A lot can happen in five years. Just look at “Desperate Housewives.”

Creator Marc Cherry said the series had become a little too soapy and it was time to clean the scum off the tub. So at the end of last season, he hit the fast-forward button into the future after getting inspiration from ABC’s time-jumping series “Lost.”

“I was originally going to do an eight-year jump,” Cherry said. “But then when someone explained to me how the actresses would react to the idea that they were eight years older, I thought maybe five. Maybe I could get away with five.”

The move forward brought drastic changes for the women of Wisteria Lane and the men in their lives.

“Susan is not the same Susan,” said Teri Hatcher, who plays that character on the show. “She’s suffered and changed her thinking about a lot of things.”

And the days of klutzy humor for which she was known may be behind dear Susan as “Desperate Housewives” embarks on its fifth season at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Some things won’t change. Deceased housewife Mary Alice is still the show’s narrator. And there will still be a mystery: Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) has married a man (Neal McDonough) with revenge on his mind.

When we first met these suburbanites, they all had their own desires: Bree wanted to be the perfect homemaker, Lynette believed she could be a successful businesswoman and mother, Gaby yearned for a world that revolved solely around her and Susan pursued a happily-ever-after romantic fantasy.

Susan’s new story line is “a shocker,” said Bob Daily, an executive producer, referring to the dissolution of her relationship with Mike (James Denton).

Susan’s new boyfriend, played by Gale Harold, wants a more committed relationship. As for Mike, he’s still around.

Producers have discussed a career shift for Susan, who illustrates children’s books, “but right now we’re just dealing with her sorting out her romantic life,” Daily said.

Susan’s not the only one going through dramatic changes. Gaby (Eva Longoria Parker) has transformed from a selfish, rich fashionista to a cash-strapped mom caring for her blind husband.

“All the things she held dear, she’s lost. And on top of it all, she’s got a 5-year-old daughter with a weight problem,” Daily said. “There’s a lot of fertile ground here. She’s lost her social standing, and she’s ready to do what she has to do to claw her way back up.”

And that’s fine with Longoria Parker, who said she’s excited about playing a non-glammed Gaby.

“She does have her past when she was a runway model,” Longoria Parker said. “So in her frumpiness, there are efforts to be glamorous, and it’s just tragic. But, yeah, I have butt pads and stomach pads and boob pads.”

Other changes include recasting the young actors playing the Scavo children. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) must deal with her twins, who have grown from vaguely destructive youngsters into criminally destructive teens. She and her husband, Tom (Doug Savant), struggle to regain the upper hand with their rambunctious boys.

Bree (Marcia Cross) built a business empire aimed at stay-at-home moms after she and her husband, Orson (Kyle MacLachlan), suffered financial setbacks.

“She’s basically leaving her own home to tell other women to stay at home,” Daily said.

“I was really looking for her to get out of the house,” Cross said. “I mean, she’s going to get out of the house with her muffins, but at least she’s getting out of the house.”

And Bree is taking former rival Katherine (Dana Delany) with her.

“Katherine’s now working with Bree in the catering business and watching jealously as Bree’s career takes off with the publication of her new cookbook,” Daily said. “Also, Katherine’s going to have a very interesting new love interest around the time of November sweeps.”