Why Everbody Loves Raymond

Raymond on DVD -- Photo courtesy CBS

by blogSpotter
I am one of the 'Everybody' who loves the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond. Now, I can tell you up front, why I didn't have it on my Top 5 TV shows of all time (which were: I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family and Bob Newhart -- all covered in previous blogs). Raymond is a superb, witty show with a first-rate ensemble cast. The only thing keeping it off the all-time list is absence of ground-breaking material. The idea of a put-upon family man getting tongue-lashed by a harpy wife or pushy in-law is as old as TV itself. The Honeymooners mastered it superbly -- even The Flintstones covered the territory. So, now that we've said why it isn't so special, why is Raymond special?

In the quality-starved 00's, there have been very few good sitcoms. Raymond filled a gap that was barely being plugged by other fare such as Two and a Half Men or Will and Grace in its last season. The premise of the show is an affable sports writer living in a Long Island suburb with his wife, daughter and twin boys. Right across the street is his intrusive mother, tact-impaired father and resentful, older live-at-home brother. The situation itself is unremarkable, but the plot lines are very believable and credibly acted. Sometimes the end result is serious and even touching. Ray Romano is a stand-up comic, but is very competent at coming across as vulnerable and real -- never comes across as just a comedian doing a gig. Brad Garrett is hilarious as the hulking, jealous never-married policeman brother and Peter Boyle is a consistent laugh-getter as the gruff, mean-mouthed Dad. But --- and you knew there was a but coming, the women hit this show out of the ballpark. Doris Roberts was instant gold in Season 1 as the pushy Italian mother. Her meddling and judgmental remarks are a comic gold mine. Patricia Heaton, as Ray's wife Debra was the best find of all. During the first season, Debra was mostly sweet and demure -- nice but tepid. During the second season, comic electricity was discovered in Debra's ability to be peeved, exasperated and otherwise outraged by the insensitivities of Ray et al. Whether her rage is on the surface, or smoldering underneath, she is a delight to behold.

Three shows stand out in my mind for different reasons. In one show, Debra and Ray attend Ray's high school reunion, where Debra hits it off with the "in" crowd. Ray is jealous of Debra's social acumen, but they handle the situation in ways that are simultaneously funny and heart-wrenching, as Debra makes Ray understand that he's her cool, Number One guy. In another episode, Alley, Ray's daughter is upset when she sees her Granddad yell at a supermarket clerk. The show deals a good deal with swallowing one's pride, admitting wrongs and making apologies; I've never seen it dealt with more sensitively, or adeptly. In a last episode, Debra becomes upset with Ray's mom and 'drinks at' her. Debra is found sleeping inebriated in her nonmoving SUV, and arrested for public intoxication. What follows is a hilarious reenactment of Women in Cages on a smaller scale. Patricia Heaton comes thru in any situation.

Everybody Loves Raymond is out on DVD now, and a person couldn't do any better than rediscovering why Raymond is so loveable.

© 2006 blogSpotter.