# why does "Becker" live in a shithole? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687 "2005-03-15T19:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/1 "2005-03-15T19:27:12Z")
What am I missing about the show, “Becker?” I’ve been catching reruns of it lately, and the premise is that he’s a doctor - but he lives in a shithole apartment in Harlem. Why? What’s the joke that I’m missing? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/2 "2005-03-15T20:24:06Z")
He lives in a poor neighborhood, works in a poor neighborhood, often doesn’t bill his uninsured patients, and doesn’t care. I don’t remember the entire backstory, but I believe at one time he was on his way to being prosperous, but after his marriage broke up, he decided he’d rather live this way. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/3 "2005-03-15T21:04:00Z")
As **kunilou** said, it’s just how he prefers it. There’s a long-running storyline about his POS car, and how it gets towed every so often because cops think it’s been ‘abandoned’ rather than ‘parked.’ There’s an episode where his ancient old TV finally dies and he goes to buy another one and can’t figure out all the new options like picture-in-picture. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford to buy a new TV at some point; he just liked his old one that he’d had forever. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/4 "2005-03-16T00:26:58Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > There’s an episode where his ancient old TV finally dies and he goes to buy another one and can’t figure out all the new options like picture-in-picture. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford to buy a new TV at some point; he just liked his old one that he’d had forever. That was his \*excuse \*for not buying a new one, the real reason was he’s a total tightwad. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/5 "2005-03-16T02:01:45Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > That was his \*excuse \*for not buying a new one, the real reason was he’s a total tightwad. The _ **real** _ reason was spme psychobabble about his attachement to his Mother as represented by the TV or some shit. The tightwad stuff was just his ‘denial’. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-becker-live-in-a-shithole/294687/6 "2005-03-16T02:09:05Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > The _ **real** _ reason was spme psychobabble about his attachement to his Mother as represented by the TV or some shit. The tightwad stuff was just his ‘denial’. I maintain you have it backwards; his expressed reason (the psychobabble) is the excuse and his tightfistedness (a running joke) is the real reason.