Inside Look @ Everybody Loves Raymond

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

Since its debut in 1996, Everybody Loves Raymond has become a top-ten sitcom for CBS, earning numerous Emmys, several American Comedy Awards, and a laundry list of other nominations and awards.

INSIDE SCOOP:

It all started with Raymond. Raymond Romano that is. A father of twins who lived near his parents, had a police officer for a brother, who’d grown up on Long Island—and who saw the comedy in it all. Ray Romano used his life to make people laugh as a stand-up comedian, until David Letterman saw his act and helped make it into a sitcom using these elements from Ray’s life.

Everybody Loves Raymond is about what real life looks like for many married couples—especially those with extended family nearby. Ray Barone (Romano) is a good-hearted sports columnist who meddles in the daily lives of his family, avoids responsibility, is quick to place the blame on others, and who’s more like the average guy than most average guys might want to admit. Ray lives with his sharp-tongued wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), their daughter, and twin sons (played by real-life siblings Madylin, Sawyer, and Sullivan Sweeten). The Barone’s live across the street from Ray’s parents, Marie (Doris Roberts) and Frank (Peter Boyle), who also often house Ray’s older brother Robert (Brad Garrett). These family members intrude on each other’s lives regularly, and their good intentions aren’t always good for each other.

So why does everybody love Raymond? The show depicts situations real families experience, and finds the humor in them. Marie dotes on her adult sons and grandchildren, finding fault in nearly everything Debra does—and who hasn’t experienced a bit of tension with the in-laws? Debra tries to help her family grow through discussion and even counseling, yet can’t always control her own tongue—and what well-meaning wife and mother is as perfect as she thinks she is? Like regular grown-ups with “issues,” Frank watches television and insults everyone, Robert longs for the love that Raymond gets and he doesn’t, and Ray is whiny, unsure of himself, and truly loves his family. And unlike most sit-coms, the kids aren’t there just for easy laughs.

But not everybody loves Raymond. Some are appalled at the mean-spirited humor of Frank, who has no regard or respect for the feelings of others, and whose favorite phrase is “Holy crap!” Entertainment Weekly named him one of the worst dads on television, and some find his lines hard to laugh at. And because there’s so much bickering between Ray and Debra, some viewers wonder what spark of love even caused this couple to marry in the first place. Often they’re enemies more than allies in the battles of family life, and fighting isn’t funny to many.

In Everybody Loves Raymond the laughs ring true of regular life. For some those laughs may be too close to home, while others don’t mind laughing at themselves.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT Everybody Loves Raymond

“It is one of the most satisfying sitcoms on television; laugh-a-minute funny yet also sharply revelatory about the toe-crunching tango of marriage.”

—Entertainment Weekly

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“It is the funniest, the smartest, the wisest, the most affecting and most resonant comedy on television…in short, it is the sitcom of our times.”

—Neal Gabler in The New York Times

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“The smart scripts mine comic gold out of the most mundane situations.”

—Tim Holland in TV Guide Online

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“If I can’t think of anything, I can go home to my wife and pick a fight. Then I have another few episodes.”

—series creator Phil Rosenthal on looking for new script ideas

LOOKING INSIDE…:      

Use these questions to spark family discussion about Everybody Loves Raymond:

---Which family member from this show do you most identify with and why?

---In what ways is Everybody Loves Raymond realistic about what happens in the lives of people like you or your friends? How is the show unrealistic?

---The humor in this show is often sarcastic and mean. How do you feel about this kind of humor in television or movies? In real life?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like Everybody Loves Raymond, then you may want to check out:

---Be Afraid…Be Very Afraid (M2.O Communications and Word Entertainment)

This DVD from funny-woman Chonda Pierce pokes fun at real-life situations for regular moms. Watch and laugh with Chonda as you tackle your fears of laundry, letting the kids grow up, and becoming like your own mother. Chonda doesn’t let the humor degenerate into meanness, and clearly expresses her love for both her family members and for God. If you only have time to listen, this is also available on CD.

---I’ve Got a Funny Feeling About This (Inpop Records)

Bob Smiley is one of the funniest stand-up comedians around—and he’s also a Christian. He jokes about his marriage, being a father, growing up as a smart-aleck kid, and more. And just when you’re rolling on the floor with tears coming from your eyes and feel like you’re choking from laughing so hard, Smiley brings it home with a biblical truth.  Your whole family will enjoy listening to this one—and they might learn a little about God’s love amidst the laughter.

[END]

[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com