Good News and Bad News

[vincentc927]

I went on tvguide.com, and on the motion screen or whatever it is, Becker's episode was advertised. CBS will air what might be Becker's final episode. Good news.

Bad news. I looked at info on the Becker page. Why did they have to write this?

Thursday, July 3, 2003

BECKER'S BACK: More good news for Becker fans, if there is such a thing. The sitcom, which only a few weeks ago received a formal midseason pick-up from CBS, has now scored a spot on the network's fall schedule. Becker will air Wednesdays at 9:30 pm/ET following Monday transplant The King of Queens. Originally, the network had slotted the new Robert Klein- Judith Light family comedy The Stones at 9:30 pm/ET. That show now gets bumped to midseason.

The first line is what got me. Why do they have to say things like this? There are sites that give negative comments about the show and one mouthed off Ted Danson more than anything. Just one more unfair blow.

[vincentc927]

Also, there are two articles:

I Could Be Happy
Becker
(9:30 pm/ET, CBS)
"Do not resuscitate."
That's the not-so-subtle message the cast and crew of Becker are sending to CBS tonight with "DNR," an episode that is generally thought to be the series' finale. Over the past year, the network has shown little interest in the show and has used it to plug scheduling holes. Despite this, CBS still hasn't officially cancelled it.
Even though the series was reinvigorated with the addition of Nancy Travis as Becker's love interest, insiders believed the show was dead last summer due to its marginal ratings. When CBS' 2003-04 lineup was announced in May, Becker wasn't on the schedule. CBS canned the show in favor of The Stones, a Robert Klein-Judith Light sitcom. But when The Stones generated negative buzz, Becker was put on life-support and brought back for a sixth season just to fill the empty time slot.
"You're out. You're in. You're out. You're in," is how star Ted Danson describes the network's treatment of the series. "They never really cancel things," he says. "They just let them disappear. I think canceling is bad juju."
Danson was "pleasantly surprised" when Becker was picked up, but understood that it was only temporary. Everyone concerned knew that the show would be gone by mid-season.
"In truth, we got what we wanted," Danson says. "We didn't want to step through a trap door. We wanted to be able to go out and relish 13 episodes of us going out the way we wanted. We got to come back and end it with some degree of grace."
And, indeed, they do. This very satisfying finale begins with Chris (Travis) worrying about being dumped by John. He has asked her out to dinner (to a nice, new restaurant no less) without being prodded. Meanwhile, Linda (Shawnee Smith) finally meets the perfect man, a handsome stranger (Antonio Sabato Jr.) she encountered on the subway. He doesn't speak English, so in her mind he's always saying the right thing. Jake (Alex Desert) contemplates investing his $25,000 inheritance and ends up making a life-altering decision that also affects Hector (Jorge Garcia). And Mary Steenburgen, Danson's wife, has a great cameo that yields the night's biggest laugh.
But the main story belongs to the curmudgeonly Becker, who appears to be mellowing with time. An elderly, long-time patient is dying and John is amazed at how calmly the man is facing the end of what has been a pretty good life. John thinks about his own fate and comes to an astonishing realization. Maybe, just maybe, he's OK with the way his life is progressing. Of course, this contentment causes him some concern. "He's morose over the fact that he's happy," Danson says. "I love that. How else would you end Becker?"
I can't think of a better way. Even though it's sad to see these TV friends depart, I agree with the cast and crew: Do not resuscitate. The show has lived a good life. Tonight's quiet, dignified end is just what the doctor ordered. — Tim Holland
For more on the series finale of Becker, see TV Guide Online's Insider.



Ted Danson Ends Becker
by Tim Holland
Last summer, Becker was brought back from the dead with an eleventh-hour renewal for a sixth season. But don't expect it to happen again, even though CBS hasn't officially canned the series. "They never really cancel things," says star Ted Danson. "They just let them disappear. I think canceling is bad juju, so [series] just don't show up again."
The Becker finale airs tonight at 9:30 pm/ET, and the episode title is "DNR" — as in "Do Not Resuscitate." He admits it's a not-so-subtle message to the network that the Becker set is closed for good. In it, grumpy Dr. Becker finds happiness. "But," Danson says, "he's morose over the fact that he's happy. I love that."
Danson's grateful for the chance to end the show "with some degree of grace," even though the cast and crew knew, going into Season 6, that they "weren't the flavor of the week" and would be gone by mid-season. As for shooting the wrap-up, he says it was "very sweet. We'd already gotten through the disappointment of being canceled."
However, the actor won't be gone for long. Next month, he'll costar with wife Mary Steenburgen in the CBS movie It Must Be Love. Danson calls the story "a valentine," written especially for them by Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart). It's about a married couple on the verge of divorce, yet rediscovering their love for each other. For you cynics out there, he insists, "It really captures love in a very non-manipulative way."
As for the future, Danson has no definite plans. "I'm knocking on doors," he admits. "I probably need to give the half-hour [sitcoms] a bit of a rest because, emotionally, part of me would go, 'Why am I doing this? I had one that worked perfectly well.' I trust something will come my way, but at the moment, I have no idea."