“Desperate Housewives'” James Denton Says His Teen Daughter Is Watching the Show — Here's Her Honest Review (Exclusive)

The actor reflects on the hit series 20 years after its debut

It's been 20 years since Desperate Housewives dominated TV, but star James Denton is reliving the craze all over again thanks to a somewhat unlikely audience.

"My daughter and all of her friends are binging it right now," Denton, 61, shares of daughter Malin, 19, in a chat with PEOPLE. "I get stopped by all sorts of college age, early 20s women. I can always tell when it's been rereleased on Hulu or Netflix because I get another rush of younger people stopping me on the street."

Not that he minds. Denton, who played Mike Delfino for the show's entirety, calls the series "a life changer."

"It really was the best role on the show," he continues of the sexy plumber next door who ultimately falls for Teri Hatcher's Susan Mayer. "I was so lucky, because you never knew what he was up to. He had a really great sort of mystery storyline ... and then to be paired with Teri Hatcher as a so-called leading man. I joke that I had played bad guys most of my career, and nobody ever thought I was hunky until [series creator] Marc Cherry convinced America that Teri Hatcher would date me. And then suddenly I was in PEOPLE Magazine and all over the place with my shirt off."

Related: Teri Hatcher Reveals She Had a Not-So-Innocent Crush on James Denton on 'Desperate Housewives'

But, he admits, "I was like no, I'm not ready for this! It's never what I intended for my career."

The series' popularity and consistency was a luxury, however. On some shows, Denton says, "You're waiting for anybody in a suit on the set that you don't recognize — you're sure you're getting canceled. So to be on a big hit where you know the show's coming back next year, that you have a job you're not at all concerned about, it's a real gift. And so the people recognizing you on the street just reinforce that — like hey, people are really watching this. It's more fun to go to work when you know millions of people are going to watch what you're doing; there's a lot about it that makes it more rewarding, that has nothing to do with the so-called 'celebrity.' "

There were perks, though. "My daughter was born in season 2," Denton recalls of his second child with wife Erin O'Brien. "And Teri threw a big baby shower for us. I remember Bob Newhart was there — he happened to be working that day, and she did it at lunch. So that was the story my daughter will always tell."

Related: Meet the Real-Life Families of the Desperate Housewives Cast as the Series Turns 20

When it comes to giving her dad feedback about the series, his daughter and her friends "didn't think it felt dated at all," Denton says. "It surprised me — that's one reason I hadn't watched it in recent years, and didn't want to, because I was afraid it might not hold up. But it was nice to have them watch with fresh eyes."

Even beyond the storylines, "it was one of the last shows shot on film," Denton explains. "So it does have a different look and feel — almost a comic-book feel."

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"But she gets a big kick, I think, of her friends going on about Mike Delfino," he adds with a laugh. "She didn't realize the kind of character it was."

Despite the moments that might make them both blush, "she and her friends are pretty discerning these days," Denton says. Knowing he has his daughter's approval "made me happy."