Everybody Loves Raymond is an
Emmy Award-winning
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
Ray Romano (who is represented by the Ray Barone character he plays) and the writing staff. The main characters on the show are also loosely based on Romano's family members. It is one of the most critically acclaimed American sitcoms of its time.
Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for and won many
awards. The
show reruns in syndication on different cable channels such as
TBS, and in most TV markets on local stations.
[Everybody Loves Raymond: Make Mine a Double Paramount Comedy.]
Show background
The show revolves around the life of
Italian-American Ray Barone, a
newspaper sportswriter from
Lynbrook,
Long Island. Ray lives with his wife,
Debra Barone, their daughter,
Ally, and their
identical twin sons,
Michael and Geoffrey. Ray's parents and brother
Robert, who live across the street, frequently make their presence known to the frustration of Ray and especially Debra. Unfortunately for Ray, he always has to hear about it from Debra. Debra particularly finds herself at odds with Ray's mother,
Marie — a
passive-aggressive woman. Ray often finds himself in the middle of all the problems and arguments. His biggest nemesis is his brother Robert, who is insecure about Ray being the favorite son. Although Robert and Ray are frequently seen fighting like children and
picking on each other, the brothers are very devoted to each other. Robert frequently calls Ray "Cubby" and stands up for him, while Ray has a great admiration for Robert, who is a
police officer. Their father,
Frank, is very tough and does not like to show his feelings, but through the years several episodes were crafted to show how much he loves his family. Ray and Debra have their share of marital disagreements, with Debra frequently denying Ray sex, and Ray prefers watching
sports television to talking to his wife. A recurring theme on the show has them having a long interaction each night while in bed, just before going to sleep, and sometimes there is a sweetness between them.
Cast