THE season finale of “Desperate Housewives” snared over 30 million viewers Sunday night – the ABC series’ biggest-ever audience.

Viewership rose about 2 million viewers in the finale’s second half-hour (9:30-10 p.m.), according to overnight Nielsen data.

It was in that second half-hour that several of the show’s big bombs were dropped, including the death of Bree’s husband, Rex.

It was also revealed that it was Mary Alice, and not her husband, Paul, who killed Zach’s birth mother, Dierdre.

Sunday’s “Housewives” season finale drew the largest audience for any first-year drama finale, on any network, since NBC’s “ER” in May 1995.

It was also ABC’s most-watched series telecast since Michael J. Fox’s “Spin City” farewell in May 2000 – and the network’s most-watched drama since September 1991, according to the network.