Remote patrol

Like many CBS shows, you don't hear much about "Becker" (8:30 tonight, Channel 5), the Ted Danson sitcom now in its third season. Yet most of those overhyped NBC comedies would do well to match the writing and ensemble of "Becker," which shares the grumpy sensibility of its lead-in, "Everybody Loves Raymond." The impolitic Dr. Becker (Danson) runs a clinic supposedly in the South Bronx, though there is a small-town feel here that suggests some other borough or state. He doesn't really like his patients, or people generally, and lets them know it. But Danson is surrounded by equally jaded foils: Margaret (Hattie Winston), the overworked clinic nurse; Reggie (Terry Farrell), the sweet-and-sour coffee-shop proprietor; and Jake (Alex Desert), the blind newsstand owner who rings up some of the show's biggest laughs. Tonight: Becker gets irritated trying to find a movie to watch. @ART CAPTION:Ted Danson is 'Becker' @ART:Photo (color) >>>