Ted Danson is "Becker," an angry, bitter, cantankerous doctor with a heart of absolute gold. The series ran for six years and was populated with some great characters: Jake, the blind man; Reggie, who ran the coffee shop where Becker hung out; Margaret, the no-nonsense warm and funny woman who runs Becker's office; Linda, the ditsy assistant; Bob, who talks in the third person; and many others, who passed through the coffee shop and Becker's office during the show's run.Besides Danson, it's hard to single out any one character since they're all so excellent. The showiest role belongs to Shawnee Smith, who is hilarious as a complete airhead. Terry Farrell eventually was replaced by Nancy Travis. Farrell in a way was an odd choice - comedy has never been her thing, but she's believable as a pretty ex-model who takes over her father's coffee shop and looks for love, often in the wrong places.Danson is terrific, but he and the others wouldn't be as good as they are without the savage and witty dialogue. Becker is Everyman who gives voice to the frustrations of living in the world, but it covers up his loneliness and genuine concern for his patients and others. It's the look we get at the true man that raises the "Becker" to a higher level than many series.

Becker is one of those shows that nobody's ever heard of. I certainly hadn't. A year ago I watched around 5 minutes of the show, then changed the channel and didn't think about it, until recently when I managed to watch the first season of the show. Now, I'm not the kind of person who likes sitcoms. I HATE them with a passion, so much that when one's on I will go into a Beckerish rant about hospital dramas, and the junk most writers try to vomit into our televisions. But this show is remarkably hilarious. What I like best about it is the lack of drama (at least not so far). There isn't glaring sexual tension between the main characters, and they don't spend episode after episode pining after each other trying to make people care. It's just funny. It's made to make you laugh, and it WILL make you laugh. That's it, no strings attached. If you're looking for laughs, watch this show. If you're looking for a deep and intricate drama, go watch some other dumb show.Danson's delivery of his lines is spot on, and sometimes lines that wouldn't sound funny if you thought about them have you rolling on the floor. I can't wait to see future seasons of this show, I'm looking forward to it. This is the first sitcom I have been able to watch since I was twelve years old. The cast of characters is done perfectly. While I can't stand Bob, I love everyone else, they all have their own spin on everything to make an incredibly funny show.

If I was from the USA I would most probably call it awesome. Ted Danson was at his best in this as he was in Cheers Rude, abrasive, aggressive and funny the only thing lacking was Diane ie Shelley Long and it was a pity he didn,t have her guesting in one episode because I am sure it would have been great.The whole cast was so funny which made for a 1st class sitcom that it seems only the USA can produce. However does anyone know if there are any plans to bring it out on DVD in the near dfuture or what. This has only jusrt appeared on channel 5 in this country so we have a lot of catching up to do.

To be perfectly honest, I never watched Becker when it was aired between 1998 and 2004. However, thanks to the good people at Turner Broadcasting, Becker is on 5 days a week and it is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. Initially, I was a tad apprehensive to watch it given the time slot it occupied - 12:00 to 1:00 pm and the reviews certain friends had given it. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Becker was different from any sit-com I had watched before - the humor was dry and by no means hit you in the face like other shows. Beyond being a strong comedy, the show tackled some serious issues and their impact (i.e. 9/11). With regards to the characters in the show, they are to a certain extent - stock characters. You have Becker, the older, bitter middle aged man, convinced that anything and everything is somehow out to get him. Jake, an African-American who carries on a mostly pleasant manor, despite coping with the trials and tribulations of being blind. Bob, the seemingly reprehensible sex-driven pipsqueak, who does nothing but aggravate the rest of the characters. The list of characters goes on, but what strikes me about them, is that despite their blatant flaws, I find myself sympathizing with them consistently. Although none of them are nearly as rounded as perhaps they should be, they all have good intentions at heart. Overall, an excellent show, Becker combines a dry, wit along with a sense of seriousness which produces an incredibly strong show.