Line #81 Characters/Becker


1	'''Note:''' If the character folder does not state what seasons the character was on, that's because it was in all of them as a main character.
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder: Dr. John Becker]]
6
7	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/TedDanson
8	-> ''"The world is full of idiots, and someone needs to point it out to them or they will never know."''
9
10	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault5.jpg]]
11	[[caption-width-right:350:"If you and I were the only people on the face of the Earth, that would be the only thing we'd have in common."]]
12	The primary UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist of the show. He is a loud mouthed and opinionated DrJerk who rants about everything. He's also charitable and altruistic towards his patients.
13
14	!!Tropes:
15	* AngerBornOfWorry: How he typically shows that he cares about his patients.
16	* AntiHero: An unpleasant {{Jerkass}} who's harshly critical of everything and can be extremely insensitive at times. He is nevertheless a caring doctor who is also charitable to his patients.
17	* BrutalHonesty: He believes in being a good doctor over being a nice doctor, and is not afraid to condemn his patients when it's their deeds that make them his patients to start with.
18	* TheCynic: His experience with life has left him with a very bleak outlook on life.
19	* DeadpanSnarker: Whenever he isn't angry. The above quote is a prime example.
20	* DrJerk: But of course.
21	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric. He's hot tempered, loud and has high standards that no one can live up to.
22	* GoodisNotNice: He is a good doctor, despite his furious and tactless outlook on life.
23	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: For all his short temper and [[HatesEveryoneEqually misanthropy]], he's loyal to his friends and genuinely wants the best for his patients.
24	* KnightinSourArmor: He will do the best for his patients, even if he has to criticize and cajol them.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder: Regina "Reggie" Kostas]]
28
29	-> ''Seasons 1-4 (main)''
30	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/TerryFarrell
31	-> ''"He's not only a doctor but a brilliant one. As far as I can tell, that's his only flaw, otherwise he'd be a perfect ass."''
32
33	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0_1.jpg]]
34	[[caption-width-right:350:"I don't so much cook as I do defrost and reheat."]]
35	A jaded ex-model and the owner and sole employee of the GreasySpoon she inherited from her father. Has a ShipTease with Becker and constantly trades barbs with him.
36
37	!!Tropes:
38	* BirdsOfAFeather: With Becker. They're both [[JadedWashout jaded washouts]] who had a bright future ahead of them but were both sidetracked by decisions they made out of love. (Becker works in a poor neighborhood out of love for his patients and Reggie got stuck in the diner because she wanted to help her father.) They're both dismayed with how their lives turned out but at the end of the day, are able to find meaning in it. (Becker and Reggie both help their patrons in some way.) This is probably the reason why they share their deepest thoughts with each other as they know only they will understand. This is perhaps best shown in their conversation at the end of "Panic on the 24th".
39	* DeadpanSnarker: Generally the best at keeping up with Becker.
40	* ADegreeInUseless: She got an A in psychology, but never practiced it because she got a panic attack from everyone joking how useless the degree was.
41	* FamilyBusiness: The greasy spoon she inherited from her father, at least until it passes on to Chris (who is unrelated to Reggie).
42	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic. She's very bitter about the life she's been given and her fall from grace, and her thoughts are usually preoccupied by it.
43	* GreasySpoon: Owns and runs one that she inherited from her father.
44	* LethalChef: A notoriously terrible cook. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as she was actually a model and had no experience cooking and only came to the diner to help her father. She was then stuck with the diner after her father's death.
45	* LoveTriangle: Between Becker, Reggie and Chris during the four episodes in which both women were characters simultaneously. It's eventually solved in favor of Becker and Chris, with Reggie leaving to Europe.
46	* PutOnABus: Leaves due to regretting sleeping with Becker. According to Website/TheOtherWiki, "she rings the bar, and leaves a message with a customer for Jake, explaining that she has gone to Europe with some friends from modelling and is reassessing her life and career". (Reggie had been dropped after season 4, which surprised Terry Farrell, either because they wanted to shake things up by not having Reggie on a relationship with Becker, or because of bad blood relating to Terry having supported the cast in claims for a promised pay raise after season three.)
47	* PartingWordsRegret: She regrets that her last conversation with her father was an argument over something trivial.
48	* StatuesqueStunner: She's 5'11/182 Cm tall, which is fitting as she is a former model.
49	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Eventually, and unlike Chris, they don't, because Reggie regrets kissing Becker. (Also, the creators originally wanted this to happen over a longer period, but they didn't do so because they wanted no comparisons with [[Series/{{Cheers}} Sam and Diane]].)
50
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder: Nurse Margaret Wyborn]]
54
55	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/HattieWinston
56	-> ''"Dr Becker also works for me, he just doesn't know it!"''
57
58	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/becker2002_2.jpg]]
59	[[caption-width-right:350:John, you're a good man, but does it have to be a secret between us?!]]
60	Becker's assistant and an experienced Nurse. She's the OnlySaneMan of the office and is the one keeping the office running. She has a {{Manchild}} husband named Lewis.
61	!!Tropes:
62	* CloudCuckooLandersMinder: To Becker, Linda and Lewis.
63	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Leukine. She doesn't have any overt personality flaws and is generally the most and solid and dependable member of the cast. (Becker and Linda occasionally push her over the line into Choleric, but she'd have to be a saint to keep that from happening.)
64	* NoodleIncident: Becker and Margaret's husband Lewis despise each other. The only explanation from Margaret is it's something to do with veal piccata.
65	* OnlySaneMan: Of the office. Becker and Linda are both frequently late, Becker is terrible with patients and Linda slacks off all the time. It's up to Margaret to run the office and make sure things goes smoothly.
66	* SarcasticDevotee: Is very snarky towards Becker and criticizes his temper and general attitude towards life. She still sticks with him and supports him.
67
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder: Jake Malinak]]
71
72	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/AlexDesert
73	-> ''"Hi, this is Jake. Look out the window. Now look in a mirror. If it's dark outside and you're John Becker, do me a favor. Go to hell. "''
74
75	[[quoteright:222:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/becker1.jpg]]
76	[[caption-width-right:222:Hey, can I drive?]]
77	A BlindBlackGuy who runs a newspaper stand inside Reggie's diner. Makes snarky jokes about his blindness and is Becker's best friend.
78	!!Tropes:
79	* BlindPeopleWearSunglasses: Jake is blind and often seen wearing sunglasses. In the episode "Sight Unseen" he is seen dating a woman named Nina, who is also blind and wears shades.
80	* TheCasanova: Relative to Becker, at least (and ''especially'' relative to Bob).
81	* DeadpanSnarker: He gets ''plenty'' of these, although he seems less inclined to treat it like a competition than Becker and Reggie do.
82	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic. Definitely the most laid-back of the main cast, and although he gets [[SadistShow screwed over]] when the show requires it, he seems to bounce back pretty well.
83	* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Frequently engages in this with Becker and Reggie.
84	* OddFriendship: With Becker. He's the calmest and most relaxed person in the cast while Becker is a hot tempered {{Jerkass}}.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder: Linda]]
88
89	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/ShawneeSmith
90	-> ''"Ok, so here's the thing..."''
91
92	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/becker_dr_angry_head_shawnee_smith_9827873_640_480.jpg]]
93	[[caption-width-right:350: You know why we have so many young male patients? Because I have the ass of a 16 year old boy, which for some reason guys like.]]
94	Becker's secretary and assistant. Is lazy and hedonistic and avoids work at all costs. She's also a major ditz and a CloudCuckooLander of epic proportions.
95	!!Tropes:
96	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Lampshaded with Linda's on-off relationship with Gil, her never-seen boyfriend who's implied to have a criminal past.
97	* CloudCuckooLander: And how...
98	* DumbIsGood: Outwardly the nicest of the main characters and, well... she has the occasional moment of insight, but she isn't the sharpest scalpel on the tray.
99	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine. A cheerful and vivacious young woman who nevertheless comes off as very distracted and air-headed most of the time.
100	* HiddenDepths:
101	** Speaks fluent Chinese, which proves handy when Margaret is having communication problems with a patient.
102	** Despite her incompetence with medical work, she is actually very nice and caring to the patients.
103	* MsFanservice: Typically dressed in revealing outfits. This is [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in one of the early episodes where Margaret complains that her fashion sense is unprofessional and inappropriate for a doctor's office.
104	* NoodleIncident: Becker, when asked about it, explains that apparently the only reason he hired her was because he owed her father a favour.
105	* TooMuchInformation: She does this frequently, which can cause some embarrassment and major 'WTF' reactions from anyone who hears.
106	-->'''Reggie''': I was born and raised in New York, and I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building!
107	-->'''Linda''': Really? I was conceived up here! Well, actually it was in the elevator.
108	-->'''Reggie''': ''[incredulous]'' [[{{Squick}} Your parents did it in the ''elevator''!?]]
109	-->'''Linda''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Well they weren't going to do it on the stairs, they're not animals]]!
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder: Bob Benito]]
113
114	-> ''Seasons 1-2 (recurring) and 3-5 (main)''
115	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/SaverioGuerra
116	-> ''"Hey losers! Bob's back!"''
117
118	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saverio_guerra.jpg]]
119	[[caption-width-right:350:Look, Bob knows a guy who supplies freezers to the whole east coast. I mean you'll get it for below what my guy gets it from guys who sell it through other guys who wish they were guys who knew guys like my guy!]]
120	The gang's personal [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Zoidberg]]. Went to High School with Reggie and had a crush on her, he was also bullied a lot. Bob was originally the owner of the seventh biggest restaurant supplier in the tri state area and a SmugSnake, Bob then becomes unemployed and then the super of Becker's apartment. Bob frequently hangs out in the diner to annoy people and stalk women. Bob also also speaks in [[ThirdPersonPerson the third person]].
121	!!Tropes:
122
123	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Reggie definitely considers him this.
124	* ButtMonkey: Oh, so much. While the entire cast has their mishaps, Bob probably suffers the most of them all and his existence mostly consists of being insulted by the rest of the cast. [[spoiler: Even after he becomes Becker's super, he is widely known as a LazyBum and gets no respect from anyone.]] See HumiliationConga below.
125	* CharacterizationMarchesOn: His more smug snake habits like speaking in the third person are more subdued in later seasons.
126	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
127	** In his very first appearance in Season 1, he mentions that he has "two perfect kids". These kids are never mentioned again through the whole series though it's perfectly possible he was lying just to get under Reggie's skin.
128	** Only appeared from episode 6 onwards. Before there was Manny (played by James Lorinz), who was similar but more subdued.
129	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Well, not so much bad, rather annoying, but he is quite fond of her.
130	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine along with Linda. He's [[MotorMouth very]] [[TalkativeLoon talkative]] and energetic even if no one wants to listen to him.
131	* HiddenDepths: One of his few talents is that he is an excellent cook.
132	* HumiliationConga: He begins the series as a wealthy restaurant supplier. His wife proceeds to divorce him, take all of his money and he ends up as an unemployed loser who lingers around the diner to mostly be insulted by the gang.
133	* LazyBum: [[spoiler: As Becker's super, his daily routine is to mostly take phone calls and tell the tenants who complain to him that they're "on the list". Breaking into Becker's apartment and drinking beer is also one of his most important duties.]]
134	* LongBusTrip: Due to his actor not renewing his contract for season 6. First it's said he went on vacation, then he never gets mentioned again.
135	* NoFullNameGiven: His middle name is Benito. We don't know his last name.
136	* RichesToRags: Went from being the owner of the seventh biggest restaurant supplier in the tri state area to being unemployed (after his wife cleans him out in their divorce) to being the Becker's super.
137	* StalkerWithACrush: To Reggie. Shows signs of this towards Linda as well.
138
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder: Christine "Chris" Connor]]
142
143	-> ''Seasons 4 (guest) and 5-6 (main)''
144	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/NancyTravis
145
146	Becker's new neighbour who moved to the Bronx after travelling the world. She replaces Reggie in season 5, both at the bar and in her love-hate dynamics with Becker.
147
148	* AscendedExtra: Chris was only supposed to appear in 4 episodes. She ultimately largely takes over Reggie's role for the remainder of the show.
149	* LoveTriangle: Between Becker, Reggie and Chris during the four episodes in which both women were characters simultaneously. It's eventually solved in favor of Becker and Chris, with Reggie leaving to Europe.
150	* OppositesAttract: She was always nice and cheerful, unlike Becker.
151	* WillTheyOrWontThey: They do, unlike Becker and Reggie.
152	* WorldTour: What she did before moving to the Bronx.
153
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder: Hector Lopez]]
157
158	-> ''Season 6 (main)''
159	-> '''Played by:''' Creator/JorgeGarcia
160	-> ''"Hey, those weren't scams, they were business ventures. Besides I got a baby sister out of it."''
161
162	Jake's childhood friend who comes to basically take over Bob's place. According to Jake, Hector would do anything to make money, including selling his parents' condoms, to which he responded the above quote. During the last episode he takes over his friend's newsstand.
163
164	* ConMan: Hector is said by Jake to have run numerous scams when he was young.
165	* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Possibly his baby sister, if his parents fell for his condom scam.
166

Context Characters / Becker