Why was Becker underrated? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Janice · 02-28-2007, 11:20 PM

Becker had a respectable six-year run, so I'm assuming the ratings were decent. I realize that the show doesn't have the status of other shows of the 90s and beyond..i.e...Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, etc. I ask myself why I missed the show during its original run, and quite honestly, I barely heard of it back then.

I know the show got moved a few times during the last year or so, which usually indicates a struggle to stay above water. Did CBS market the show correctly? Come next week, I will have seen all 129 episodes of Becker. I can't find anyone who watched the show, and I've asked plenty of people.

The talent was there, the laughs were there. I would think that Cheers/Ted Danson fans would have been interested in Becker. Superb writing, interesting characters...I just wonder why Becker wasn't more popular, even in syndication.

Thoughts?

Ireneparalegal · 02-28-2007, 11:23 PM

My feeling, for me, is that it got lost in the shuffle with all those high-profile shows. I am barely getting into it in syndication. I didn't even realize the show had been canceled until abt six months after the fact. I just happened to read abt it.

Same thing with King of Queens, I didn't get into the show until three years ago. There was a preview of this two-parter episode and it looked funny as hell, so I watched it. I caught up with it by watching it in syndication. I wish I had seen it from the beginning.

AKA · 03-01-2007, 03:43 AM

I just don't think CBS promoted it as well as they could have.

Ant-Lox · 03-01-2007, 11:43 AM

Yeah, the promotion wasn't strong.

I know I found about it from Regis when he said he had a cameo as a Bum. I was hooked on the show right after that episode...

Tiger32 · 03-01-2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

Becker had a respectable six-year run, so I'm assuming the ratings were decent. I realize that the show doesn't have the status of other shows of the 90s and beyond..i.e...Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, etc. I ask myself why I missed the show during its original run, and quite honestly, I barely heard of it back then.

I know the show got moved a few times during the last year or so, which usually indicates a struggle to stay above water. Did CBS market the show correctly? Come next week, I will have seen all 129 episodes of Becker. I can't find anyone who watched the show, and I've asked plenty of people.

The talent was there, the laughs were there. I would think that Cheers/Ted Danson fans would have been interested in Becker. Superb writing, interesting characters...I just wonder why Becker wasn't more popular, even in syndication.

Thoughts?

Janice, you hit on some very interesting points. Certainly moving Becker to different nights did not help its ratings. I think a show needs to stay in one spot long enough to pick up a big following. Seinfeld's ratings were not very good the first couple of seasons. But putting it on Thursday night surrounded by other popular shows like ER, Friends etc. helped with the shows ratings. I think if CBS tried that same marketing strategy it would have been more successful. I think Ted Danson's prior fame may have hurt the ratings as well. Most people remember Ted Danson from Cheers, and were unwilling to associate him with anything else. Let's face it to some people Ted Danson will always be Sam Malone from Cheers. I was relunctant to watch Becker for that reason, but thank God for syndication, because I got hooked on the series in 2003, and have been a Becker fan ever since.

Sometimes things workout that way, look at the series Star Trek (The original series), it was not very popular during it's prime time run, but it became a huge success in syndication, so much so that it has inspired a couple of movies and a few spinoff series.

I think even I love Lucy was more popular in syndication then it was during its Network run.

I think Becker discovered a whole new audiance in syndication. People do not have to remember which night its on, because it is on every night on WGN at the same time. Once you are hooked, you do not want to miss a single episode. I wished I had watched it during its network run, but I am very happy that I discovered this show in syndication. I rate it as the greatest situation comedy of all time.

Janice · 03-04-2007, 02:15 PM

Tiger, I never really thought about Danson's Sam Malone possible working against him, but that does make sense. He had such a hard act to follow, which was himself, lol.

I also agree about Becker in syndication. I think Becker will be around for many years to come. For me, it's not the best sitcom in history, but it's certainly in my top three, behind Seinfeld and Cheers. There are so many laugh out loud moments in those shows. I swear I can lose my breath from laughing at Becker sometimes, lol.

Tiger32 · 03-04-2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice

Tiger, I never really thought about Danson's Sam Malone possible working against him, but that does make sense. He had such a hard act to follow, which was himself, lol.

I also agree about Becker in syndication. I think Becker will be around for many years to come. For me, it's not the best sitcom in history, but it's certainly in my top three, behind Seinfeld and Cheers. There are so many laugh out loud moments in those shows. I swear I can lose my breath from laughing at Becker sometimes, lol.

Janice I think we have similar taste when it comes to comedy, because I also loved Cheers and Seinfeld. But I really did not start watching Seinfeld until it was in syndication.

But what I like about Becker is that he does not try to be politically correct, instead he says whatever is on his mind. That is unusual for a sitcom, but it makes the character seem real.

snl 70s show fan · 03-05-2007, 04:23 AM

i also think becker is underrated and like many of you here i never watched the show at all in first run only in reruns sam malone was a hard act to follow but ted danson managed to pull it off very well. in fact the only series that ted danson had that i didnt like was the one in between cheers and becker called ink .i hated that show

BensonFan · 03-05-2007, 11:52 AM

I also think some people didn't want to view Ted Danson as anyone other than Sam Malone.

NASHMAN · 03-07-2007, 02:05 PM

I think it was because Becker did not have alot of the publicity of many of the CBS show (Raymond, King Of Queens) plus most of the reasons why the show got canned is because Just Shoot Me got canned in 2003 during the summer. But I think Becker's role was pretty arrogant for Sam Malone but also he felt kindhearted.

Corolla · 03-07-2007, 03:40 PM

Honestly I've never saw Becker advertised on TV, ever. I did watch it once, though.

TV Knowledge Fan · 03-07-2007, 04:21 PM

...was not a very nice man- even for a situation comedy character. Funny, yes- but still, not someone you'd want to know intimately in real life. It's to Ted Danson's testament that he made Becker as "bearable" to most viewers as he did. However, "BECKER" was certainly more entertaining that the short-lived series that was on before it..."THE BRIAN BENBEN SHOW". While most people say "Huh?" if you ask about Benben, mention "BECKER" and they'll say, "oh, yeah, that other show Danson did".

Tiger32 · 03-08-2007, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...was not a very nice man- even for a situation comedy character. Funny, yes- but still, not someone you'd want to know intimately in real life. It's to Ted Danson's testament that he made Becker as "bearable" to most viewers as he did. However, "BECKER" was certainly more entertaining that the short-lived series that was on before it..."THE BRIAN BENBEN SHOW". While most people say "Huh?" if you ask about Benben, mention "BECKER" and they'll say, "oh, yeah, that other show Danson did".

TV Knowledge Fan, I have watched the most popular sitcoms from every decade, to include reruns from the 50s and the 60s. And I have to say Becker is as good as any sitcom that I have seen. The writing is excellent, and the acting is even better. Becker was never suppose to be a nice guy, he is very opinionated, much like Archie Bunker from all in the family, but unlike Archie Bunker, Becker is not a racist. He treats everyone the same regardless of race, religion, sex etc. Eventhough Becker is abraisive at times, he has his compassionate side, like the time he dipped into his own savings account to pay for a treatment program for a HIV positive 7 year old. Also the time he goes out of his way to help an elderly lady who lost her son in 911.

Janice · 03-08-2007, 02:03 AM

I actually think Becker was a nice guy. He was certainly a grouch, much like Ralph Kramden or Hayden Fox of Coach, but Becker had a heart of gold. He did his best to hide that fact, and he would deny it to the end, but he was a good, honest and reliable man. He was a loyal friend, who had loyal friends who were beside themselves when he got shot. Margaret and Linda were devoted employees, and most of his patients adored him, despite his offbeat bedside manner.

Becker's the guy who shelled out $1,500 in vet bills for a sick stray cat. There are numerous references to how he lets his patients slide on their bills. He visited a dying patient in the hospital every night for a week, with a round-trip train ride of two hours. He often pulled all-night hospital vigils for his sick and/or dying patients. The episode with Tom Poston having Parkinson's disease was heartbreaking. There wasn't anything that Becker wouldn't do for his patients.

Becker's a Harvard educated doctor who gave up a high-paying cushy job in research before setting up his own practice. He was offered another high-paying job at a prestigious hospital in another city, but opted to stay on as the Bronx neighborhood doctor who barely gets by himself, so he could help others.

He was a difficult and complex man who used coupons at Ming's; yet, as Tiger stated, paid for a young boy's medical care. There were many episodes which illustrated Becker's kindness. He was all bark and no bite. If you're looking for warm and fuzzy, John Becker isn't your man. However, if you're looking for help, he's there for those around him. He battled with his neighbors, delivery people, you name it -- the world basically got in Becker's way, but he always managed to make things right, when it really mattered.

Tiger32 · 03-08-2007, 09:14 AM

You are right Janice, I think Becker does the right thing when it matters most. Like the time he went all the way to Stanton Island (every night for 2 weeks) to visit a dying patient. He even read the Bible to this patient, and we know how much Becker hates religion. But he was willing to do this to comfort his patient.

He is always willing to go the extra mile to help his patients.

02-28-2007, 11:20 PM	#1
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,389	Why was Becker underrated? Becker had a respectable six-year run, so I'm assuming the ratings were decent. I realize that the show doesn't have the status of other shows of the 90s and beyond..i.e...Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, etc. I ask myself why I missed the show during its original run, and quite honestly, I barely heard of it back then. I know the show got moved a few times during the last year or so, which usually indicates a struggle to stay above water. Did CBS market the show correctly? Come next week, I will have seen all 129 episodes of Becker. I can't find anyone who watched the show, and I've asked plenty of people. The talent was there, the laughs were there. I would think that Cheers/Ted Danson fans would have been interested in Becker. Superb writing, interesting characters...I just wonder why Becker wasn't more popular, even in syndication. Thoughts?

02-28-2007, 11:23 PM	#2
Ireneparalegal LEGAL SPICE ;) Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Location: OXNARD, CA - WHERE THE DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN & PRACTICE Posts: 38,689	My feeling, for me, is that it got lost in the shuffle with all those high-profile shows. I am barely getting into it in syndication. I didn't even realize the show had been canceled until abt six months after the fact. I just happened to read abt it. Same thing with King of Queens, I didn't get into the show until three years ago. There was a preview of this two-parter episode and it looked funny as hell, so I watched it. I caught up with it by watching it in syndication. I wish I had seen it from the beginning.
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03-01-2007, 11:43 AM	#4
Ant-Lox Cloud Watcher Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2004 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,824	Yeah, the promotion wasn't strong. I know I found about it from Regis when he said he had a cameo as a Bum. I was hooked on the show right after that episode...
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03-05-2007, 11:52 AM	#9
BensonFan Board Psychologist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 16, 2004 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 2,733	I also think some people didn't want to view Ted Danson as anyone other than Sam Malone.
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03-07-2007, 02:05 PM	#10
NASHMAN KGW NewsChannel 8 Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 06, 2004 Location: Centralia, WA 98532 Halfway between Seattle & Portland on I-5 Posts: 433	I think it was because Becker did not have alot of the publicity of many of the CBS show (Raymond, King Of Queens) plus most of the reasons why the show got canned is because Just Shoot Me got canned in 2003 during the summer. But I think Becker's role was pretty arrogant for Sam Malone but also he felt kindhearted.
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03-01-2007, 03:43 AM	#3
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	I just don't think CBS promoted it as well as they could have.

03-04-2007, 02:15 PM	#6
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,389	Tiger, I never really thought about Danson's Sam Malone possible working against him, but that does make sense. He had such a hard act to follow, which was himself, lol. I also agree about Becker in syndication. I think Becker will be around for many years to come. For me, it's not the best sitcom in history, but it's certainly in my top three, behind Seinfeld and Cheers. There are so many laugh out loud moments in those shows. I swear I can lose my breath from laughing at Becker sometimes, lol.

03-05-2007, 04:23 AM	#8
snl 70s show fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2005 Location: in the forman basment Posts: 2,454	i also think becker is underrated and like many of you here i never watched the show at all in first run only in reruns sam malone was a hard act to follow but ted danson managed to pull it off very well. in fact the only series that ted danson had that i didnt like was the one in between cheers and becker called ink .i hated that show

03-07-2007, 03:40 PM	#11
Corolla Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 21, 2006 Location: Owen Sound, ON Posts: 2,376	Honestly I've never saw Becker advertised on TV, ever. I did watch it once, though.

03-07-2007, 04:21 PM	#12
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	"Dr. John Becker"... ...was not a very nice man- even for a situation comedy character. Funny, yes- but still, not someone you'd want to know intimately in real life. It's to Ted Danson's testament that he made Becker as "bearable" to most viewers as he did. However, "BECKER" was certainly more entertaining that the short-lived series that was on before it..."THE BRIAN BENBEN SHOW". While most people say "Huh?" if you ask about Benben, mention "BECKER" and they'll say, "oh, yeah, that other show Danson did".

03-08-2007, 02:03 AM	#14
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,389	I actually think Becker was a nice guy. He was certainly a grouch, much like Ralph Kramden or Hayden Fox of Coach, but Becker had a heart of gold. He did his best to hide that fact, and he would deny it to the end, but he was a good, honest and reliable man. He was a loyal friend, who had loyal friends who were beside themselves when he got shot. Margaret and Linda were devoted employees, and most of his patients adored him, despite his offbeat bedside manner. Becker's the guy who shelled out $1,500 in vet bills for a sick stray cat. There are numerous references to how he lets his patients slide on their bills. He visited a dying patient in the hospital every night for a week, with a round-trip train ride of two hours. He often pulled all-night hospital vigils for his sick and/or dying patients. The episode with Tom Poston having Parkinson's disease was heartbreaking. There wasn't anything that Becker wouldn't do for his patients. Becker's a Harvard educated doctor who gave up a high-paying cushy job in research before setting up his own practice. He was offered another high-paying job at a prestigious hospital in another city, but opted to stay on as the Bronx neighborhood doctor who barely gets by himself, so he could help others. He was a difficult and complex man who used coupons at Ming's; yet, as Tiger stated, paid for a young boy's medical care. There were many episodes which illustrated Becker's kindness. He was all bark and no bite. If you're looking for warm and fuzzy, John Becker isn't your man. However, if you're looking for help, he's there for those around him. He battled with his neighbors, delivery people, you name it -- the world basically got in Becker's way, but he always managed to make things right, when it really mattered.

03-08-2007, 09:14 AM	#15
Tiger32 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 14, 2002 Posts: 624	You are right Janice, I think Becker does the right thing when it matters most. Like the time he went all the way to Stanton Island (every night for 2 weeks) to visit a dying patient. He even read the Bible to this patient, and we know how much Becker hates religion. But he was willing to do this to comfort his patient. He is always willing to go the extra mile to help his patients.