Becker (TV series)

Becker was a CBS sitcom that ran from November 2, 1998 to January 28, 2004, starring Ted Danson as the title character, John Becker. Although a good doctor, Becker finds annoyance with his patients, his co-workers, his friends, and practically everything and everyone else in his world; yet Becker's temper belies a more complex character, and his rants are often his way of keeping the world from seeing who he really is — a compassionate idealist afraid to appear emotionally vulnerable. As a result of his outspokenness, Becker is generally inaccessible to people that don't know him, but his patients and friends are nonetheless loyal because, though only occasionally, Becker does sometimes display a kind-hearted side that shows that, despite his cantankerous personality, he really does care about them. Becker also appears to be an athiest; in one episode he states that "God is a concept of man" and that people use religion as a justification for immoral activity. He also openly states that "there is no Larry" (Larry being "God's first name," according to one of Becker's patients). When asked what he believes in, Becker states that he believes in science.

Characters

For the first four seasons, the main characters were as follows:

John Becker — played by Ted Danson, Becker has attended Harvard Medical School and currently runs a medical practice in The Bronx, New York. Becker is easily annoyed by things such as a flickering street lamp outside his window, his noisy neighbors, the couple having very loud sex in the apartment above him, or his own 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 does not like spending money if he can help it. He likes Chinese food, especially when he gets free coupons for it. As to his politics, he seems to be liberal on many issues. Although, due to his cynical nature, he does not seem to be enthusiastic about any party. Becker also appears to be an athiest; in one episode he states that "God is a concept of man" and that people use religion as a justification for immoral activity. He also openly states that "there is no Larry" (Larry being "God's first name," according to one of Becker's patients). When asked what he believes in, Becker states that he believes in science.

Margaret Wyborn — played by Hattie Winston, she is Becker's head assistant, is one of the few people who can tolerate Becker and his ways. She is married to the often mentioned but never seen Lewis. The character of Margaret is a motherly-like figure to Becker and Linda. She once thought about becoming a singer instead of a nurse. Margaret is a Christian and often quotes the Bible.

Linda — played by Shawnee Smith, a dim-witted girl whose surname is never revealed. She works at the doctor's office to establish independence from her wealthy parents, although her help is often of questionable value. Her mother is an alcoholic. 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 John a great deal, 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 his few good days. She did grow serious about her career and started reading a few of his text books and found herself being a total know-it-all. 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. One of her ex-boyfriends taught her some Mandarin (see the episode 'Activate Your Choices').

Regina "Reggie" Kostas — played by Terry Farrell, owns and operates 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 the office or needs to eat, he can usually be found at her diner. Reggie is torn over her feelings for Becker — she loves him but also hates him at the same time. Politically, she also seems to be liberal. Once, when John Becker asked "Do you know whose fault it is that there's gum on my shoe?" Reggie responded "the Republicans?"

Jake Malinak — played by Alex Désert, is Becker's best friend (actually, one of his *only* friends), who also works at the diner selling newspapers and miscellaneous items such as candy, magazines, 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 anulled, deciding to live together instead. Amanda left Jake after 18 months, taking all his possessions with her.

Bob — Played by Saverio Guerra, also loiters at the diner and is of Italian descent. He is an old high school classmate of Reggie's who is short, annoying, and refers to himself in the third person. Bob is a sex addict who also desperately wants to have sex with Reggie. Bob becomes the superintendent of Becker's apartment building in the third season, although he tries to do as little work as he can. As with Linda, Bob's last name is never revealed, although we do discover his middle name is Benito. Bob was a recurring character for the first two seasons, and was made a main character for Seasons 3 through 5.

New characters after season 4

Chris Connor — Chris Connor, played by Nancy Travis, 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 4 episodes, joined the show at the end of Season 4 and became a regular cast member in Season 5 after the producers of the show decided to replace Reggie with Chris. Chris takes over the diner and begins a love-hate relationship with Becker. She's his opposite — always nice and cheerful, but they eventually got together by the end of the series.

Hector Lopez — Hector Lopez, played by Jorge Garcia, is a character who first appeared in the sixth season, replacing Bob. He is known for his large frame and long bushy hair. He's a free-loader and a slacker who has no real ambition, apart from quick get-rich schemes that inevitably fail. His big brother was Jake's childhood friend.

Plot

The theme was Becker and the things that annoyed him, although the supporting characters also had their moments. The relationships between Becker/Reggie and later Becker/Chris formed the key plots of many episodes.

The show was not afraid to tackle more serious issues as well, such as race, homosexuality, AIDS, Cerebral AVM, overeating, the 9/11 terrorist attacks and politically correct views. The show performed well for its first 4 seasons. However, CBS moved its time slot in 2002, and while the show still had good ratings, it began to drop as many fans kept missing the new time slot. Many fans also deserted the show when Terry Farrell left under questionable circumstances at the end of Season 4. Becker was put on hiatus at the end of Season 5, but returned for a season of 13 episodes that helped to tie up loose ends, with the final episode airing in January 2004. In six seasons, there were 129 Becker episodes.

Cast

Ted Danson as Dr. John Becker
Terry Farrell as Regina 'Reggie' Kostas (1998-2002)
Hattie Winston as Margaret Wyborn
Shawnee Smith as Linda
Alex Désert as Jake Malinak
Saverio Guerra as Bob (1998-2003)
Nancy Travis as Chris Connor (2002-2004)
Jorge Garcia as Hector Lopez (2003-2004)

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Becker (TV series)

Characters

New characters after season 4

Plot

Cast

See also