Becker

I never watched this show when it was running, but I happened to catch a few episodes in rerun, and now I seek out every rerun I can find. The show is very good, especially for its much more accurate view of life in New York compared to such fantasy shows as Sex and the City and Friends. The diner the characters frequent feels like a real NY diner, and Becker's apartment is appropriately cramped and dilapidated. I also like that the show casually mixes black, white and Latin characters.

Ted Danson gives a very good performance as an inversion of his classic Cheers character. Where Sam Malone was the ultimate affable lady's man, Danson's Becker is a bitter loser with few friends and a miserable outlook on life. The other characters feed into this, and the back-and-forth is great. I didn't expect to like it, but I did.

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.

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.

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!

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.