Becker was a show which is easily forgotten especially since it never reached the creative levels of Cheers or Frasier, but as it is, I found the series had some truly hilarious moments and a strong supporting cast.
“Becker”
— The Complete Series —
(1998-2004)
Genre(s): Comedy
Paramount | NR – 2769 min. – $55.98 | June 6, 2017
Date Published: 06/09/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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Note: Portions were copied over from my seasons one and two reviews.
THE SERIES — 3.75/5
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| Becker is a semi-hit TV series that ran on CBS from 1998 to 2004, an impressive six seasons. It was created by Dave Hackel, who also served as executive producer on “Wings” and was a creative consultant on Frasier. The series follows Dr. John Becker (TED DANSON), a grouchy fart who always speaks his mind even though nobody asks for his input. His only friends consist of a blind man (ALEX DESERT), a coffee shop owner (Farrell), his office assistant/secretary (HATTIE WINSTON) and a ditzy assistant (SHAWNEE SMITH).
The supporting cast also works well together, developing a nice chemistry only a few episodes in. Terry Farrell as Reggie is cute, a bit feisty and an interesting inclusion as a sort of love interest for Becker, though nothing develops until, if I remember right, later in the series. The addition of Jake provides Becker with, I guess, his only male friend and although they use the blind jokes sometimes too often, he’s a fun character and Alex Desert plays him with good comic timing. Hattie Winston as Nurse Margaret plays the mother type to Becker grounding him and never taking crap from him either. Last, Saw fans will recognize Shawnee Smith and if anything, “Becker” shows she has a good amount of range able to handle thankless comedy to drama to horror-thriller. Replacing Farrell after fourth season, following a contract dispute apparently, is Nancy Travis — though she did appear toward the end of season four — who was less rough around the edges compared with Farrell’s Reggie. While I enjoyed Terry Farrell, there did seem to be more chemistry, both romantic and comedic, between Danson and Travis, and extra cool for any fans of Three Men and a Baby. Becker is the kind of show that is enjoyable enough and produces some good laughs, but never produced classic material compared to shows like “Cheers”, “Frasier” and even Friends. But what makes the show good is that is it has a certain heart at its core. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
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This 17-disc set is contained in an extra-extra wide clear DVD case and comes with a title-embossed slip cover. Features are on the light side with only season four including any, and what is there isn’t anything special. Features include: Sizzle Reel (2:44), Cast Interviews (4:12), Audience Warm Up Reel (16:41) and a Gag Reel (6:24). |
VIDEO – 3.0/5, AUDIO – 3.0/5
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| Becker: The Complete Series comes to you in standard full frame presentation and really it’s a fair transfer but like many template sitcoms, it’s not going to be a visual feast. Like I mentioned, the series is being shown on Universal HD in widescreen and actually looks great given it’s now 10 years old. But on DVD, it’s acceptable enough.
On the audio front, the Dolby Surround track is serviceable but nothing more. If you expect 5.1 quality then you’ll be sorely disappointed. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
| Overall, Becker was a show which is easily forgotten especially since it never reached the creative levels of Cheers or Frasier, but as it is, I found the series had some truly hilarious moments and a strong supporting cast that could help the grumpy Dr. Becker character. This Complete Series DVD set reproduces the original releases so the video/audio transfers are merely okay while the bonus features are limited. |
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