Becker (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough
of The Bronx
, the show starred Ted Danson
as John Becker, a misanthropic
doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically everything and everybody else in his world. Despite everything, his patients and friends are loyal because Becker genuinely cares about them.
The series was produced by Paramount Network Television
, previous producers of NBC's Cheers
, also starring Danson.
For the first four seasons, the main characters were:
Becker, a Harvard Medical School
graduate, runs a neighborhood medical practice. He is easily annoyed by things such as a flickering street lamp, noisy neighbors, the couple having very loud sex in the apartment above him, or his numerous failed attempts to quit smoking. Becker has a personal superstition that "All midgets are bad luck, whenever I see one, something bad happens to me". He has been married and divorced twice and is very stingy. He is politically liberal, though he hates political correctness & has had trouble with the IRS. He is an atheist, however, holds an odd view of God, which can be characterized by this quote. Margaret: "I thought you didn't believe in God." Becker: "I don't, that's why he's always out to get me."
Despite his gruff nature, Becker exhibits moments of kindness, and genuinely does care for his patients, choosing to remain in a run-down Bronx neighborhood because that’s where he is needed. He often accepts gifts, such as baseball tickets, from patients who cannot afford to pay him.
During the show's run, Ted Danson dyed his hair brown, to match his appearance as Sam Malone
on Cheers
, as Danson's hair had gone completely white by the time Becker premiered. Outside of filming for the show, Danson appeared with white hair, and stopped dying his hair after Becker ended.
Becker’s nurse and office manager, and one of the few people who can tolerate Becker, Margaret is a motherly figure to Becker and Linda. She is married, which at best is an on the rocks marriage, to the often mentioned but never-seen "Lewis", who hates Becker (and vice versa). She once thought about becoming a singer instead of a nurse. Margaret is a Christian, specifically a Baptist
, and often quotes the Bible. Margaret is generally the most level-headed character and acts as the voice of reason. She also appears to have liberal views; as in one episode, she is asked what Florida is known for, and sarcastically answers “not counting votes
?”, and once chastised Becker for what she perceived as homophobic behavior
. She is also shown to be quite stubborn, a prime example is where she got her job by not leaving till Becker hired her.
A muddle-headed young woman whose surname is never revealed, she works at the doctor’s office as a fledgling nurse's aide to establish independence from her wealthy parents. Becker also mentioned that he owed her father a favor, suggesting that that is the only reason Linda is kept around. Although her help is often of questionable value she can occasionally show surprising competence. She once described herself as being like a spare tire, something that can really come through and save the day when needed, but not someone you want to rely on unless you have to. An example of her more competent moments occurred when Becker was having trouble diagnosing a patient's illness. Linda noted that, despite having returned from a vacation in the Bahamas about six weeks ago, the man still had a tan. This led Becker to the cause of the man's problems: Addison's disease
. Her mother is an alcoholic and her parents are apparently quite wealthy, having bought Linda a penthouse with a doorman, an original Monet painting, a view of the park, and a Danish ambassador as a neighbor. Even Becker once voiced he was planning to "kill you and live here" after seeing it for the first time. In season two, she invites Bob to live with her after he becomes homeless. Shortly after, she begins trying to set him up with job openings so she can politely kick him out. She has been out with lots of men, including her on-again/off-again ex-boyfriend Gil, who is frequently mentioned (often in a negative context). Linda is popular with some of the patients, sometimes due to her outfits and her optimistic attitude; mostly kids enjoy her being around when it comes to take shots. She respects Becker, often calling him "Doctor" no matter where she is, and has even stuck up for him at a parent/teacher meeting she attended with John to straighten out the "sex talk" he gave to a classroom of little kids. She admires him, and does get along with him when he's having one of his few good days. She also respects Margaret and is often helped out of a lot of tough situations. She has a soft spot for small animals and loves to go shopping, clubbing, and dating a new guy every week. Linda also speaks various languages. One of her ex-boyfriends taught her how to speak some Mandarin and it came in handy while Margaret was having difficulty communicating to a foreign patient. She also speaks Portuguese and speaks it to an at-home patient named Enid Connelly.
The owner and operator of a diner she inherited from her late father, Reggie is a former model and is unhappy being stuck running a diner. When Becker is away from his office or apartment, he can almost always be found at her diner. Reggie is torn over her feelings for Becker the two have the kind of love–hate relationship often seen in sitcoms. She is frequently taunted for her poor cooking and drops hints that the Board of Health has issued her warnings before. Although disenchanted with her occupation, Reggie does seem to enjoy her customers and lets them make it a sort of extension of their homes, allowing Becker, for example, to operate the register to access the cigarettes he keeps there. Reggie eventually goes on to acquire a degree in psychology but has a panic attack when the jokes of the episode hinge on the uselessness of the degree. In the 5th season's premiere episode, "Someone's In The Kitchen with Reggie?", she and Becker sleep together because she is jealous of the fact Chris likes John. The following day, she leaves town, leaving a message telling everyone that she regrets sleeping with Becker and that she couldn't face the humiliation of it. She also says that she wants to pursue a better career. Jake receives a phone call from her, answered by a random customer who wants a cup of coffee while the group is discussing Becker's decision to dump Reggie, saying that she went to Miami to meet up with a few of her modeling friends and that they were going to travel through Europe.
Becker's best friend, Jake also works at the diner selling newspapers and miscellaneous items such as candy, magazines, cigarettes, gum, etc. Jake is blind
following a car accident several years before. He lived with his grandmother as a youngster and was close to her before she died. Jake married a woman, Amanda (played by Lindsay Price), 24 hours after they met but they got the marriage annulled, deciding to live together instead. Amanda left Jake after two and a half years, taking all his possessions with her. Jake competed three times in the National Scrabble
Championship and even won once. The show ends with him going off to college in Chicago with the money he got in an inheritance and staying with a relative who teaches at the University.
Bob is an old high school classmate of Reggie's who is short, annoying, and during the first two seasons refers to himself in the third person
. Bob is a sex addict who originally wants to have sex with Reggie, in spite of the fact Reggie has made her disgust for him quite plain and that he was married. During season two, Bob becomes homeless after losing most of his money in a divorce. Linda invites him to live with her in her parent's penthouse but quickly tries to figure out ways to kick him out. After messing up several job openings Linda tries to set him up with, Bob becomes the superintendent of Becker's apartment building in the third season. As with Linda, Bob's last name is never revealed, although we do discover his middle name is Benito. Bob is a recurring character for the first two seasons, and is made a main character for Seasons 3 through 5. Although he avoids his job as a building superintendent at Becker's building, one of his few talents is that he is an excellent cook. Despite the food at Reggie's Diner being sub par, he is still able to cook very well. Bob disappears after the fifth season. His absence is explained by Jake in the Season 6 premiere episode in which Jake claims he went on a vacation. Despite being of the show's major characters, he is never referred to again nor does he return for the series finale (it could be said that he went on a year-long holiday and that he would have returned the next year). Saverio Guerra decided not to renew his contract for the sixth season.
Chris Connor joined the show as the new neighbor who moves to the Bronx after traveling the world. Chris, originally supposed to be in the show for only four episodes, joined the show at the end of Season 4 and became a regular cast member in Season 5. Chris takes over the diner and begins a love-hate relationship with Becker. She is his total opposite always nice and cheerful, but they eventually got together by the end of the series. Travis had previously worked with Danson in Three Men and a Baby
.
was fired. She has told interviewers that it came as a complete shock to her and that she is unsure of exactly why it happened, although she reportedly led a strike among the show's cast. Travis was hired just before Farrell's dismissal, and became a regular after the dismissal. Creator David Hackel
stated that Farrell was fired only to give the show's writers new ideas after four years, calling the cast change "one of the toughest decisions of my career."
Hector Lopez is a friend of Jake. Jake knew Hector as a little brother of one of his childhood friends. When Jake talked about him as kid, he said that he would do anything to get money including selling his parents' condoms, to which he responded by saying, "Hey, those weren't scams, they were business ventures. Besides I got a baby sister out of it." He was a cast member only during the sixth season and served as a replacement of sorts for Bob (Saverio Guerra did not renew his contract for the 6th season). In the last episode, Hector takes over control of the news stand after Jake announces he will be moving to Chicago the next day. After his 13 episode stint in Becker, Garcia moved on to do the hit TV show LOST
.
The show tackled more serious issues as well, such as race, homosexuality, Cerebral AVM
, and political correctness
.
USA Network
and Universal HD
are rebroadcasting the series in high definition.
The show performed well for its first four seasons, piggybacking off the ratings of its lead-in, Everybody Loves Raymond
. CBS moved the show to Sunday in 2002, and its ratings deteriorated quickly, eventually forcing the network to put it on hiatus. CBS had planned to cancel it after the fifth season, but gave it a last-minute reprieve because of a dearth of promising comedy pilots. Becker's sixth season was to be as a mid season replacement for the 2003–2004 season, and thus only 13 episodes were ordered. Despite this, CBS' comedy lineup forced them to move Beckers sixth season debut to the fall, where the show was moved to Wednesday and paired up with The King of Queens
. Ratings remained low, and the show finished out its run in January 2004, after 129 episodes.
) has released the first three seasons of Becker on DVD in Region 1.
In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment
released the first season on DVD on April 28, 2008. There were issues with the discs that meant audio and video were out of sync.
In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment
has released the first three seasons on DVD.
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, the show starred Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
as John Becker, a misanthropic
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically everything and everybody else in his world. Despite everything, his patients and friends are loyal because Becker genuinely cares about them.
The series was produced by Paramount Network Television
Paramount Television
Paramount Television was an American television production/distribution company that was active from January 1, 1968 to August 27, 2006.Its successor is CBS Television Studios, formerly CBS Paramount Television...
, previous producers of NBC's Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, also starring Danson.
Characters
| Actor | Role | Years | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Danson Ted Danson Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close... |
Dr. John Becker | 1998–2004 | 1–6 | 129 |
| Hattie Winston Hattie Winston Hattie Mae Winston is an American television, film and Broadway actress best known for her role as Margaret on Becker and as a prominent cast member of the PBS children's series The Electric Company.-Early career:... |
Margaret Wyborn | |||
| Shawnee Smith Shawnee Smith Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker.... |
Linda | |||
| Alex Désert Alex Désert Alex Désert is a Haitian-American actor and musician most known for his roles in the TV series The Flash, Becker, and Boy Meets World... |
Jake Malinak | |||
| Terry Farrell Terry Farrell (actress) Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:... |
Regina 'Reggie' Kostas | 1998–2002 | 1–4 | 94 (+1 Archive Footage) |
| Saverio Guerra Saverio Guerra Saverio Guerra is an American actor. He is known for playing Bob in Becker, which he played from 1998–2003. He has also starred in Temporarily Yours as Caesar Santos and EZ Streets as Sammy Feathers and had a recurring role as Willy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Guest starring roles :* Burn... |
Bob | 1998–2003 | 1–2 (Recurring), 3–5 (Regular) | 91 |
| Nancy Travis Nancy Travis Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady , Married to the Mob , Air America , Internal Affairs , So I Married an Axe Murderer , Greedy , and Fluke... |
Chris Connor | 2002–2004 | 4 (Guest), 5–6 (Regular) | 39 |
| Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia Jorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born... |
Hector Lopez | 2003–2004 | 6 | 13 |
For the first four seasons, the main characters were:
- John Becker – Ted DansonTed DansonEdward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
Becker, a Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
graduate, runs a neighborhood medical practice. He is easily annoyed by things such as a flickering street lamp, noisy neighbors, the couple having very loud sex in the apartment above him, or his numerous failed attempts to quit smoking. Becker has a personal superstition that "All midgets are bad luck, whenever I see one, something bad happens to me". He has been married and divorced twice and is very stingy. He is politically liberal, though he hates political correctness & has had trouble with the IRS. He is an atheist, however, holds an odd view of God, which can be characterized by this quote. Margaret: "I thought you didn't believe in God." Becker: "I don't, that's why he's always out to get me."
Despite his gruff nature, Becker exhibits moments of kindness, and genuinely does care for his patients, choosing to remain in a run-down Bronx neighborhood because that’s where he is needed. He often accepts gifts, such as baseball tickets, from patients who cannot afford to pay him.
During the show's run, Ted Danson dyed his hair brown, to match his appearance as Sam Malone
Sam Malone
Sam "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson. The central character of the series, Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team who owns Cheers and tends bar there. He is a recovering alcoholic and...
on Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, as Danson's hair had gone completely white by the time Becker premiered. Outside of filming for the show, Danson appeared with white hair, and stopped dying his hair after Becker ended.
- Margaret Wyborn – Hattie WinstonHattie WinstonHattie Mae Winston is an American television, film and Broadway actress best known for her role as Margaret on Becker and as a prominent cast member of the PBS children's series The Electric Company.-Early career:...
Becker’s nurse and office manager, and one of the few people who can tolerate Becker, Margaret is a motherly figure to Becker and Linda. She is married, which at best is an on the rocks marriage, to the often mentioned but never-seen "Lewis", who hates Becker (and vice versa). She once thought about becoming a singer instead of a nurse. Margaret is a Christian, specifically a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, and often quotes the Bible. Margaret is generally the most level-headed character and acts as the voice of reason. She also appears to have liberal views; as in one episode, she is asked what Florida is known for, and sarcastically answers “not counting votes
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
?”, and once chastised Becker for what she perceived as homophobic behavior
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
. She is also shown to be quite stubborn, a prime example is where she got her job by not leaving till Becker hired her.
- Linda – Shawnee SmithShawnee SmithShawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker....
A muddle-headed young woman whose surname is never revealed, she works at the doctor’s office as a fledgling nurse's aide to establish independence from her wealthy parents. Becker also mentioned that he owed her father a favor, suggesting that that is the only reason Linda is kept around. Although her help is often of questionable value she can occasionally show surprising competence. She once described herself as being like a spare tire, something that can really come through and save the day when needed, but not someone you want to rely on unless you have to. An example of her more competent moments occurred when Becker was having trouble diagnosing a patient's illness. Linda noted that, despite having returned from a vacation in the Bahamas about six weeks ago, the man still had a tan. This led Becker to the cause of the man's problems: Addison's disease
Addison's disease
Addison’s disease is a rare, chronic endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient steroid hormones...
. Her mother is an alcoholic and her parents are apparently quite wealthy, having bought Linda a penthouse with a doorman, an original Monet painting, a view of the park, and a Danish ambassador as a neighbor. Even Becker once voiced he was planning to "kill you and live here" after seeing it for the first time. In season two, she invites Bob to live with her after he becomes homeless. Shortly after, she begins trying to set him up with job openings so she can politely kick him out. She has been out with lots of men, including her on-again/off-again ex-boyfriend Gil, who is frequently mentioned (often in a negative context). Linda is popular with some of the patients, sometimes due to her outfits and her optimistic attitude; mostly kids enjoy her being around when it comes to take shots. She respects Becker, often calling him "Doctor" no matter where she is, and has even stuck up for him at a parent/teacher meeting she attended with John to straighten out the "sex talk" he gave to a classroom of little kids. She admires him, and does get along with him when he's having one of his few good days. She also respects Margaret and is often helped out of a lot of tough situations. She has a soft spot for small animals and loves to go shopping, clubbing, and dating a new guy every week. Linda also speaks various languages. One of her ex-boyfriends taught her how to speak some Mandarin and it came in handy while Margaret was having difficulty communicating to a foreign patient. She also speaks Portuguese and speaks it to an at-home patient named Enid Connelly.
- Regina "Reggie" Kostas – Terry FarrellTerry Farrell (actress)Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:...
The owner and operator of a diner she inherited from her late father, Reggie is a former model and is unhappy being stuck running a diner. When Becker is away from his office or apartment, he can almost always be found at her diner. Reggie is torn over her feelings for Becker the two have the kind of love–hate relationship often seen in sitcoms. She is frequently taunted for her poor cooking and drops hints that the Board of Health has issued her warnings before. Although disenchanted with her occupation, Reggie does seem to enjoy her customers and lets them make it a sort of extension of their homes, allowing Becker, for example, to operate the register to access the cigarettes he keeps there. Reggie eventually goes on to acquire a degree in psychology but has a panic attack when the jokes of the episode hinge on the uselessness of the degree. In the 5th season's premiere episode, "Someone's In The Kitchen with Reggie?", she and Becker sleep together because she is jealous of the fact Chris likes John. The following day, she leaves town, leaving a message telling everyone that she regrets sleeping with Becker and that she couldn't face the humiliation of it. She also says that she wants to pursue a better career. Jake receives a phone call from her, answered by a random customer who wants a cup of coffee while the group is discussing Becker's decision to dump Reggie, saying that she went to Miami to meet up with a few of her modeling friends and that they were going to travel through Europe.
- Jake Malinak – Alex DésertAlex DésertAlex Désert is a Haitian-American actor and musician most known for his roles in the TV series The Flash, Becker, and Boy Meets World...
Becker's best friend, Jake also works at the diner selling newspapers and miscellaneous items such as candy, magazines, cigarettes, gum, etc. Jake is blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
following a car accident several years before. He lived with his grandmother as a youngster and was close to her before she died. Jake married a woman, Amanda (played by Lindsay Price), 24 hours after they met but they got the marriage annulled, deciding to live together instead. Amanda left Jake after two and a half years, taking all his possessions with her. Jake competed three times in the National Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
Championship and even won once. The show ends with him going off to college in Chicago with the money he got in an inheritance and staying with a relative who teaches at the University.
- Bob – Saverio GuerraSaverio GuerraSaverio Guerra is an American actor. He is known for playing Bob in Becker, which he played from 1998–2003. He has also starred in Temporarily Yours as Caesar Santos and EZ Streets as Sammy Feathers and had a recurring role as Willy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.- Guest starring roles :* Burn...
Bob is an old high school classmate of Reggie's who is short, annoying, and during the first two seasons refers to himself in the third person
Grammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
. Bob is a sex addict who originally wants to have sex with Reggie, in spite of the fact Reggie has made her disgust for him quite plain and that he was married. During season two, Bob becomes homeless after losing most of his money in a divorce. Linda invites him to live with her in her parent's penthouse but quickly tries to figure out ways to kick him out. After messing up several job openings Linda tries to set him up with, Bob becomes the superintendent of Becker's apartment building in the third season. As with Linda, Bob's last name is never revealed, although we do discover his middle name is Benito. Bob is a recurring character for the first two seasons, and is made a main character for Seasons 3 through 5. Although he avoids his job as a building superintendent at Becker's building, one of his few talents is that he is an excellent cook. Despite the food at Reggie's Diner being sub par, he is still able to cook very well. Bob disappears after the fifth season. His absence is explained by Jake in the Season 6 premiere episode in which Jake claims he went on a vacation. Despite being of the show's major characters, he is never referred to again nor does he return for the series finale (it could be said that he went on a year-long holiday and that he would have returned the next year). Saverio Guerra decided not to renew his contract for the sixth season.
New characters in seasons 5 and 6
- Chris Connor — Nancy TravisNancy TravisNancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady , Married to the Mob , Air America , Internal Affairs , So I Married an Axe Murderer , Greedy , and Fluke...
Chris Connor joined the show as the new neighbor who moves to the Bronx after traveling the world. Chris, originally supposed to be in the show for only four episodes, joined the show at the end of Season 4 and became a regular cast member in Season 5. Chris takes over the diner and begins a love-hate relationship with Becker. She is his total opposite always nice and cheerful, but they eventually got together by the end of the series. Travis had previously worked with Danson in Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 comedy film starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Nancy Travis , and Ted Danson, and directed by Leonard Nimoy, in his first non-Star Trek movie directorial role. It follows the mishaps and adventures of three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to...
.
Terry Farrell's dismissal
Between the fourth and fifth seasons, Terry FarrellTerry Farrell (actress)
Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:...
was fired. She has told interviewers that it came as a complete shock to her and that she is unsure of exactly why it happened, although she reportedly led a strike among the show's cast. Travis was hired just before Farrell's dismissal, and became a regular after the dismissal. Creator David Hackel
David Hackel
David Hackel is an American television producer and writer, who is best known for creating, writing, producing the CBS sitcom, Becker, which starred Ted Danson and ran from 1998 until 2004...
stated that Farrell was fired only to give the show's writers new ideas after four years, calling the cast change "one of the toughest decisions of my career."
- Hector Lopez — Jorge GarciaJorge GarciaJorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
Hector Lopez is a friend of Jake. Jake knew Hector as a little brother of one of his childhood friends. When Jake talked about him as kid, he said that he would do anything to get money including selling his parents' condoms, to which he responded by saying, "Hey, those weren't scams, they were business ventures. Besides I got a baby sister out of it." He was a cast member only during the sixth season and served as a replacement of sorts for Bob (Saverio Guerra did not renew his contract for the 6th season). In the last episode, Hector takes over control of the news stand after Jake announces he will be moving to Chicago the next day. After his 13 episode stint in Becker, Garcia moved on to do the hit TV show LOST
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Premise
The show revolved around Becker and the things that annoyed him, although the supporting cast also had their moments. The relationships between Becker and Reggie (later, Chris) formed the key plots of many episodes.The show tackled more serious issues as well, such as race, homosexuality, Cerebral AVM
Cerebral arteriovenous malformation
A cerebral arteriovenous malformation is an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain.-Signs and symptoms:The most frequently observed problems related to an AVM are headaches and seizures while at least 15% of the population at detection have no symptoms at all...
, and political correctness
Politically Correct
Politically Correct may refer to:*Political correctness, language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seeking to minimize offence to groups of people-See also:*Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, book by James Finn Garner, published in 1994...
.
Syndication
In the U.S., the show has previously aired on WGN America until 2010. ReelzChannel added the show in fall 2010.USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
and Universal HD
Universal HD
Universal HD is an HDTV cable television network owned by NBCUniversal. The channel was known as Bravo HD+ until December 1, 2004. The network exclusively broadcasts in high definition 1080i...
are rebroadcasting the series in high definition.
Reception
Becker debuted in a Monday slot at 9:30 PM Eastern time.The show performed well for its first four seasons, piggybacking off the ratings of its lead-in, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
. CBS moved the show to Sunday in 2002, and its ratings deteriorated quickly, eventually forcing the network to put it on hiatus. CBS had planned to cancel it after the fifth season, but gave it a last-minute reprieve because of a dearth of promising comedy pilots. Becker's sixth season was to be as a mid season replacement for the 2003–2004 season, and thus only 13 episodes were ordered. Despite this, CBS' comedy lineup forced them to move Beckers sixth season debut to the fall, where the show was moved to Wednesday and paired up with The King of Queens
The King of Queens
The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions , CBS Paramount Television ,and CBS Television Studios in association with Columbia TriStar Television , and Sony Pictures...
. Ratings remained low, and the show finished out its run in January 2004, after 129 episodes.
Nielsen Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Timeslot (ET) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Monday 9:30 |
November 2, 1998 | May 17, 1999 | #18 | 13.9 |
| 2 | 24 | Monday 9:30 |
September 20, 1999 | May 22, 2000 | #19 | 15.26 |
| 3 | 24 | Monday 9:30 |
October 9, 2000 | May 24, 2001 | #16 | 16.1 |
| 4 | 24 | Monday 9:30 |
October 1, 2001 | May 20, 2002 | #13 | 16.3 |
| 5 | 22 | Sunday 8:00 (2002) Sunday 8:30 (2003) |
October 6, 2002 | April 20, 2003 | #51 | 10.43 |
| 6 | 13 | Wednesday 9:30 |
October 8, 2003 | January 28, 2004 | #46 | 10.29 |
DVD releases
CBS DVD (distributed by ParamountParamount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
) has released the first three seasons of Becker on DVD in Region 1.
In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
released the first season on DVD on April 28, 2008. There were issues with the discs that meant audio and video were out of sync.
In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
has released the first three seasons on DVD.
| DVD Name | |Originally aired | | Release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| The First Season | 22 | 1998–1999 | April 1, 2008 | April 28, 2008 | July 31, 2008 |
| The Second Season | 24 | 1999–2000 | February 3, 2009 | TBA | March 5, 2009 |
| The Third Season | 24 | 2000–2001 | January 12, 2010 | TBA | August 6, 2009 |