Becker (TV series)
Becker is an American sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically everything and everybody else in his world. Despite everything, his patients and friends are loyal because Becker genuinely cares about them. The series was produced by Paramount Network Television.
Premise
The show revolved around Becker and the things that annoyed him, although the supporting cast also had their moments. The relationships between Becker and Reggie (later, Chris) formed the key plots of many episodes. The show tackled more serious issues as well, such as race, homosexuality, Cerebral AVM, and political correctness.
Cast
Between the fourth and fifth seasons, Farrell was fired. She has stated that it came as a complete shock to her and that she is unsure of exactly why it happened, although she denied that it was related to her participation with other cast members in a contract dispute before the fourth season began. Travis was hired just before Farrell's dismissal, and became a regular after the dismissal. Creator David Hackel stated that Farrell was fired only to give the show's writers new ideas after four years, calling the cast change "one of the toughest decisions of my career." Farrell praised Hackel after her firing, stating that he "really let you feel you had permission to fail if you tried things", and stated that the producers did not wish Becker and Reggie to have a Sam and Diane-like romance.