diff --git a/googleapiclient/model.py b/googleapiclient/model.py
index b853a4f682e..659ec0b08e2 100644
--- a/googleapiclient/model.py
+++ b/googleapiclient/model.py
@@ -273,13 +273,18 @@ def serialize(self, body_value):
         return json.dumps(body_value)
 
     def deserialize(self, content):
+        body = {}
         try:
             content = content.decode("utf-8")
         except AttributeError:
             pass
-        body = json.loads(content)
-        if self._data_wrapper and isinstance(body, dict) and "data" in body:
-            body = body["data"]
+        try:
+            body = json.loads(content)
+            if self._data_wrapper and isinstance(body, dict) and "data" in body:
+                body = body["data"]
+        except json.decoder.JSONDecodeError:
+            if isinstance(content, str):
+                body = content
         return body
 
     @property
diff --git a/tests/test_json_model.py b/tests/test_json_model.py
index 1ddc1c73bd1..4d5bb595ac7 100644
--- a/tests/test_json_model.py
+++ b/tests/test_json_model.py
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@
 
 import googleapiclient.model
 
-
 from googleapiclient.errors import HttpError
 from googleapiclient.model import JsonModel
 
@@ -290,6 +289,14 @@ def test_no_data_wrapper_deserialize(self):
         content = model.response(resp, content)
         self.assertEqual(content, {"data": "is good"})
 
+    def test_no_data_wrapper_deserialize_text_format(self):
+        model = JsonModel(data_wrapper=False)
+        resp = httplib2.Response({"status": "200"})
+        resp.reason = "OK"
+        content = 'column1,column2,column3\nstring1,1.2,string2'
+        content = model.response(resp, content)
+        self.assertEqual(content, 'column1,column2,column3\nstring1,1.2,string2')
+
     def test_data_wrapper_deserialize(self):
         model = JsonModel(data_wrapper=True)
         resp = httplib2.Response({"status": "200"})