Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody Loves Raymond, sometimes referred to in the abbreviated form Raymond, was a popular and long-running American sitcom that was produced from 1996 to 2005 and broadcast on CBS.

The show revolved around the life of Ray Barone, a Newsday sportswriter from Lynbrook, Long Island who lives with his wife, Debra, his daughter, Ally, and his identical twin sons, Geoffrey and Michael. Unfortunately for them, Ray's rather quirky and brash parents, as well as his self-doubting brother Robert, never give Ray or his family a moment of peace, and he finds himself and his wife being constantly dragged into their myriad squabbles.

Cast

Raymond Barone (Ray Romano)

Although he got special treatment from his mother, as a child Ray had a difficult relationship with both his father and brother. His brother Robert grew jealous because Ray would get Hot Wheels for Christmas, while Robert got shoes, etc. The jealousy remained into adulthood. Ray's father Frank never had a serious relationship with either of his children, often spending time at work or the Lodge. The only time Frank was a true father was when they watched the game on TV or went to the games. Ray became infatuated with sports and decided to pursue a career in sports writing.

Once Ray got the job as sports writer for newspaper Newsday he proposed to his girlfriend Debra. The two had a daughter named Ally and twin boys, Michael and Geoffrey, originally named Mathew and Gregory. Ray never had a gift for parenting skills, preferring to golf over day-to-day parenting. The couple would often argue over minor matters, whether it's about a suitcase that needs to be moved or a new can opener. They do agree on one thing, Ray's parents Frank and Marie are a nuisance to their everyday life. They live across the street and neither Marie's constant criticism nor Frank's oblique comments are appreciated. Ray's parents even went as far as to backing up into the front of Ray's house by accident resulting in Ray's first time speaking his mind to his mother and father over paying for wallpaper.

Ray enjoys playing golf with his brother Robert and several of his friends, including Andy, Gianni, and Bernie. Ray often complains about Debra never being in the mood even bringing home an adult board game, which was discovered by the rest of the family. Ray is the protagonist of the show and most of the show's plots focus on his lifestyle (though a lot of Robert's life is depicted).

Throughout the show Romano has developed the habit of casting family members for minor characters in the show. In various seasons, we've seen his father playing Frank's friend Albert, his wife as a disturbed parent and daughter as both the flower girl at Ray and Debra's wedding and as the recuring character Molly, the infamous Peggy's daughter. Also, most of the main characters are based on actual Romano family members, such as Robert who is a mix of Ray's two brothers in real life.

Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton)

The henpeck wife of sportswriter Ray Barone, Debra grew up in Connecticut to loving, caring, and rich parents Warren and Lois, who have traveled all around the world since Debra left them. Debra is a judgmental, venting, nagging woman who is always on Ray's back. She glares at, and picks on Ray in nearly every episode. When her character met Carrie, from the CBS hit, The King of Queens, it made for an interesting show and both complained about their husbands.

After learning she was pregnant with twins, Debra brought up the issue that she and Ray would need to move in a bigger home, as they would now have three children. Once Ray's parents learned of this, Frank showed the married couple a nice home across the street from two lovely neighbors, Marie and Frank. Ray at first didn't want to buy the home, but Debra convinced him and they soon realized what a living hell they would be in.

Marie often barges into Debra's home criticizing everything her daughter-in-law does. Most of it is aimed at cooking, as Marie has always been a class A cook, while Debra is only average and is notorious for making lousy food. Her one decent dish, lemon chicken, is the only one that Ray ever liked. Though she made one good meal once, it was soon revealed that was the same meal Marie made when Frank proposed, and Debra went back to her habit of making lemon chicken. Other things Marie criticizes is how Debra takes care of the kids and keeps the house. Marie often rewashes the kids and spends her days cleaning Debra's house all over again.

Debra enjoys reading before going to bed and is also active in the school PTA. Under all the anger she has and yelling, Debra is a really kind person and has inherited most of her awkward behavior from being around the Barone family. Debra is a very caring mother and a loving wife.

Robert Barone (Brad Garrett)

Most of the jokes are aimed at how Robert is never able to find success and how his love life never picks up. Robert was conceived out of wedlock; one episode features Robert's discovery of that. Standing at 6' 8 1/2", he is the tallest Barone. Robert is a caring uncle and still deeply cares for little brother Raymond, no matter how much jealousy he has.

After divorcing his first wife Joanne, Robert became a workaholic and was acknowledged by the NYPD for never being absent one day of his career. Robert was an exceptional cop, once stopping an armed robbery at Nemo's Pizza while Ray hid under a table; in another episode he is gored in the backside by a bull, forcing him to move back into his parents' house for several episodes. Robert's partner is an African-American woman named Judy; she memorably introduced him to the dance club scene in one episode. Robert's diverse skills as a police officer even got him an interview with the FBI; However, his mother interfered in the interview process, and he was passed over for the position. He soon pursued early retirement to become an alarms salesman, but in the end returned to the NYPD as a lieutenant.

Robert dated Debra's best friend Amy MacDougall for several years and they have broken up several times. When Robert went with the Barones to a family trip in Italy, he had a small connection to an Italian girl named Stefania, who later immigrated to America, leading to one of his break-ups with Amy. Another occurred when Amy discovered Robert had been considering getting back together with his ex-wife. After a bad date with yet another woman, Robert ran into Amy in a bar and they soon got back together and married in 2003. In 2004 they purchased Frank and Marie's home, but they had to welcome Marie and Frank back in when they were kicked out of a retirement community 85 miles away.

Robert is also very jealous of his brother Raymond, who was favored by their mother, and also earned great success in life, becoming a sportswriter and winning many awards. Though they have this sibling rivarly and Robert's jealousy can conflict things, Ray and Robert are easily each other's closest friend.

Marie Barone (Doris Roberts)

Mother of Raymond and Robert and wife to Frank, Marie is an Italian housemom who excels in cooking, cleaning, and other things dealing with keeping a good home and bringing up a nurturing and caring family.

One of Marie's most common acts is to behave condescendingly toward her daughter-in-law Debra. Marie often barges into Debra's house and gives her cooking tips and when ever something smells strange, she immediately asks if Debra is cooking anything. Marie also criticizes Debra's housekeeping, and a result she often rewashes all of the clothes and vacuums the house several more times. When Debra got an advanced vacuum cleaner, she couldn't find a spot of dust in Marie's home.

Though Marie is a kind woman and often does the things she does out of love, Marie has a history of making matters worse. One of the worst things she ever did was accidentally back up her car into Ray and Debra's home and she even once refused to speak to Debra for weeks, which resulted in several episodes interlocking with each other.

Frank Barone (Peter Boyle)

Frank Barone has lived in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York for most of his life and is of Italian heritage. His father (originaly named Albert but was later renamed Jo) came to America and changed his name to Barone, causing much confusion when Raymond and Ally attempted to contact Frank's aunt Serena, still in Italy. The actual family name is unknown.

Frank is the one member of the Barone family who will unleash anything that is on his mind. Very derogatory and very derisive, Frank uses names like Nancy and Shirley to describe men (including his sons) who are not macho enough. He often hangs out at the Lodge, where lodge policy (or tradition; it is not definitively explained) is to swim naked in the pool. Refusing to pay for any kind of repair, Frank also considers himself a general handyman and attempts to make repairs around Ray's household (often with disastrous results).

Frank's pastimes are eating and watching TV. He proclaims Marie is his cook and she often gives in, cooking him things from grilled cheese to ham, but once Ray comes over Frank has to wait till Ray gets his hands on the food. Frank will usually eat anything, even if Debra cooked it. Frank often watches television with his pants unzipped and that has become a running gag. When Marie temporarily moved in with Ray and Debra, Frank rented the Arnold Schwarzenegger collection and discovered salsa.

Frank's behavior often results in many people disliking him. Some of Frank's behavior include keeping score at his granddaughter's t-ball game, holding a record breaking football for ransom, and getting insider information on sporting events from Ray and betting on them. Despite his transgressions, Frank is a very passionate man and has a passion for dancing. He also deeply cares for Marie as he bursted out when she said they had a "loveless marriage.", as well as his family. Some of Frank's more tender moments involve taking the fall for Debra when Marie loses a sentimental item or handing Ray money for the zoo to take his children.

The cast often makes jokes about Frank being fat and bald as well as the way he smells. He brushes these jokes off with complete acceptance of his slovenly behaviour and his trademark "Holy crap!"

Amy MacDougall-Barone (Monica Horan)

Amy is Debra's friendly best friend and dated Robert for several years on and off. When she learned Robert was considering getting back together with his ex-wife and had also been seeing Stefania during a family vacation in Italy, she was furious and walked out on him. This caused problems, as both Amy and Robert wanted to get back together.

After briefly dating Gianni, Amy was single until a waiter tripped and dropped a tray of food all over her. Robert was in that bar that night and they got back together. Their relationship was fixed and they married in 2003. Robert bought Frank and Marie's home in 2004, but they were forced to allow them back in when Frank and Marie were kicked out of their condo 85 miles away.

Amy was a virgin for more than 36 years and she was finally ready to give it up for Robert. Her parents, Henry "Hank" and Patricia "Pat", are very religious and old-fashioned, astonished when their son Peter told them how Robert took away Amy's virginity. At first Amy's family and Robert's family had a total dislike for each other, resulting in a small Holy War, but they mended fences after Robert and Amy's wedding and occasionally visit each other during the holidays.

Monica Horan, the actress who plays Amy, is producer and co-creater, Phil Rosenthal's, real life wife. Rosenthal had the idea to use his wife as Robert's love interest when the cast wondered what it would be like if Robert had a girl that Marie actually likes.

Supporting cast

Alexandra (Ally) Barone (Madylin Sweeten), Ray and Debra's eldest child and only daughter.
Geoffrey and Michael Barone (Sawyer Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten), Ray and Debra's identical twin sons.
Hank MacDougall (Fred Willard), Amy's father, is an austere, religious family man.
Pat MacDougall (Georgia Engel), Amy's mother, a polite, soft-spoken woman who enjoys jigsaw puzzles. She has secretly smoked cigarettes for almost 20 years.
Peter MacDougall (Chris Elliott), Amy's brother, is an eccentric comic book-obsessed geek who often times tries to get the Barone family into some sort of trouble. For example, the meeting of the MacDougals and the Barones, Ray's forced second attempt at throwing Robert a bachelor party and Robert and Amy's wedding, to name a few.

Recurring characters

Lois (Katherine Helmond), Debra's aloof mother.
Warren (Robert Culp), Debra's eccentric and alcoholic father.
Gianni (Jon Manfrellotti), a contractor and friend of Raymond.
Judy (Sherri Shepherd), Robert's NYPD patrol partner.
Andy (Andy Kindler), a fellow sportswriter and friend of Raymond.
Parker (David Hunt), Ray's nemesis neighbor
Stefania (Alexandra Meneses)

Some of the returning characters aswell as many walkon roles have been played by various cast members families.

Parker, Debrah (Patricia Heaton)'s real life husband. Parker is often seen showing Ray up as a father and Ray makes jokes that Debra wishes she married him
Albert, Ray Barone/Romano's real life father. Albert is a lodge friend of Frank and has been seen in various lodge related episodes
Molly, Ray Barone/Romano's real life daughter. Molly is Ally's best friend but Romano's daughter was first seen as the flowergirl at Ray and Debra's wedding
Amy, Phil Rosenthal's (co-creator) real life wife. Amy was first introduced as Debra's friend from her old P.R. days and later married Robert after many breakups and reunions.

Show background

Based on the real life experiences of Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond premiered on September 13, 1996, on CBS. The show was produced by HBO, Worldwide Pants (owned by David Letterman) and Where's Lunch?. It originally held the Friday night time slot, a time period traditionally known for its poor ratings. Everybody Loves Raymond was no different. CBS executives, however, saw a promising series, and moved the show to a better slot on Monday nights, where it outshone its competition. It continued to hold that time slot until the end of its run. For a few years in a row in the late 1990s, the show consistently held Top 5 ratings. The series finale was broadcast on May 16, 2005, though old episodes are still rerun in syndication.

Robert and Amy's wedding

The episode that could be reasonably argued to be the biggest moment on the show, while not necessarily the highest rated, was the May 19, 2003 episode in which Robert married his long-time on-again, off-again love, Amy MacDougall. With the marriage came a slew of new recurring characters, including Amy's parents and brother. However, a rumored spin-off featuring Robert and Amy never materialized.

DVD releases

DVD Name	Release dates			# Ep
DVD Name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4	# Ep
The Complete 1^st Season	September 14 2004	January 17 2005	December 16 2004	22
The Complete 2^nd Season	December 14 2004	July 4 2005	April 27 2005	25
The Complete 3^rd Season	May 3 2005	January 16 2006	July 12 2005	26
The Complete 4^th Season	September 13 2005	May 1 2006	April 5 2006	24
The Complete 5^th Season	December 6 2005	July 3 2006	July 5 2006	25
The Complete 6^th Season	May 9 2006	N/A	N/A	24
The Complete 7^th Season	September 19 2006	N/A	N/A	24

Trivia

The name of the show was originally an inside joke intended to be ironic, that is, implying that not everybody loves Raymond. Romano wasn't keen on the name because he felt the irony would be missed. The rumored spin-off featuring Robert and Amy's family has sometimes been referred to as Everybody Likes Robert.
In the pilot episode, the twins were named Matthew and Gregory. Later on, the twins are called Michael and Geoffrey.
Jokes about Ray's large nose and "whiny" nasal voice, Robert's height, Frank's baldness and Marie's large mouth— all real-life traits of the actors portraying them—are often incorporated into the show's humor.
Amy's brother was originally introduced as "Russell", owner of a comic book shop, and played by comedian Paul Reubens in a one-time appearance. When the character reappeared, his name was Peter and was played by Chris Elliott. This was a rare lapse in the show's continuity, sometimes referred to as the "Chuck Cunningham syndrome".
A noticeable change from most family sitcoms is that the show's three children (who are real-life siblings) usually have extremely small parts, although at times each has been at the center of a particular plot line.
Each of the major adult actors and actresses, with the exception of Boyle, have received Emmy Awards for their performances, and the series has been honored as Best Comedy. Although he never won for the series, Boyle was nominated repeatedly for an Emmy (losing to co-star Garrett on multiple occasions).
In Raymond's early seasons, fellow stand-up comic (and friend) Kevin James frequently appeared as one of Ray's buddies. Kevin James later assumed the title role in his own CBS sitcom, The King of Queens, and Romano and Heaton guest-starred as the Barones (despite the fact that James was portraying a different character).
Although Raymond is set in Lynbrook, the houses seen as those belonging to Ray and his parents in establishing shots are actually located in the town of Merrick, though they actually are across the street from each other in real life.
The house interiors differ from the ones seen in the show's pilot. Ray's house was a newer, neat house in the pilot. For the rest of the series, it was a more realistic older house cluttered with toys and everyday objects all over the place.
A box of Flutie Flakes is visible on top of the fridge in Ray and Debra's home.
Although on the show Robert is supposed to be four years older than Raymond, in real life, Ray Romano is three years older than Brad Garrett.
The title sequence changed during the first seven seasons:
- During the first season, Ray gives a speech about who he is, etc. while putting together a playhouse for his children. Eventually, he accidentally builds himself into the playhouse and can't get out. Later in the season, Ray gives a similar speech while raking the leaves, as his family passes behind him on a conveyor belt.
- For the second season, the same speech was given, this time with Ray sitting in a lawn chair, and the family flying around past him. Ray swats his parents with a fly swatter, and Robert is the only person who walks by, and Ray remarks to him "Hey you didn't...", while flapping his arms in a flying way.
- For the third, fourth, and fifth seasons, a more elaborate opening was used, showing Raymond and Debra attempting to hide from Frank, Marie, and Robert, who are approaching from across the street. In slow motion, we see Ray and Debra trying to stop a blasting stereo and locking the doors while the credits play over the footage. Staged to the strains of "Ode to Joy", this sequence (complete with the credits zooming into the screen) also spoofs an infamous teaser trailer for the feature film Die Hard). Sitting against the door, Ray thinks he has succeeded in hiding, but then his mother puts her hand through the mail slot and feels his head.
- The sixth season started with the announcement "It's another season of Everyone Loves Raymond!" in a booming voice with the family playing football, resulting in Marie losing a tooth and smiling with the "hole" in her teeth.
- The seventh season featured a sequence of past clips, while playing to the Steve Miller tune, Jungle Love. The assortment of clips are mostly of Ray and his family dancing.
- The eighth and ninth seasons did not include a title sequence. The opening credits simply flashed over the first extended scene.
Ray Barone's brother Robert is a police officer for the NYPD. In real life, Ray Romano does have a brother who is a police officer for the NYPD.
Before becoming involved with comedy full-time, Ray Romano had a daytime job delivering futon mattresses. In the show, Raymond meets Debra while delivering a futon mattress to her apartment.
Monica Horan, who plays Amy on the show, is married to Philip Rosenthal, the show's executive producer and creator.
Chris Rock spoofed the show's title for his own show Everybody Hates Chris.
In a Halloween episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter Boyle, who plays Frank Barone, dresses up as Frankenstein's Monster, reprising the actor's role from Young Frankenstein.
Occasionally family members can be seen reading the "Village Herald," a real weekly newspaper published in Long Island. The Village Herald is now the "Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald." Karenlyn Barone (same last name as Ray's family) is the long-time editor.
The actor who plays Gianni for many episodes also played a cable television guy in one early episode. (Episode 17, Season 1)
Patricia Heaton's father, Chuck Heaton, was actually a sportswriter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer for 51 years. Debra mentions his name in Episode 18 of Season 1, Recovering Pessimist, as a nominee running against Ray for Sports Writer of the Year.
Each episode ends with a different plate of food served to the viewer. These plates are never repeated. For example, in the 1997 Hot Zone episode, the plate is grilled salmon, steamed vegetables, and rice pilaf. For the series finale, no plate was served; instead the check with "No Charge" written on it is presented.
Ray and Frank crossed over to Cosby, and also Becker, where Frank was in Becker's waiting room, as well as Bill Cosby as Hilton Lucas from Cosby. Ray Barone also crossed over to The Nanny as Fran Drescher's former high school classmate.

Awards & Nominations

Awards Won

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 (2000-01) 2 wins
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2002-03, 2005) 3 wins
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (2001-03, 2005) 4 wins
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for "Baggage" Tucker Cawley (2003) 1 win

Screen Actors Guild:

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

Award Nominations