In seven seasons, Desperate Housewives has gone from red hot media phenomena to just another successful TV show. All of which is OK with series regular James Denton.
“We’re flying a bit under the radar now, which is fine with me,” says Denton, who plays Mike Delfino on the series.
“I get recognized more often on the street these days because we’ve been on so long. But there’s no longer that crazy ‘Oh my god!’ screaming anymore.”
Denton says the show’s instant success in 2004 proved especially hard on the leading ladies in the cast.
“We were so hot. It was crazy. We went to London to do some press and it was like we were The Beatles. We couldn’t go anywhere.”
Not that the series has exactly faded away. It’s still a solid hit that likely won’t see its demise until it’s good and ready.
“We’re very lucky. We’re not worried about whether the show is going to be cancelled all the time. We’ll be on as long as (series creator) Marc Cherry wants us to be on.”
Denton notes his own character has undergone quite a change over the seasons – transforming from sexy mystery hunk to a more reliable suburbanite.
“First season, it was all like – is he a bad guy? Is he a cop? Now it’s not nearly as sexy. He’s more domestic.”
Denton laughs that he’s just happy to be still on the show – noting Desperate Housewives’ penchant for doing away with its characters.
“We kept a list of all the characters that were killed off and I think it’s at 36 or 37 now,” he says.
A side gig for Denton these days is playing guitar with The Band From TV, a touring celebrity charity group that also includes Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) and Hugh Laurie (House). The band will perform at Fallsview Casino February 19-21.
“I’m OK (on guitar). I’m good enough to know my limitations,” says Denton. “Hugh is the master musician. He’s the big draw for us.”
Desperate Housewives airs Sundays on CTV.
