Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond Logo
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Philip Rosenthal
Starring	Ray Romano Patricia Heaton Brad Garrett Peter Boyle Doris Roberts Monica Horan Madylin Sweeten Sawyer Sweeten Sullivan Sweeten
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	210 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s)	Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Worldwide Pants Incorporated HBO Independent Productions CBS Paramount Television (2007)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 13, 1996 (1996-09-13) – May 16, 2005 (2005-05-16)
Chronology
Related shows	The King of Queens The Nanny

Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996 to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff. The main characters on the show are also loosely based on Romano's and Rosenthal's real-life family members.

The show reruns in syndication on different cable channels such as TBS, TV Land, and in most TV markets on local stations.^[1] From 2000–2007 King World Productions distributed the show for off-network syndication. In 2008 CBS Television Distribution took over King World's distribution, although its logo is retained on TBS. CBS only owns American syndication rights, ancillary rights are controlled by HBO and Warner Bros. Television (WBTV distributes the series outside the US in conjunction with HBO; while HBO Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video own DVD rights worldwide).

Show background

The show revolves around the life of Raymond Barone, newspaper sportswriter from Lynbrook, Long Island, New York and his family. Easygoing and flippant, Ray does not take many things seriously, making jokes in nearly every situation, no matter how troubling or problematic, and constantly avoiding any sort of real responsibility.

Ray lives with his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), their daughter Ally and their identical twin sons Michael and Geoffrey (Matthew and Gregory in the pilot). Although the kids are present throughout the series and the same actors are used, they are not a major focus of the show ("It's not really about the kids," Ray quips directly to the camera in the title sequence of the first season). Ray's parents, Marie and Frank, and brother Robert, live across the street, and frequently make their presence known to the frustration of Ray and Debra. Debra's frequent complaints about Ray's family are a running joke. Out of the three unwanted visitors, Debra is particularly put off by Marie — a catty, controlling and manipulative woman who constantly criticizes and antagonizes Debra and coddles Ray, clearly favoring him over Robert, whose impending birth (as was established in one episode) drove her into marriage.

Ray often finds himself in the middle of all the problems and arguments and proves himself incapable of taking any sort of stand, especially if there is the chance that it will bring down the wrath of his mother on him. His biggest nemesis is his brother Robert, who is insecure and jealous of Ray for being the favorite son, as well as Ray's relative success in both his professional and family life. Robert and Ray are frequently seen fighting like children and picking on each other.

Ray's and Robert's father, Frank, is a very crass and obnoxious person, constantly making insulting and sarcastic remarks to everyone with whom he comes into contact. Largely an absentee father when the boys were growing up, Frank does not like to show his feelings, although, in an effort to make the character a bit more sympathetic, throughout the years several episodes were crafted to show that he actually does love his family.

Ray and Debra constantly have marital disagreements, with Ray preferring to watch sports television instead of talking with Debra about important matters. Like his father, he is also an absentee parent, leaving all the child-rearing responsibilities to Debra, and he has to be bullied into helping with any work around the house. A recurring theme on the show has them having a long interaction each night while in bed, just before going to sleep.

Structure

Unlike many of its sitcom contemporaries, the show usually had only one story line throughout each episode, with very few subplots. Because of this, most episodes adhered to the three-act structure more than other shows of the time. It also allowed for fewer digressions into unrelated storylines.

Cast & Characters

The main characters of the show. (Background, from left) Ray, Robert and Debra (foreground, from left) Frank and Marie

• Raymond "Ray" Barone (Ray Romano) is a sportswriter for Newsday. He lives in Lynbrook, Long Island with his wife, Debra, and their three children Alexandra "Ally", Geoffrey and Michael. Other members of his family, who live across the street, include his brother Robert, and his parents Frank and Marie. Ray's character is loosely based on the real-life Romano, as he is the father of twin boys and a girl (The character in the series however pays little or no attention to his children). Insecure, selfish, totally self-centered, and emotionally unable to take any sort of stand on anything - especially if it brings him into any sort of conflict with his Mom. Ray turns out to be Frank and Marie's favourite son compaired to Robert

• Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) is Ray's wife, and the mother of Ally, Michael and Geoffrey. As a housewife, Debra claims she is frequently overworked, underappreciated and stressed out; major reasons for this are not only because she has to deal with all the housework and her three rambunctious children with almost no assistance or support from Ray - especially where his mother is concerned - but also because she must constantly put up with Ray's intrusive family members. However on frequent occasions this frustration boils over and vented, primarily towards Raymond, in an angry, controlling sitcom wife style which has led to mixed reviews from fans as to whether she should be more appreciated or divorced on the show. Debra has characterized it as living across the street from a freak show.

• Robert Barone (Brad Garrett) is Ray's older brother and the son of Frank and Marie, conceived out of wedlock. Standing at 6' 8" 1/2, he is the tallest Barone, and has several quirks, the biggest being a nervous habit of touching food to his chin before eating it, once referred to as "Crazy Chin." Robert is a very caring uncle and still cares for his little brother Raymond. Robert has been a New York City Police Department Officer for over 20 years, and attains the rank of lieutenant by the end of the series. He is often jealous of the attention that his brother Ray receives from their mother, to the exclusion of his every achievement. He voices the series title in one episode, albeit in a mocking, sarcastic tone. His height, appearance and demeanor are the source of much humor. However, despite his huge size, Robert is a very skilled dancer.

• Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) is Ray's mother, the wife of Frank, and the matriarch of the Barone family. Intrusive, controlling, manipulative and over-nurturing (at least with Raymond), she is a housewife who excels in cooking, cleaning, and other things dealing with keeping a good home and family. Marie and Frank live across the street from Ray and Debra in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York which often irritates the latter couple.

• Francis "Frank" Barone (Peter Boyle) is Ray's father and Marie's husband, a retired bookkeeper and registered real estate agent, with a stubborn masculine personality. A war veteran, Frank served in the Korean War, which he frequently brings up, to the annoyance of everyone, especially his sons. He is a member of the Elks, and was named Man of the Year by his Lodge. In season 8 however, Frank asks Debra to work at the Caribou Lodge.

• Amy McDougall (Amy Barone in seasons 7-9) (Monica Horan) is Robert Barone's second wife, and the best friend of Debra, who introduced Amy to Robert. Although Amy marries Robert in the seventh season, she also appears in the previous seasons. Many issues have caused Amy and Robert to break up in the first six seasons, with one being caused by Raymond. Quite often, Amy apologizes to someone even if she didn't do anything wrong. She was born to extremely religious parents who "wouldn't scream if they were on fire." In real life, Horan is the wife of creator/executive producer Philip Rosenthal.

• Alexandra "Ally" Barone (Madylin Sweeten), is the daughter of Ray and Debra. She is the oldest of the Barone children. She is not seen much, even though she is credited as the main cast. She is said to be a better cook than her mother, and maybe someday her grandmother. Robert almost says her grilled cheeses are better than Marie's, but when he realizes she is there, he catches himself, though everyone knows what he would have said.

• Geoffrey Barone (Sawyer Sweeten) and Michael Barone (Sullivan Sweeten) are the sons of Ray and Debra. The original names of the twins (in the pilot) were Gregory and Matthew. In real life Sawyer and Sullivan are real brothers to Madylin Sweeten.

Episodes

DVD releases

HBO Home Video has released the Complete Series of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. Region 4 Complete Box Set was released on August 13, 2008. In Australia, the first five series were re-released in 2006 in slimmer packaging (originals were wide spine cases). Also some were released with a cardboard slip cover.

International broadcasters

• In Australia, the Seven Network originally aired the program as summer filler, Network Ten later began airing the series which in the meantime became popular. Regular re-runs now air on Network Ten and on cable network TV1 (previously on FOX Classics).
• In Bulgaria the first seasons were aired on Kanal 1, after that were repeated on bTV with the premieres of the later seasons. Repeats currently broadcast on GTV.
• In the Netherlands reruns of the show are aired by RTL5. There are plans to make an own Dutch version with Linda de Mol.
• Repeats of the show are frequently screened in New Zealand. It is currently broadcast on the free-to-air television channel, TV3.
• In Sweden, the show appears on Comedy Central.
• In Norway TV3 is currently airing the show. The show was also aired on TV2 when the episodes were new.
• In Latinamerica it is still aired by Sony Entertainment Television channel.
• In Poland it was broadcast on Comedy Central Polska. When Comedy Central Family launched it moved to that channel.
• In Israel it aired on Channel 3 from the late 90's to 2005. now there's Re-runs on Channel 2 Every Friday night, and also in channel 14 (yes stars comedy) on YES broadcasts.
• In Serbia the show was recently aired on TV Avala. The show was also aired earlier on RTV BK Telecom.
• In Turkey it is aired on the subscription based channel ComedyMax.
• In the United Kingdom, the show appears on Channel 4 and Comedy Central in HD
• In Spain the show airs on La Sexta where it has been run various times and in different time slots. At present (Autumn 2008), La Sexta airs double episodes every weekday morning from 645am.
• In Denmark, the show appears on JHM Network and TV3+.
• In Latvia the first 3 seasons were aired on TV3
• In Germany originally aired on Pro7 and Kabel1, followed by Comedy Central Germany, now it is aired on TNT Serie and ATV
• In Switzerland is was aired on SF zwei (German region)
• In Portugal the show aired on SIC Comédia, and lasted until the channel was canceled by TV Cabo. It also aired on SIC Mulher. Now it airs on SET
• In Croatia it was aired on NOVA tv, but it was cancelled. It was a popular show. It is currently aired by RTL Televizija.
• In Slovenia the show aired on Kanal A. It was often repeated.
• In India, the show was aired on STAR World. It was very popular, with many reruns at different time slots.
• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the show was aired on RTRS. It was very popular.
• In South Africa, the show aired its original run on Monday evenings at 20:30 on SABC 3, and M-Net Series purchased rebroadcast rights and aired re-runs after the series ended.
• In Italy, the show appears on Comedy Central.

Russian version and documentary

In 2009, series creator/producer Phil Rosenthal traveled to Russia to adapt the show for local audiences. His experience was documented by a film crew and will be released as the documentary feature "Exporting Raymond" in late 2010.^[2] The Russian version is titled (Russian) Воронины^[3] (Voroniny, by family name of main character). On 2 September 2010 already aired 92 episodes^[4] (and 8 more planned to air — total 100 episodes divided by 5 seasons with 20 episodes each^[5]).

Reception

American television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Everybody Loves Raymond on CBS.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were Eastern & Pacific

With the exception of the 2004–2005 season, the ratings data seen in this table is from Nielsen Media Research which was published in a May 15, 2005 USA Today article.^[6]

The series-finale scored a 20.2 household rating, 32.94 million viewers^[7] (29% of all viewers at the time) and an 11.2 rating among adults 18–49. At 8pm, Everybody Loves Raymond: The Last Laugh averaged a 15.3 household rating, 24.52 million viewers and a 7.5 among adults 18–49. Throughout the latter six seasons of the show, Everybody Loves Raymond maintained its position on the top ten rankings.

Awards

Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Comedy Series (2003, 2005) 2 wins
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (2002)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (2000–2001) 2 wins
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2002–2003, 2005) 3 wins
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (2001–2003, 2005) 4 wins
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for "Baggage" Tucker Cawley (2003)

Screen Actors Guild:

• Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2003)

Writers Guild of America:

• Episodic Comedy Phil Rosenthal for: "Italy", parts I and II (2002)

Nominations

Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Comedy Series (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (1999–2003, 2005) 6 nominations
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2000, 2002–2005) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Peter Boyle (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, 3 nominations: Will Mackenzie "Robert's Date" (1999), Will Mackenzie "The Christmas Picture" (2000), Gary Halvorson "Finale" (2005)
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, 6 nominations: Philip Rosenthal and Ray Romano "Bad Moon Rising" (2000), Philip Rosenthal "The Angry Family" (2002), Jennifer Crittenden "Marie's Sculpture" (2002), Tucker Cawley "Baggage" (2003), Mike Royce "Counselling" (2003), Philip Rosenthal, Ray Romano, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan, Jeremy Stevens, Aaron Shure, Mike Royce, Leslie Caveny, Tom Caltabiano "Finale" (2005)

Golden Globe Awards:

• Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Ray Romano (2000–01) 2 nominations

Screen Actors Guild:

• Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999–2000, 2002–2006) 6 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (2000, 2002–2005) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2004)
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Peter Boyle (2002, 2004) 2 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (2002–2006) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (2004–2005) 2 nominations

References

External links

• Official website
• Official website from CBS
• Everybody Loves Raymond at the Internet Movie Database
• Everybody Loves Raymond at TV.com