Ted Danson Ends Becker
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."
