Believe it or not, James Denton has not always been a TV hunk.

Before being cast as T-shirt-wearing plumber Mike Delfino, the on-again/off-again love interest of flaky Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), on ABC's Sunday-night smash "Desperate Housewives," Denton was stalwart government agent John Kilmer on ABC's short-lived espionage thriller "Threat Matrix."

"That's what's so funny," Denton says, "nobody ever, one time, referred to John Kilmer as even remotely attractive, let alone hunky or sexy. Then, you know, literally three months later, I'm hunky.

"I honestly believe this -- convincing America that Teri Hatcher is interested in you makes you more attractive. If our writers can sell America that Teri Hatcher thinks I'm hot, it makes people look at you differently. I believe that's a lot of it."

About the same time Denton was preparing to be host of the ultimately very successful Miss America pageant broadcast on CMT (Country Music Television) -- part of a production deal the Nashville native has with the cablenet -- he was having some fun with that "hunk" persona on another show.

After doing one episode of The WB's "Reba" last year, as Dr. Jack Morgan, Denton reprises that role in the Friday, Feb. 24, episode, called "The Trouble With Dr. Hunky."

Directed by series star Christopher Rich, it features Morgan returning to Houston to rekindle his romance with Reba (Reba McEntire). But when it's revealed that he's technically still married, the shock sends Reba back to ex-husband Brock (Rich) for advice.

"The show-runner over there, Kevin Abbott," Denton says, "cast me as the lead in a pilot years ago, that didn't go, so I'm forever indebted. So I went over there last year, fell in love with Reba like everybody else. The cast is so funny. It's the best show on TV people aren't watching.

"We did lots of smooching last time, and more this time. It's a good job. It's fun."

Asked how his wife feels about all this, Denton says, "My wife just rolls her eyes and says, 'Bring the check home.' Baby needs shoes. She's a good sport about it."

And you can just about bet that when Denton arrived on the "Reba" set, he knew his lines backward and forward.

"When I was on 'Threat Matrix,'" he says, "as the so-called lead, I saw a lot of guest stars come and go, and I was appalled how many of them showed up as guests on a show, completely unprepared, un-memorized, and dragged us down. I would be mortified if I were a guest star and didn't come in more prepared than the regulars. They have one day of work."

While Denton believes America took some convincing to accept him as a hunk on "Desperate Housewives" -- and on "Reba" -- he feels that the basic character of Delfino fits like a glove.

"I do almost nothing," he says. "Mike is so close to me. He's a blue-collar guy with a dog and a pickup truck. How much can I stretch?"