Vincent Terrace - Television Series of the 1990s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details

Television Series of the 1990s

Television Series of the 1990s

Essential Facts and Quirky Details

Vincent Terrace

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

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ISBN 9781538103784 (ebook) | ISBN 9781538103777 (cloth : alk. paper)

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Introduction

This is the fifth in a series of books that relate the quirky (trivia) facts associated with select television series that premiered between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999. Series prior to this era can be found in Television Series of the 1950s , Television Series of the 1960s , Television Series of the 1970s , and Television Series of the 1980s .

This is not a book of essays or opinions, and information is based on viewing the episodes of the series listed; it is a presentation of facts only, such as that We Specialize in Strange was the slogan of Angel Investigations on Angel , Caitlin ( Spin City ) sued the New York Times for publishing a picture of her in mid-blink, and Drew Carey ( The Drew Carey Show ) had his first kiss with a girl who preferred to kiss girls.

It will also reveal that Jack Malloy ( Unhappily Ever After ) considers his three children the mistake, the girl, and the accident and that Vallery Irons ( V.I.P. ) has the Social Security number 904-38-2832.

If these few facts capture your attention, then you will be amazed by the many thousands of facts that are contained within these pages.

Programs that premiered in the 1980s but continued first-run production into the 1990s are not included here. Information on these programs can be found in the volume Television Series of the 1980s :

Baywatch

Coach

The Cosby Show

Dear John

Designing Women

Empty Nest

Family Matters

Full House

The Golden Girls

Growing Pains

Hunter

Magnum, P.I.

Married... With Children

Matlock

Mr. Belvedere

Murder, She Wrote

Murphy Brown

Night Court

Perfect Strangers

Roseanne

Saved by the Bell

The Simpsons

Star Trek: The Next Generation

21 Jump Street

Whos the Boss?

The Wonder Years

B

Becker

(CBS, 19982004)

Cast: Ted Danson (John Becker), Terry Farrell (Reggie Kostas), Hattie Winston (Margaret Wyborn), Shawnee Smith (Linda), Nancy Travis (Chris Conner), Alex Desert (Jake Malinak).

Basis: Life with John Becker, a loud, gruff, and complaining neighborhood doctor (family practitioner) treating patients in the Bronx, New York.

JOHN BECKER

Father: Fred Becker (Dick Van Dyke).

Age: 50 when the series begins.

Address: Apartment 3B on Katon Avenue.

Rent: $450 a month (low because there was a murder in the residence and nothing a chalk eraser, some bleach, and a few open windows couldnt cure, claims John).

Marital Status: Married and divorced twice (as he says, My next wife gets half of nothing). He mentions only his first wife, Sandra, and refers to her as the castrating bitch from Hell. He has no children because kids annoy me.

Education: Harding High School and Harvard Medical School (Class of 1972; he still wears his college jacket because if you keep it long enough, everything comes back in style). He turned down a position as a researcher at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Boston, as he felt his services were better utilized in his old neighborhood. It was at this time that his wife left him for the man who details her car.

Internship: Boston General Hospital.

Office Telephone Number: 555-0199.

Favorite Eatery: The Diner (owned first by Reggie, then Christine). He orders a muffin and a cup of coffee each morning. The King Food Chinese Restaurant is across the street (but John frequents Mings Chinese Restaurant).

Favorite Newspaper: Said to be the New York Post (seen as the New York News ).

Car: A beat-up green Oldsmobile. It has Saran Wrap for a broken back window.

Fear: Spiders.

Banned: John can no longer shop at Thrifty Mart for pushing a handicapped person who tried to get ahead of him in a cash register line.

Bad Habits: Smoking, drinking, and eating mostly fatty foods. If he tries to quit smoking, he becomes edgy and irritable. He also needs to sleep with a TV set turned on.

Hates: Holidays, sentimentality, and people who squander money.

Expertise: Juggling with bowling pins.

Trait: Has an opinion about everything, hates to be wrong, and is cheap when it comes to spending money.

New York Medical Review Article: A-Typical Micro Bacterial Phenomena.

Relatives: Cousin, Barry Becker (Richard Schiff); Barrys wife, Melissa (Melinda Gilb).

Flashbacks: John, at age 10 (Charles Roman).

OTHER CHARACTERS

Margaret Wyborn is Johns nurse. She is a Baptist, quotes from the Bible, and had thoughts of becoming a singer. She is a graduate of New York University (NYU) Nursing School and did her internship at Mount Sinai. She is married to the never-seen Lewis (who despises Becker and vice versa) and worked previously as a private-duty nurse for five years before becoming Beckers nurse in 1991 (she acquired her job by not leaving Johns office until he hired her). When money became tight (Lewis out of work), she took a second job as a health care provider (to an eccentric rich womans dog, Wally).

Linda, the office assistant, is a pretty but slightly dense young woman who got the job because John owed her father a big favor. She is not given a last name and sells Lady Fair Cosmetics to pay off my huge bills. John doesnt know what Linda does around the office, but she looks good in a skirt (on her rsum, Linda put standing around and looking pretty as her qualifications). She measures 36-27-36 and stands 5 feet, 3 inches tall and wears a size 8 dress and a size 10 shoe. Margaret describes her job as reading magazines, talking on the phone, and screwing stuff up; she calls her a Hooters graduate. Hooters University is not turning out the graduates it used to. Linda does mention attending manicure school and lives in a luxury penthouse (given to her by her wealthy parents). While not a nurse, she does attend to kids when they need shots. She can speak Portuguese and Mandarin, refers to John as Doctor, and fears being left alone in the office. Her hair changes from brunette to blonde as the series progresses.

Regina Kostas, called Reggie, and Christine Chris Conner are Beckers love interests. Reggie is a college dropout who, after failing in an attempt to become a model, returned to her home in the Bronx to help her father when he became ill and could no longer run his diner. She appears to enjoy running the diner despite complaints about her cooking and the regrets she has over her decision to quit college (she later returns to NYU to take psychology courses). Reggie stands 6 feet tall, wears a size 8 dress and a size 10 shoe, and measures 37-25-37. After four years, her on-and-off relationship with Becker ended when Reggie moved to Europe to redirect her life. In high school, she was a member of the photography club and was voted Most Likely to Succeed by the Class of 1983 (who also voted her Homecoming Queen).