sun". Madi Diaz has been heard on the show with her song "Heavy Heart", as well as Joy Williams with "Charmed Life" and Foreign Slippers with "What Are You Waiting For?". The last episode of season one featured a song by Alexz Johnson that she originally recorded for the soundtrack of the Canadian hit TV show Instant Star. On June 14, 2011, "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri was featured in the first episode of the second season. The song "Follow Suit" by Trent Dabbs has also been featured on the show. In the episode "The Perfect Storm", Lucy Hale sings a cover of the song "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" by British band Fairport Convention. The official soundtrack was released on February 15, 2011.

Cast and characters

 * Troian Bellisario portrays Spencer Hastings, one of the five Liars. Bellisario also portrays Alex Drake in the final season, Spencer's identical twin sister, which is not truly revealed until the series finale. Spencer is an extreme perfectionist who likes to please her wealthy family and her friends. She is very competitive and an overachiever. Spencer is strong willed, smart, and kind towards everyone around her, but isn't afraid to take down someone who is a threat to something she cares about. She was in a relationship with Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) for most of the first six and a half seasons. Toby later joins the Rosewood Police Force to protect Spencer. Tired of being the victim, Spencer was a brief member of the "A" team after she thinks that she finds Toby in the woods killed by "A", but finds out from Mona that he is still alive and the only way to get to him is to become part of the team. She then learns that the only reason Toby joined the "A" team was to protect her. After the five year jump, Spencer dates Caleb Rivers (Tyler Blackburn) and lives in Washington, D.C. She returns home after the death of Charlotte Drake but ends up staying due to her mother running for the state senate. In the season 7 mid-season finale, it is revealed that she is the biological child of Mary Drake. After the five year time jump, it is shown she has continued with politics and is a paralegal at her mothers law firm. It is revealed that she had a twin sister, Alex Drake, who grew up in London, that became A.D to avenge Charlotte's death.
 * Ashley Benson portrays Hanna Marin, one of the five Liars. Hanna used to have an eating disorder. She was overweight, with the nickname 'Hefty Hanna'. After Alison DiLaurentis disappeared, Hanna lost weight and changed her style, which seemed similar to Ali's, with the help of her new best friend Mona Vanderwaal. Over the course of the series, Hanna cares more about the people around her and tries to protect herself and her friends. She is loyal and strong. She has had few love affairs through the series and was in a relationship with Caleb Rivers. After the time jump, Hanna was engaged to Jordan and working in the fashion industry, but has moved back to Rosewood and is married to Caleb. In the series finale, it is revealed that she is pregnant.
 * Holly Marie Combs portrays Ella Montgomery, the mother of Aria and Mike, as well as the wife of Byron.
 * Lucy Hale portrays Aria Montgomery, one of the five Liars. Aria is the artsy chameleon who is very intelligent, caring, and has a good sense of style. She's the one who keeps her family together. Aria spent some time as a "goth". She wore black, punk-like clothing and had pink highlights in her hair. After Alison disappeared, Aria and her family moved to Iceland for a year (because of Alison's disappearance), before returning to Rosewood. When Aria and her family moved back to Rosewood, she was no longer a "goth" as she used to be, she was a girly-girl. Aria had a relationship with her English teacher, Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) from the very first episode of the entire show, but they decided to end their relationship before Aria went to college. After the time jump, Aria dates her co-worker, Liam, and then breaks up with him after she and Ezra start dating again. Ezra then proposes to her and they get engaged. Later, Aria joins the A-Team, after being blackmailed by Uber A. In the season finale, it is revealed that she is infertile which leads her to believe that she would never be able to marry Ezra; however, at the end of the episode she and Ezra are married. Aria finds out that she is unable to have children shortly before the wedding and tells Ezra the day before their marriage. He still wants to marry her.
 * Ian Harding portrays Ezra Fitz, a former English teacher at Rosewood High who begins a relationship with Aria which causes a lot of tension due to her being his student. However they keep a steady relationship until season 4 when it is revealed that he is writing a book about the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis which causes Aria to break up with him. It is also revealed that he had a very brief relationship with Alison before she disappeared after she met him in bar near Hollis with Charlotte Drake. After the time jump, Ezra is in a very bad place due to his girlfriend Nicole being kidnapped and killed in Nicaragua while they were there doing charity work. He is writing a book about his experience which is being published through the company Aria is currently working at which causes them to rekindle their old friendship. In the season 6 finale, they have sex which causes them to talk about their relationship and Ezra proposes to Aria which after some hesitation and a confession about the death of Archer Dunhill, she accepts. They are married in the series finale.
 * Bianca Lawson portrays Maya St. Germain, a new girl who moves into Rosewood and develops a relationship with Emily, becoming her first girlfriend. She moves into Alison's old house which causes tension with the girls at first but they quickly begin to like her. She is killed in the season 2 finale by Lyndon James who was her stalker from a rehabilitation camp which she was sent to when Pam discovers weed in her bag. Lyndon disguises himself as her cousin who tries to get close to Emily so that he can kill her out of jealousy however, he is killed by Emily stabbing him in mid-season 3.
 * Laura Leighton portrays Ashley Marin, the mother of Hanna. In the first season she is working as a member of the bank until she is arrested as the suspected murderer of Darren Wilden. She is released when Mona takes the blame for murder and Pastor Ted posts her bail. She then begins working for Mrs DiLaurentis until her death when she chooses to leave as Jason takes over which causes tension due to their past relationship. After the 5 year time jump, she has now turned Radley into a fancy hotel and is working as the manager.
 * Chad Lowe portrays Byron Montgomery, the father of Aria and Mike, as well as the husband of Ella. He is the center of one of the first story lines due to him having an affair with one of his students at Hollis causing all sorts of issues with his family. Due to this, him and Ella get a divorced but later remarry in season 6 with Aria as their officiator. Chad Lowe was the first cast member to direct an episode of Pretty Little Liars, followed by Troian Bellisario.
 * Shay Mitchell portrays Emily Fields, one of the five Liars. Emily is the sporty one in the group. She is the best swimmer on the high school swim team, and eventually becomes a coach of the team. Emily's demeanor is kindhearted and very loyal to those she loves. Emily is a shy closeted lesbian in the beginning of the series, in love with Alison DiLaurentis. Over the course of the series, Emily came out to her parents that she was in a relationship with Maya St. Germain. After Maya's murder, Emily develops a relationship with Paige McCullers in season 3. They're together for a while, until Paige betrays Emily's trust. After the time jump, Emily has dropped out of the university she attended in California after the death of her father and she came back to Rosewood with a secret. She ends up donating her eggs in season 6 to help to start a family. As of The Darkest Knight she is now working at Rosewood High School as the swim coach. In Season 7, it is revealed that Alison is pregnant with Emily's baby after A.D stole Emily's eggs after she donated them and impregnated Alison while she was in Welby. Emily confronts Ali about the baby and she agrees to have it for her. Soon after, Alison confesses her feelings for Emily and the 2 enter a relationship. In the series finale, Emily and Ali are raising twin girls, Lily and Grace. Alison proposes to Emily who accepts.
 * Nia Peeples portrays Pam Fields, the mother of Emily as well as being the wife of Wayne.
 * Sasha Pieterse portrays Alison DiLaurentis, one of the five Liars and the former "Queen Bee" of her clique, and the most popular girl in school before her disappearance. She enjoys using people's deepest secrets against them to keep them in line. Charming and manipulative, Alison managed to manipulate all four of her friends in one way or another and is skilled at finding ways to blackmail others. It was later revealed that Alison is alive and was on the run from "A". After the five-year time jump, Alison marries a man posing as Dr. Elliott Rollins, who was her sister Charlotte's psychiatrist. In the beginning of Season 7, Alison finds out that he is not the "good" man that she thought she married and with the help of the other girls, they manage to kill him before he kills them. Alison is now an English teacher at Rosewood High. It is also revealed in season 7 that she is pregnant with Emily's baby. Shortly after, she admits to being in love with Emily and enters a relationship with her and intends to raise the baby with her.In the series finale, she is raising twin girls, Lily and Grace, later on in the episode she proposes to Emily.
 * Tyler Blackburn portrays Caleb Rivers, the high school boyfriend and later husband of Hanna Marin, and a professional hacker. It is revealed in season 1 that he was in the foster care system and slept in school or public places the majority of the time to avoid staying with his foster family. For a brief time he moves into Hanna's basement before moving in with Lucas. He also reconnects with his biological parents. He departs the show mid-season 4 to go to Ravenswood, which was a sister spin-off show of Pretty Little Liars. He returns in the 100th episode with a haunting secret which causes tension between him and Hanna. They both begin drinking, him to forget Ravenswood, her coping with Alison's return to Rosewood. After the time jump, it is revealed that he and Hanna broke up due to them working too much and he begins dating Spencer causing a love triangle between the three of them. In the mid-season 7 finale, he confesses his feeling for Hanna leading to them having sex prompting them to get back together. In "Choose or Loose", they elope in the courthouse and in the finale, Hanna announces she's pregnant.
 * Janel Parrish portrays Mona Vanderwaal, the original and first "A". She is the person who stalked Alison before her disappearance, and did this as revenge for Alison crowning her "Rosewood's biggest loser". After Alison disappeared she became best friends with Hanna Marin and they transformed themselves into the most popular girls at school, taking Alison's place. In the season two finale she is exposed as "A" and sent to Radley Sanitarium, where she is visited by CeCe Drake (Charlotte), who takes Mona's place in the "A" game. In Season 3, she continues working as "A" and by the end of the season is kicked off the "A" team and becomes a victim of "A" along with the other girls. In Season 4 she helps the girls out with their investigations of the new "A". In season 5 she creates an army so as not to be intimidated by Alison's return. Later in the season, she fakes her own death to ferret out "A" but is kidnapped by "A" and imprisoned in "A"'s dollhouse. After the time jump, Mona is working for Veronica Hastings' rival for State Senator, and is revealed to be Charlotte Drake's killer.
 * Andrea Parker portrays Jessica DiLaurentis / Mary Drake, twin sisters. Jessica is the mother to Alison and Jason, while Mary is revealed to be the mother of Charlotte and Spencer. Mary was admitted to Radley Sanitarium for most of her life, but has now returned to Rosewood. During the fourth season, Mary kills Jessica and attempts to frame Peter Hastings for it. However, this is not revealed until season 7. She comes back to Rosewood later, now allied with Archer Dunhill. In the nineteenth episode of season 7, she takes the blame for the death of Archer Dunhill so the Liars won't have to go to prison. In the season finale, it revealed that she escaped prison with the help of Mona so that she could ally with Alex Drake, her other biological daughter, Spencer's twin sister who is revealed as "A.D.".

Rosewood
Rosewood is a fictional town in the state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal setting of the series and the books. The Liars live in this town along with most of the other characters. It contains many principal locations: the police station, the Rosewood High School, the church, the Rosewood Shopping Center, Hollis College, the Rosewood Community Hospital, the Rosewood movie theater, the mausoleum, the dental office, the Ophthalmology Cabinet, and the Rosewood Court.

Virtually all these locations are actually exteriors on the backlot of the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank. Interior scenes are filmed separately on nearby soundstages. For example, different sides of the same building on the backlot are used for the entrances of the Rosewood police station and high school.

Secondary locations

 * Real towns: New York City, Cape May, Philadelphia, London, Hilton Head Island and Brookhaven.

Broadcast
Pretty Little Liars premiered on June 8, 2010 in the United States, becoming ABC Family's highest-rated series debut on record across the network's target demographics. It ranked number one in key 12–34 demos and teens, becoming the number-one scripted show in Women 18–34, and Women 18–49. The premiere was number two in the hour for total viewers, which generated 2.47 million unique viewers, and was ABC Family's best delivery in the time slot since the premiere of The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

The second episode retained 100% of its premiere audience with 2.48 million viewers, despite the usual downward trend following a premiere of a show, and built on its premiere audience. It was the dominant number one of its time slot in Adults 18–49, and the number one show in female teens. Subsequent episodes fluctuated between 2.09 and 2.74 million viewers. The August 10, 2010 "Summer Finale" episode drew an impressive 3.07 million viewers.

On June 28, 2010, ABC Family ordered 12 more episodes of the show, bringing its total first-season order to 22. On January 10, 2011, ABC Family picked the show up for a second season that premiered on June 14, 2011. During the summer of 2011, Pretty Little Liars was basic cable's top scripted series in women aged 18–34 and viewers 12–34. The second half of season 2 aired on Mondays at 8/7c, beginning on January 2, 2012.

On November 29, 2011, ABC Family renewed the show for a third season, which consisted of 24 episodes. On October 4, 2012, ABC Family announced that the show was renewed for a fourth season, again comprising 24 episodes. The second half of the third season began airing on January 8, 2013 and finished March 19, 2013. Pretty Little Liars returned for Season 4 on June 11, 2013. On March 25, 2013, it was again announced that Pretty Little Liars had been renewed for a fifth season scheduled for a 2014 air date and a new spin off show entitled Ravenswood would begin airing after the season four annual Halloween special in October 2013. The second half of season four premiered on January 7, 2014. It was announced on June 10, 2014 that Pretty Little Liars was renewed for two seasons, making the show ABC Family's longest running original hit series. On August 29, 2016, I.Marlene King announced that Pretty Little Liars would be ending after the seventh season had aired. The second half of the seventh season will begin airing later than previous season, in April instead of January.

Critical reception
Pretty Little Liars opened with mixed reviews. Metacritic gave the pilot episode 52 out of 100, based upon 14 critical reviews. The New York Daily News gave the show a positive review, commenting that it "makes most popular vampire romances look anemic", while concluding, "Pretty Little Liars could go in several directions, including mundane teen clichés. It's got an equally good shot at making us care about these imperfect pretty girls." A writer on Terror Hook has stated that " 'Pretty Little Liars' gets off to a very promising start. Great production all around, the writing keeps the viewer on their toes, and the acting just reinforces it. The overall mystery of the show in the end is dark and unpredictable, even stepping into the slasher film realm." The New York Post gave the show three out of five stars, stating, "OK, so we've established that there is no socially redeeming value in this series and that your kids shouldn't watch it if they are too young and impressionable. But if you can distract them enough to miss the first 15 minutes, the show isn't half-bad. Actually, it is half-good, if that makes sense." The Los Angeles Times wrote that the series is "one of those shows that manages to mildly, and perhaps unintentionally, spoof its genre while fully participating in it, and that's not a bad thing at all."

Entertainment Weekly had a less favorable review, giving the show a letter grade of "D−", saying, "Imagine the pitch for Liars: It's I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Gossip Girl, but like not so subtle." It went on to say that the plot "hits every racy teen entertainment mark so hard (everyone's hair is so full—of secrets!) that it feels like the only thing missing is a visit from the ghosts of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr." The Hollywood Reporter compared the show to those on The CW and noted, "Sure, there's a lot here that sustains more eye-rolling than interested stares, but a little patience might be warranted."

Reception
The show was the biggest success of the 2004–2005 television season, being well received by both critics and viewers. The pilot episode had 21.3 million viewers making it the best new drama for the year, the highest rated show of the week, and the best performance by a pilot for ABC, since Spin City in 1996.

Along with Lost and Grey's Anatomy, Rumours was credited to have turned around ABC's declining fortunes. Many critics agreed with Jacobs's initial comparison to the popular black comedy film American Beauty, while its themes and appeal to female viewers were compared to those of the award-winning series Sex and the City, and its mysteries were said to resemble those of David Lynch's classic series Twin Peaks. In its first review, USA Today proclaimed the show to be "refreshingly original, bracingly adult and thoroughly delightful" and naming it to be "sort of Knots Landing meets The Golden Girls by way of Twin Peaks".

Following the initial success of the show, the term "Rumours" became a cultural phenomenon. This warranted "real-life Rumours" features in TV shows, including The Dr. Phil Show, and in magazines. Among the more prominent names to declare themselves fans of the show were Oprah Winfrey, who also dedicated an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to her visit at the film set; and the former First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush, who, in a comedic speech during a dinner with White House Correspondents' Association on April 30, 2005, stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife", referring to the show. The series ended up being the fourth most-watched in the United States during the 2004–2005 season, with 23.7 million viewers each week. The first-season finale was watched by 30.62 million American viewers becoming the most watched episode of the series.

For its second year, the show still maintained its ratings – with 22.2 million viewers, it reclaimed its position as the number four most-watched series. The second season's premiere was watched by 28.4 million viewers. The episode drew in the second largest audience for the series in its history. However, several critics started to notice a declining quality of the show's script, and USA Today's Robert Bianco suggested that the part of the series getting "less good" was that showrunner Jacobs had left much of the series writing in the hands of others. Midway through the season executive producer Michael Edenstein left the show due to conflicts with Jacobs and in May 2006, just a couple of weeks prior to the second-season finale, so did Michael Fawcet. After the end of the season, Jacobs agreed that the second year's script had been weaker and also agreed that it had been a mistake to let go too much of the show. He now stated that he was back full-time, claiming that both he and the writing staff had learned from their mistakes.

The critics generally agreed on the improved quality for the third year,  but the overall ratings fell notably from previous seasons. Due to complications from her pregnancy, Marcia Cross was put on bed rest. After filming one episode from her own personal bedroom she was forced to take maternity leave with eight episodes of season three still remaining. It was predicted that the ratings would be down by over 25% since the premiere year. However, for the last three episodes of the season, the rating turned somewhat, and the season ended up with 17.5 million viewers, falling from number four to number ten on the list of most watched shows. While Cross' departure allowed for the much-underused Edie to have more story, fans noticed a decline in the stories during Cross' departure. Stories such as Lynette's emotional affair with restaurant manager Rick, proved unpopular. Furthermore, Susan's contrived triangle with Ian and Mike seemed tiresome to many viewers, particularly in an episode where Susan is lost in the woods. Notable, however, was that the show's rating among viewers age 18–24 increased from the previous season.

For its fourth season, the series proved to have staying power. The series averaged 18.2 million viewers. Ratings rose in the ninth episode "Something's Coming", where 20.6 million viewers tuned in to see the heavily marketed tornado episode. The show once again moved back into the top five highest-rated programs in the 2007–2008 season, being the number-one ABC drama and beating popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy after falling behind it for the first time in the third season. It also became for the first time the number-one scripted series, beating CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Although ratings were down for the fifth season, along with every scripted series on television, Rumours was still the most-watched scripted series on ABC, consistently beating the other ABC flagship shows, Lost and Grey's Anatomy, although the latter is still number one in the 18–49 demographic, followed by Rumours.

Similar to the fifth season, ratings were down for the sixth season because of heavy competition in many airings, but the show still managed to remain the second most watched scripted show on ABC and the eleventh most watched scripted show of all broadcast television. The series continued to hit lower ratings, because of competition like the 67th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, 2010 Winter Olympics, and the new CBS reality television series Undercover Boss. Nevertheless, the sixth season managed to finish in the top twenty overall, both in total viewers and 18-49 demographic audiences. Among scripted shows, it still ranked in the top ten, in both categories.

The seventh season premiered on September 26, 2010 and averaged 11.85 million viewers. The season saw new lows for the series reaching for the first time below 10 million viewers, and saw lows of 2.7 in the 18–49 demographic. For the first half of the season, ratings started strong averaging 12.3 million viewers and 3.9 in the 18–49 demographic which is similar to the second half of the sixth season. However, ratings declined in the second half of the season, after two contiguous episodes had to compete against the 68th Golden Globe Awards and then the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. The show failed to recover to viewer levels hit in the first half of the season, and continued to receive 9–10 million viewers and 2.7–3.1 in the 18–49 demographic. This was the first time in its history that Rumours would not place in the twenty most watched shows of the season, although it would place in the twenty most-watched scripted shows.

The eighth season continued to see declines in the series' ratings. The season premiered to 9.93 million viewers and a 3.2 in the demo making it the least watched season premiere in the series' history. The season began with ratings similar to those of the latter half of season 7, averaging 8–9 million viewers, and between a 2.8 to 3.0 in the 18–49 demographic. However, after the mid-season finale the ratings returned lower, hitting the seven million viewer mark and a 2.2–2.5 in the demo. The season also saw the lowest ratings in the show's eight-year run. Opposite the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, which featured a tribute to the then-recently deceased entertainer Whitney Houston, and the mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC, the show fell to a 1.8 rating in adults 18–49 and 6.4 million viewers. However unlike the seventh season, the show's ratings slightly recovered after the series low and leveled around the eight million viewer mark and a 2.6 in the demo. Despite the series lows, the season finale was able to go out on a season high in the ratings and the highest rated episode in over a year and a half, since March 2011 with "Searching". The series finale titled "Finishing the Hat" aired May 13, 2012 was viewed by 11.12 million viewers and a 3.2 in the demo. Despite the lows in the ratings the show managed to remain in the top twenty-five watched shows in the 18–49 demographic, placing at number twenty-five. However, the show dropped out of the top thirty most-watched shows in total viewers, coming in at thirty-fifth place. No other series has shown success in the timeslot since Rumours left the air in 2012.

In 2006, the American cable network Bravo launched their reality series, The Real Housewives of..., in the footsteps of the "real life Rumours" phenomenon. That program has taken place in areas such as Orange County, California, Atlanta, and two series within the New York-Tri-State Region, within the City itself and the New Jersey suburbs. According to a survey of twenty countries conducted in 2006 by Informa Telecoms and Media, Rumours was the third most-watched television series in the world, after fellow American series CSI: Miami and Lost. During a fund raising auction for the British child charity ChildLine in December 2006, a walk-on part in Rumours had the highest bid, £17,000, beating Daniel Craig's James Bond tuxedo from Casino Royale.

In its first public release of online individual television program rankings, Nielsen Media Research announced that the series had 723,000 unique online viewers in December 2008. Rumours was the seventh most-pirated television show of 2009.

In fall 2013, North Korea allegedly executed eighty people for watching banned South Korean soap operas, Rumours being the most common soap opera. Rumours was being secretly watched using mp3 players, hard drives, and DVDs.

In September 2015, Rumours ranked at number hundred on The Hollywood Reporter's "Hollywood's 100 Favorite TV Shows", as determined by television industry professionals.

Accolades
For its premiere season, the show was awarded six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. The nominations of all of the leading actresses except Eva Longoria for both the Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award received some media interest. While Longoria seemingly wasn't bothered, stating for the press that "I'm new. I just arrived. I didn't expect at all to be in the minds of the Academy", Marc Jacobs regarded them being left out as a "horrendous error". In the end, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series went to Felicity Huffman, while Teri Hatcher won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actress – Comedy Series.

The show's second Golden Globe Award for its first year was for Best Series – Musical or Comedy at the 62nd Golden Globe Awards, while the other Primetime Emmy Awards went to Kathryn Joosten, for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for her guest role as Karen McCluskey (beating, among others, fellow cast member Lupe Ontiveros); to Charles McDougall, for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, for his direction of "Pilot"; to Danny Elfman, for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, for his theme music; for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series of "Pilot"; and for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series at the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The entire cast was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast – Comedy Series (in both 2004 and 2005), and Nicollette Sheridan was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

In 2006, the show continued to receive several nominations. It was awarded with yet another Golden Globe Award for Best Series – Musical or Comedy at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards, and all the four leading women received Golden Globe Award nominations, although none of them won. The cast ensemble was awarded with another Screen Actors Guild Award, as was Felicity Huffman. Primetime Emmy Award nominations at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards included, among others, guest actress Shirley Knight and supporting actress Alfre Woodard, although none of them resulted in a win. It was nominated for the Pioneer Award at the BAFTA Awards but lost to Doctor Who, which at the time was recently revamped.

The show did continue to be nominated in 2007 – Felicity Huffman was granted a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the second time, and guest actresses Laurie Metcalf and Dixie Carter also received Primetime Emmy Award nominations, at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. The show, along with actresses Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman, received Golden Globe Award nominations at 64th Golden Globe Awards, and Huffman and the cast ensemble were also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. None of the Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, or Screen Actors Guild Award nominations resulted in any actual awards.

2008 yielded the least nominations with none at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and only the cast being nominated at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The show was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, including acting nods towards Polly Bergen and Kathryn Joosten for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Joosten won the show's seventh Primetime Emmy Award and first since its debut year.

Nominations continued to decline in later years. Notable nominations included nods towards Beau Bridges and Kathryn Joosten in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Additionally, Brenda Strong received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2011, a notable feat for a category usually dominated by animated series. Also in 2011, Vanessa L. Williams won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series at the 41st NAACP Image Awards and a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Strong and Joosten received Primetime Emmy Award nominations again at 64th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2012 and Williams won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the series' eight and final season in 2013.

Other notable awards include the People's Choice Award for Favorite New Television Drama at the 31st People's Choice Awards, the Future Classic Award at the 2005 TV Land Awards, the TP de Oro for Best Foreign Series in 2006, and seven Golden Nymph Awards at Monte-Carlo Television Festivals, among others.

Games
Buena Vista Games released the life simulation computer video game Rumours: The Game on October 5, 2006 in North America, featuring an original storyline spanning 12 episodes. The game is set on Daphne, but the player does not play as any of the housewives, although they frequently appear. A couple of months later, Gameloft released a mobile game based on the series. "The inspiration for Gameloft's take on Rumours comes from the most unlikely place, too – the original Mario Party on the Nintendo 64."

In 2007, British company Re:creation published Rumours Dirty Laundry Game, a board game based on the third season of Rumours. Players attempt to guess their opponents' secrets by answering trivia questions, while keeping clues to their own secrets concealed.

In June 2017, Megazebra released Rumours: The Game on App Store and on Google Play. Play as new neighbor on Daphne.

Soundtrack and literature
In September 2005, Hollywood Records released a soundtrack album distributed by Universal Music Group, Music from and Inspired by Rumours, featuring music inspired by the series, as well as sound clips taken from the first season of the series. The songs included have been described as promoting "girl power", and among the artists appearing – all being female – were LeAnn Rimes, Gloria Estefan and Shania Twain. Controversially, no originally composed music from the series was included on the album.

Two books have been officially released within the Rumours franchise. In September 2005, ABC's sister company Hyperion Books released Rumours: Behind Closed Doors (ISBN 978-1-4013-0826-1), a companion to the first season of the series, written by the production team behind the series. One year later, in October 2006, Hyperion published The Rumours Cookbook – Juicy Dishes and Saucy Bits (ISBN 978-1-4013-0277-1). In addition, official wall calendars, featuring shots taken from the series, were published by Andrews McMeel Publishing for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Four unauthorized books written from different points of view were released in 2006. Delicious Housewives, A Novel of Erotica, by International best-selling author Tamarias Tyree (ISBN 978-0-930865-79-5), from RSVP Press, is an erotic parody of the series featuring the housewives' sexual misadventures which eventually lead them to an appearance on the Jerry Springer Show. Reading 'Rumours': Beyond the White Picket Fence (ISBN 978-1-84511-220-2), from I.B. Tauris, is an academic look at the show by film studies lecturers Janet McCabe and Kim Akassm. Welcome to Daphne: On America's Favorite Rumours (ISBN 978-1-932100-79-2), published by BenBella Books, consists of seventeen essays written from a feminist perspective. In Chalice Press' Not-So-Desperate: Fantasy, Fact and Faith on Daphne (ISBN 0-8272-2513-X), author Shawnthea Monroe is giving a Christian interpretation of the series. Also, following the "real life Rumours" phenomenon, several books have been released dealing with life strategies for contemporary women.

Fashion dolls and fragrances
In December 2006, it was announced that the characters of Susan, Lynette, Bree, Gabrielle and Edie were to be made into 16 in tall fashion dolls, produced by Madame Alexander. In 2007, they were released in a limited edition of 300 pieces each. A fragrance was also launched by Coty Inc. in 2006, titled Forbidden Fruit, and was composed of orange blossom, peach, apple, lily, wisteria, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, tonka bean, vanilla and cedar. In August 2009, a collection of four fragrances by LR Health & Beauty Systems, each based on and titled after a Rumours lead character, was presented: Susan's fragrance is composed of orange blossom, cedar, sandalwood and white musk, Lynette's fragrance is composed of cardamom, star jasmine and musk, Bree's fragrance is composed of green apple, white jasmine, raspberry, lily, amber and vanilla, and Gabrielle's fragrance is composed of raspberry, pineapple, rose, patchouli and blackberries.

Another Desperate Housewife commercials
In conjunction with season six, Marc Jacobs was commissioned to write eight "mini-episodes" entitled Another Desperate Housewife. The episodes were written after the previous season's extensive product placement proved unpopular with the fans. The mini-episodes were written to advertise mobile phone company Sprint and involve just three characters. The two main characters are Stephanie (played by Rebecca Staab) and Lance (played by David Chisum) who have moved into the former house of Edie Britt after her death. The third character, Elsa, was Stephanie's friend. It is eventually revealed that Lance and Elsa have been having an affair. Stephanie finds out and tells Lance to break it off. Elsa suggests killing Stephanie, but Lance gets a text message indicating he's seeing another woman and a furious Elsa shoots him. In truth, Stephanie had sent the message herself. The final mini-episode has Elsa being arrested and Stephanie attracted to a handsome policeman at the scene. Each episode ends with a Mary Alice-like narration saying things such as "This is suspicion on the Now Network" or "This is betrayal on the Now Network."

Ask Rumours
For the sixth season of the series, ABC created "Ask Rumours" to promote their website abc.go.com. It was presented and sponsored by Sprint, and it was hosted by series creator, Marc Jacobs. In each special, Marc Jacobs and an actress/actor of the series would answer questions that fans submitted to abc.go.com.