'Becker:' New Time, New Love

There are big changes ahead for Emmy Award winner Ted Danson who, for five seasons, has played grumpy doctor John Becker on the CBS sitcom "Becker."

"Becker" is falling in love with his new neighbor, Chris Conner, played by actress Nancy Travis.

"It's been great to do the boy/girl thing," says Danson. "But Becker will do it in his pathetic loser way, which is what I love about him. We'll stick to the doctoring, which is really what we do best. Becker will be true to the character he has been."

And the show has moved to Sunday night, no longer riding on "Everybody Loves Raymond"'s coat tails.

"It's was a bit scary, but it's good to see what we're made of. We could have coasted in the Monday slot for years, but it's good that the audience can see us stand on our own two feet. The first two weeks of this season, I was obsessed with the ratings. Now I realized the bottom line is, Is CBS happy, and they seem happy, so that's all I can worry about," Danson says.

Catch the full interview on Friday's The Early Show.

About Ted Danson

• Raised in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he grew up with Hopi and Navajo children
• 1972: Stage debut as understudy for the off-Broadway run of "The Real Inspector Hound;" later assumed role and toured with play
• Appeared in Joseph Papp's Shakespeare-in-the-Park production of "Comedy of Errors." Had recurring role on the NBC drama "The Doctors"
• 1974-1976: Played regular role on the NBC daytime drama "Somerset;" acted with Sigourney Weaver and JoBeth Williams
• 1978-1980: Taught acting at the Actors Institute, Los Angeles; also performed managerial duties
• 1979: Screen acting debut as sad-eyed, bagpipe-playing cop in "The Onion Field"
• 1980: First notable television roles in two TV-movies: a supporting part in "The Women's Room" and as the lead in the comedy pilot "Once Upon a Spy"
• 1981: Chosen as the "Aramis Man" for print and television advertisements for cologne and men's toiletry products
• 1981: Portrayed the flip, cynical district attorney in Lawrence Kasdan's feature directing debut "Body Heat"
• 1982-1993: Came to national attention as star of popular NBC sitcom "Cheers;" played role of Sam Malone; was making $450,000 per week at end of run; won two Emmy Awards for the role
• 1984: Starred opposite Glenn Close in the TV-movie about incest, "Something About Amelia"
• 1986: Executive produced first TV-movie, "When the Bough Breaks" (NBC), in which he also starred
• 1987: Acted with Tom Selleck and Steve Gutenberg in "Three Men and a Baby," a remake of the 1985 French film "Three Men and a Cradle"
• 1989: Starred as the free-spirited soul attracted to Isabella Rosselini in "Cousins," a remake of the 1975 French film "Cousin, Cousine"
• 1990: Appeared in the inevitable sequel, "Three Men and a Little Lady"
• 1990-1991: Co-produced the NBC sitcom "Down Home," which featured mostly New York stage actors (i.e., Tony-winner Judith Ivey) and had a uniquely (for TV) "stage" look
• 1993: Attracted media attention and considerable criticism when he performed a risque monologue in blackface at a Friars Club Roast in honor of Whoopi Goldberg; he and Goldberg made several statements to the press about the good-humored intentions of his "tribute," which caused some audience guests - including the scandalized talk show host Montel Williams - to walk out of the hall
• 1994: Starred opposite Macaulay Culkin in "Getting Even with Dad;" Executive produced and co-starred (with future wife Mary Steenburgen) in "Pontiac Moon"
• 1996: Played title character in the award-winning NBC miniseries "Gulliver's Travels;" Steenburgen appeared as Mrs. Gulliver
• 1996-1997: Returned to series TV with the short-lived CBS sitcom "Ink," a romantic comedy co-starring Steenburgen; also served as executive producer
• 1998: Delivered dramatic turn in the Showtime miniseries "Thanks of a Greatful Nation;" Made cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan"
• 1998: Starred in the CBS midseason replacement series "Becker;" the network originally made a 13-episode commitment to the project
• 1999: Reteamed with Lawrence Kasdan in "Mumford"
• 1999: Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Nov. 10)