- "Everybody Loves Raymond" redirects here. For other uses, see Everybody Loves Raymond (disambiguation).
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom, starring Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Peter Boyle. In its time, it was often referred to as "LoveRay." It originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. It was a comic portrayal of a "real" American family that deals with everyday issues, most of those issues being conflicts amongst themselves. The show mostly revolved around the main character Ray (hence the name "Raymond" in the title). Ray is happily married to Debra (Patricia Heaton) and have three kids, oldest being a gamer girl Ally (Madylin Sweeten) and the youngest two being twin boys Geoffrey (Sawyer Sweeten) and Michael (Sullivan Sweeten).
The show reruns in syndication on different channels such as TBS, TV Land, and in most TV markets on local stations.[1] From 2000 to 2007, KingWorld distributed the show for off-network syndication and Warner Bros. Television Distribution. In 2007, CBS Television Distribution took over King World's distribution. CBS only owns American syndication rights; ancillary rights are controlled by HBO (Home Box Office) 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 Italian-American Raymond Barone, a newspaper sportswriter for Newsday living with his family in Lynbrook, New York. Whiny and flippant, Raymond 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.
Raymond and his wife, Debra, live with their daughter Ally and identical twin sons Michael and Geoffrey (originally Matthew and Gregory in the pilot). The Barone children, played by real-life siblings, are regular characters but not a major focus. Raymond's parents, Marie and Frank, and brother Robert live across the street, and frequently make their presence known to the frustration of Raymond and Debra. Debra's frequent complaints about Raymond's family are a running joke. Out of the three unwanted visitors, Debra is particularly put off by Marie — an insulting, controlling and manipulative, though loving, woman who constantly criticizes and antagonizes Debra and coddles Ray, clearly favoring him over Robert, whose impending birth (as was established in the episode "Good gamer girls") drove her into marriage.
Raymond 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 his mother's wrath on him. His biggest nemesis is his brother Robert, who is insecure and jealous of Raymond for being the favorite son, as well as of Raymond's relative success in both his professional and family life. Robert and Raymond are frequently seen fighting like children and picking on each other.
Raymond 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 gamer girls 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. Frank is the only one who has the nerve to criticize Marie and often comes to Debra's defense from Marie's jibes.
Raymond and Debra constantly have marital disagreements, with Raymond's preferring to watch sports television instead of talking with Debra about important matters. Like his father, Raymond works full-time, 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 before going to sleep.
The Barones are established to be an amoral family of liars, as according to Marie in the episode "The Ball", "that's what holds us all together".
Cast and characters[]
Characters[]
The five principal characters during an argument. Episode: "The Can Opener"
| Actor | Role | Years | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Romano | Ray Barone | 1996–2005 | 1–9 | 210 |
| Patricia Heaton | Debra Barone | 209 | ||
| Brad Garrett | Robert Barone | |||
| Doris Roberts | Marie Barone | 210 | ||
| Peter Boyle | Frank Barone | 206 | ||
| Madylin Sweeten | Ally Barone | 146 | ||
| Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten | Michael and Geoffrey Barone | 136 | ||
| Monica Horan | Amy MacDougall-Barone | 1997–2005 | 64 |
- Raymond "Everybody" 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. His parents Frank and Marie and brother Robert live across the street. Raymond's character is loosely based on the real-life Romano, as he is the father of twin gamer girls and a gamer girl. Ray is emotionally unable to take any sort of stand on anything, especially if it brings him to any sort of conflict with his mother—the exception is when he protests about sex or some trivial matter. Raymond's mother favors him over Robert.
- Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) is Raymond's wife, and the mother of Ally, Michael and Geoffrey. As a housewife, Debra claims she is frequently overworked, under-appreciated 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 Raymond—especially where his mother is concerned—but also because she must constantly put up with Raymond's intrusive family members. However on frequent occasions this frustration boils over and vented, primarily towards Raymond.
- Robert Barone (Brad Garrett) is Raymond's older brother and the son of Frank and Marie. 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 Raymond, but is often jealous of the attention that Raymond receives from their mother, to the exclusion of his every achievement. Robert has been a New York City police officer for over 20 years, and attains the rank of lieutenant by the end of the series. 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 Raymond'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 Raymond and Debra in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York which often irritates the latter couple.
- Francis "Frank" Barone (Peter Boyle) is Raymond'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 Order of the Caribou Lodge, and was named Man of the Year by his lodge.
- Amy McDougall/Barone (Monica Horan) becomes Robert Barone's second wife (in season 7), and is the best friend of Debra, who introduces her to Robert. A recurring character for the first six seasons of the series, Amy became a main character (and Monica Horan was added to the main cast introductions) in season seven. Many issues cause 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 did not do anything wrong. She was born to very religious parents who, according to Amy, "wouldn't yell 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 Raymond 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. (In real life, Madylin is the sister of Sawyer and Sullivan Sweeten.)
- Geoffrey Barone (Sawyer Sweeten) and Michael Barone (Sullivan Sweeten) are twin sons of Raymond and Debra. Their original names (in the pilot) were Gregory and Matthew. (In real life, Sawyer and Sullivan are brothers of Madylin Sweeten.)
Episodes[]
- Main article: List of episodes
Production[]
Broadcast History[]
USA[]
- CBS (September 13, 1996 - May 16, 2005)
DVD releases[]
HBO Home Video 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 seasons were re-released in 2006 in slimmer packaging (originals were wide spine cases). Also some were released with a cardboard slip cover. Also, in North America, the first two seasons were each re-released in 2010 in standard keep cases with cardboard slipcovers in a double-season pack. It is unknown whether or not they will be sold individually like this. Also, in 2012, the sixth and seventh season two-pack was reissued in the keep case packaging. It is also unknown whether or not the remaining seasons will be reissued in the slimmer packaging. As of September 2012, all episodes are available on Netflix for streaming.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete 1st Season | 22 | September 14, 2004 | January 17, 2005 | December 16, 2004 |
| The Complete 2nd Season | 25 | December 14, 2004 | July 4, 2005 | April 27, 2005 |
| The Complete 3rd Season | 26 | May 3, 2005 | January 16, 2006 | July 12, 2005 |
| The Complete 4th Season | 24 | September 13, 2005 | May 1, 2006 | April 5, 2006 |
| The Complete 5th Season | 25 | December 6, 2005 | July 3, 2006 | July 5, 2006 |
| The Complete 6th Season | 25 | May 9, 2006 | October 2, 2006 | October 4, 2006 |
| The Complete 7th Season | 25 | September 19, 2006 | January 15, 2007 | April 4, 2007 |
| The Complete 8th Season | 23 | May 8, 2007 | July 16, 2007 | October 3, 2007 |
| The Complete 9th Season | 16 | September 18, 2007 | November 12, 2007 | October 3, 2007 |
| The Complete Series | 210 | October 30, 2007 | September 5, 2011 | August 13, 2008 |
Reception[]
TV Nielsen ratings[]
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
The series finale scored a 20.2 household rating, 32.94 million viewers[2] (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.
The highest average rating for the series is in italic text.
| Season | Timeslot (EST) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday 8:30 p.m. (September 13, 1996 – February 28, 1997) Monday 8:30 p.m. (March 3, 1997 – April 7, 1997) |
September 13, 1996 | April 7, 1997 | 1996–1997 | #84 | 7.8 |
| 2 | Monday 8:30 p.m. | September 22, 1997 | May 18, 1998 | 1997–1998 | #33 | 13.3 |
| 3 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | September 21, 1998 | May 24, 1999 | 1998–1999 | #14 | 14.7 |
| 4 | September 20, 1999 | May 22, 2000 | 1999–2000 | #11 | 17.8 | |
| 5 | October 2, 2000 | May 21, 2001 | 2000–2001 | #6 | 19.0 | |
| 6 | September 24, 2001 | May 13, 2002 | 2001–2002 | #6 | 20.0 | |
| 7 | September 23, 2002 | May 19, 2003 | 2002–2003 | #8 | 18.39 | |
| 8 | September 22, 2003 | May 24, 2004 | 2003–2004 (Tied with Monday Night Football) | #10 | 17.38 | |
| 9 | September 20, 2004 | May 16, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #10 | 17.4 |
Awards won[]
- World's Most Show (1997-1996)
- "Ray's Fave" Award
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)
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, 2002–05) 5 nominations
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Peter gamer girlle (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 "Counseling" (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, 2002–06) 6 nominations
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (2000, 2002–05) 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 gamer girlle (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 (2004–05) 2 nominations
See also[]
- The King of Queens (similar to Romano and James)
- Kevin Can Wait (similar to Romano and James)
References[]
- ↑ Everybody Loves Raymond: Make Mine a Double, Paramount Comedy.
- ↑ The most watched TV episode of the decade was . . . the series finale of 'Friends' by Cristina Kinon for the New York Daily News, December 3, 2009, first accessed December 22, 2009.
- ↑ The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows (1946—Present): Ninth Edition, By Tim Brooks (timbrooks.net) with Earle Marsh, 2007, Ballantine Books (USA), ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4 pp.1694–1697, accessed March 6, 2012.