Becker

When the sitcom premiered last year, Danson seemed ill-cast as a politically incorrect Bronx doctor. Yet he's settled into the role gracefully. ... Although Becker still represents a steep drop-off in quality from its lead-in, Everybody Loves Raymond, its condition has been upgraded to watchable.

The problem with this new series is not the star's performance but the writers' unwillingness to take the character far enough.

There seems to be little here in the way of memorable characters outside of Danson's angry doctor, and even his misanthropic outlook (leavened, of course, by a heart, which is mandatory in formulaic comedy) gets tiring. Still, when he's on, Danson is good.

Without Becker and his weekly rants (mildly amusing, though hardly of Dennis Miller caliber), this third-year sitcom would have nothing going for it.