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"Becker" (1998)

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81 comments in total

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32 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Caustic, sharp, bitter, sweet, and nigh-on perfect, 11 March 2005
Author: Danny_G13 from Glasgow, Scotland

Razor sharp comedy starring Ted Danson might not appeal to everyone, given its focus on a cantankerous and highly grumpy doctor, but the script is incredibly strong.

Becker is a traditional style sitcom, much in the blend of the popular ones which went before it like Frasier and Cheers. Like Frasier, it stars a major actor from Cheers, in this case Ted Danson, but otherwise shares absolutely nothing with it and certainly isn't a follow-up. The only other thing the 2 share is that the star of Frasier, Kelsey Grammar, also features in a cameo in an episode of it.

The situation part of the 'sitcom' of Becker is that John Becker, a slightly bitter and abrasively outspoken doctor has set up a crummy practice in the middle of New York's Bronx. Suffering the 'morons' of regular society makes his attitude decline by the day and he constantly preaches his rants at Reggie's Diner where both his best friend Jake (Who's blind) runs a newspaper stall, and Bob the amiable pest hang out.

Becker also lives alone in a fairly seedy apartment where the rest of the block's residents universally loathe him.

Add his long suffering surgery assistant Margaret who's basically his rock, and the dipsy 'receptionist' Linda and you have the overall picture.

Sure, this doesn't perhaps sound all that original or even inspiring to any degree on paper, but bring it to life with a sharp script and quality actors and you have one of the finest comedies it's been my personal pleasure to witness.

To say Danson *is* Becker is the understatement of the year. He has created a character with complete life here, and embodies what he represents absolutely perfectly. His line delivery is totally spot on and he commands every scene such is his definite presence. Now when looking at him I see Becker, and not Sam Malone.

The other characters are pretty good as well, even Bob, who after simply getting on our nerves to start with eventually grows on you. Jake is extremely well played by Alex Desert as well, managing to portray a fairly decent level of vulnerability while trying to be as tough as possible. The only matter of taste with a blind character in a sitcom are the inevitable jokes at the expense of said blindness. Subsequently, it goes without saying that Becker is *not* PC - at times some of the gags can be slightly offensive, but nothing is ever truly over the score.

However, next to Becker the best character was the simply fantastic Reggie, who was played by Terry Farrel up until she was bizarrely fired based on reasons of 'creative direction' late on in the show's run by the producers. She gave the show a touch of glamour, but we identified with her because she never seemed to have anything go for her, and yet soldiered on in a state of light despair. Farrel captured her brilliantly, and her loss was felt big time. The replacement, Chris, was OK, but simply nowhere near in the league of Reggie.

However, this is an aside; the strength of Becker is and was the quality of the script. The dialogue was, at times, acidly delicious with razor sharp wit. In fact, most of the time it was like this. Becker's constant rantings might be repetitive, but they were always funny because we can actually relate to the aspects of life which got his goat up so much.

Furthermore, while he was shown as a cantankerous old git, Danson gave him plenty of self-deprecating moments too. Not only did we laugh at what he said, we laughed at his situations and the amusing body language he emitted regularly.

His practice was also a massive character in itself, with patients combining hypochondria and hemorrhoids much to the amusement of the viewer.

The other characters got plenty of hilarious lines as well, so this wasn't just the Ted Danson show, and consequently it was an extremely well-rounded show and not relying on any one character. But, as Farrel's absence later on showed, all of the main characters were vital. Bob was also written out for season 6, and his replacement Hector simply didn't fit in at all.

Despite these drawbacks, up till the chopping and changing, the show ran seamlessly and hilariously smoothly. It's a testament to the script that even *without* the main characters, although we didn't like their replacements, they still made us laugh.

Overall it's a superb comedy, and it's a rank pity it wasn't more levied by the Americans, many of whom seemed oblivious to its existence.

Said one: "Becker? The German tennis guy? I didn't even know that he had his own show," "Is it on BBC America or something?"...

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27 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
Goodbye, Becker, 29 January 2004
Author: Bobs-9 from Chicago, Illinois, USA

I watched the final "Becker" episode last night, and will miss this series. Critics have beaten up on this show quite a lot lately, but I watched it regularly and always enjoyed it. The characters are diverse and likeable, and I particularly admire Shawnee Smith, who played Linda, for taking a character that could have been annoying in the extreme and making her sweet and funny. One of the funniest things I've seen in a sitcom is when Linda, in trying to fix the hanging skeleton in Becker's office, managed to crazy-glue her hand to that of the skeleton. She ended up walking around the office all day holding hands with the skeleton, which rolled alongside her on its stand (you had to see it to appreciate it).

Ted Danson was quoted in TV Guide as saying that they decided to end the show with some grace, which I think they did quite nicely, tying up loose ends for the various characters. A couple of the jokes were particularly apt, i.e. Dr. Becker looking at the chart for a patient named "Mr. Nielsen" and saying he didn't know what he was complaining about because "these numbers don't look so bad to me." Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, appeared briefly as a deluded patient, and Becker exclaimed after she left "I pity the poor man who's married to her."

Anyway, I commend the makers of "Becker" for giving some closure to the characters in this show while they had the chance. As a regular viewer I appreciated it, and found it a very satisfying end to the series.

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19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Comedy, 18 January 2005
Author: a1e8ayer from United Kingdom

We love Becker here in the UK it is a really funny comedy and look forward to each hilarious episode Ted Danson Plays an excellent role as Becker He is ably supported by Nancy Travis ,Shawnee Smith,Alex Desert, and the rest of the crew There is a great rapport between the characters which blend well together We think it is one of the most original and funniest situation comedies of all time There is nothing to compare with the quality of the scripts at present here in the UK at present and the fine acting compliments the scripts well. I heard that it has ended production in 2004 I hope that it does carry on as the standard has not fallen throughout it's production run

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20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
A unique and funny show (A), 29 July 2004
Author: (couchpotato100) from London, England

Well I just found out that the show has ended, which prompts me to write this review for the show. Something that I rarely do, and I am doing so now because I thought the show possessed something special.

The run down is simple, Ted Danson plays Dr John Becker a dedicated and talented doctor who has a very gruff exterior. The episodes revolve around his work in his practise and his interactions with his friends at his local diner. The show was interesting purely due to the talented and diverse cast, although they change throughout the seasons the show manages to keep its comedic style. I encourage anyone who hasn't seen the show to watch it, and all those who have…

Over the years I've become attached to the show and the characters in it. It will be sorely missed.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
AKA "Harvey Pekar, M.D.", 17 February 2004
Author: smithster from Chicago

This show is hilarious.

I never understood the scorn the critics heaped on this show over its time on the air.

It's about as realistic a comic portrayal of our nation's largest city as will ever be seen on broadcast TV. It's certainly more realistic than "Friends", which show a New York almost completely devoid of minorities, or "Will and Grace", an allegedly "gay" show in which the gay characters have almost no sex lives. (Could we at least hear some moaning from behind a locked door once in a while?)

But back to "Becker". It's as though someone at CBS said, "What if Harvey Pekar, the grumpy file clerk from 'American Splendor', had a medical degree from Harvard?" Fiction, you say? You must belong to the Shangri-La HMO.

A divorced, single50-something man in a job he really doesn't like, in a city he'd rather not live in, working with people he's not that crazy about, eating every meal in a diner that looks like a roach motel, going home every night to a peeling, cramped apartment that looks like it reeks of cigarette smoke, in full self-pity mode, wondering what that whoop-di-doo college education was worth if all it got him was THIS!? You see that type every day, and that includes doctors.

The only thing that could make it funnier would be if Wanda Sykes were the owner of the diner (and his love interest). Or maybe Whoopi Goldberg. Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg as a romantic couple!? Nah ;)

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
very funny, 9 January 2001
Author: mattkratz (themattk@hotmail.com) from Richardson, TX

I just started watching this show a few months ago, and already I love it. Ted Danson is wonderful as the title character, and I think it is refreshingly funny and good. Shawnee Smith also makes a terrific airhead in Linda.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Only watching it through reruns..., 12 October 2004
Author: zipperplucker from Midland, Texas

And I have to say, I love it. It comes on Fox (really late on weekdays) here. My husband and I enjoy laying in bed and having a good laugh. I haven't seen an episode yet that didn't crack us up at least 3 times. Everyone can relate to someone in this show. My husband is a mix of Bob's charm, Becker's sense of compassion and Jake's ability to see whats coming. For me, I'm as loving as Margret, witty as Reggie, and have the body of Linda...well, maybe I'm pushing it. Anyway, wish I would have found the show sooner. I am currently trying to figure out what happened to Reggie and where this blond chic came in. I don't like her as much as Reggie, but maybe she will grow on me. Although I doubt it since it was canceled!

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Ted Danson's best work since Cheers, 5 January 2000
Author: Op_Prime from Ardmore, PA

This show is funny and very original. The show is like a reflection of everyday life, sort of like Seinfeld. But whereas Seinfeld gives a more positive out look to the world, Becker does the opposite. Every episode has Ted Danson complaining about something; a broken street light in front of his apartment, his annoying patients, the post office and much, much more. A very funny show.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
I love this show, but........., 21 February 2006
Author: christopherandbarb from Wichita, Kansas

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I love this show. Strong characters who interact like real people in realistic situations. Ted Danson shows the opposite side of his role in Cheers, and is still funny as he**!

Margaret is my favorite female character. She has a strong personality mixed with sweet-n-sour sauce. Without her, the office would probably turn to chaos.

The only flaw I see is that Alex Desert wasn't trained properly on how to use a white cane. I know this because I am half blind, myself and use a white cane when walking in public. The props-master should know how to use the props that main characters need to use, and train the actors. Especially if it is a crucial part of the characters' persona.

Besides that, I give "Becker" a 10.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
What's this, an intelligent sitcom?, 9 April 2003
Author: John (opsbooks) from Blue Mountains, Australia

Becker is everyman; he says right out what the rest of us probably think most of the time. Reggie is his female equivalent, which is why they would never get together, relationship-wise. They're just too much alike, though Reggie hides it pretty well. Here in Australia we've only just come to the Chris eps without Reggie, so I've avoided reading many of the other comments. The show works from all angles thanks to an always masterful script, much like 'Everyone Loves Raymond', the only other current US comedy I like. Margaret is a sweetie; Linda drives me crazy most of the time. Jake is one of a kind and Bob; well, we've all known a Bob in our time. Put them all together and you have one cool AND intelligent sitcom!

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