Everybody Loves Raymond

I don't care what kind of mood I am in , I love this hare . The humor, the whole deal love the ole man, maybe because I am. Sorry to see him go.

I seldom watched the original ELR episodes, but I watch reruns frequently. However, I can't stand Frank. My dad couldn't either. Recently though, Raymond has become to irritate me for some reason. I love Deborah.

We get these on re-run the whole time. I love them, great old show!!

Raymond is starting to irritate me to whinny . Ole Robert sure is funny . He looks alot like that Mob guy that was a snitch. Can't remember the name.

I also the those old reruns , there are so many things now days that I set and just shake my head.

Thanks for the posts.

Yeah, that's it. He seems like quite a wimp. His speech pattern, his not helping around the house, his failure to grasp what fathering and husbanding is all about, his complaining so much. He's not a problem-solver; he's one of the problems.

You have that right olivant. But mommy's it does show how alot of familys are put together. Or what I have seen in the past. But Frank I get a kick out of him. He seems the way alot of us ole timers are.

Frank IS hard to take; sometimes I have to hit the mute button. And Marie is no bargain, either. If Deborah killed her, there's not a jury in the world that would convict her.

Ray is a whiny baby, and Robert is a weird, jealous bastard. They're that way because their mother made them that way. There must have been someone with a background in psychology working on that show .

But all that said, the show works. I love it. Anyone who has ever lived in close proximity to their in-laws should appreciate the show's good humor.

Your analysis could be the foundation for a TV movie. How about an orgy of blood and guts as they murder the parents and then turn on each other.

Right on , now I know why you are the Dr. I could never have lived to any close in-laws darn I would wack somebody . There you go olivant has a good point somebody might steel the thoughts and we wouldn't get out cut.

I think what turned me off to ELR was the episode where he came home and said that when he comes home he likes to play with his children for about 5 minutes, but then gets bored and wants to watch ESPN. It's only a TV program and a script, but that is one hell of a negative sentiment for a character to portray in a sitcom that is generally represented as decent.

I agree with you , his father skills are very low, I think alot of this comes from Frank. Yes, olicant I guess we are supose to laugh at some of this , but Deb has a 3 ring circus. I like her when that little one goes off. She can back all of them up. Good for her !

I love it when Judith says "Idiot" How very true in LIFE !

I like the older brother. He's a terrific dramatic actor, too:

He almost looks like that Big NATIVE AMERICAIN , that was the one on "One Flew over the Cookeo's Nest" ! He was one hell of a actor ! And while I am here for my post that was a good movie ! Now watch this I will be moved or dismembered wrong area.

During a few episodes, Raymond and Robert speak Italian. Now, they are 2nd generation Italians from NY. How probable is it that they would speak the language as well as they do? For some reason, I don't see their parents, as they are portrayed in the series, having spoke it around the house when the kids were growing up. You New Yorkers may want to chime in here. I figure that, just as I am, there are several of you who are 2nd generation Italians.

That's true, Oli. But the Italian spoken on the show was pure high school Italian, or the Italian learned from travel guides. I paid close attention to the episode filmed in Italy and it was cringeworthy at times, especially when they sang "Che la luna " on the airplane. And the Italian spoken in that episode wasn't even close to the dialect that I grew up hearing in the Bronx. And as funny as they were, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle were horribly miscast as first or second generation Italian Americans. But I still love the show.

This was answered in an episode when Marie told Debra that she and Frank spoke Italian only when arguing. Robert then told Debra that he and Raymond are therefore fluent.

But pizzaboy, if you want to talk about being miscast, how about the three blond kids, possibly the worst child actors in the history of sit-coms. I love the show though.

That Deborah sure got around .

Yeah, although it was kind of noble that the twins were the real life twin brothers of the little girl who played Ally.

I love the show. Never watched much of it when it was originally running but I've seen all the syndicated rerun episodes several times. Marie is my favorite character. Her little digs at Debra. I always thought the show was very consistent. By that I mean it didn't have any long lags or jump the shark before it ended.

I agree with each point, including the fact that I wasn't a follower of the show when it originally aired.

That's true. The show was as good in the last season as it was in its first. The finale was one of the best ever because they didn't do anything too dramatic. No one moved away or anything like that. It was a regular thirty minute episode, and it ended very much with a "life goes on" attitude. The family sitting around the breakfast table. Very nice.

This is one of those unique shows that is like fine wine. It gets better with age. Great show that is missed.

Good point. I think a lot of shows do a disservice by trying to do and say too much in final episodes. Every problem, conflict and concern over several seasons get hastily resolved. The Barone family just sails through life.

I didn't watch many of its origianl braodcasts, but I watch it alot in reruns. It's kind of like the moth to the flame.

With the exception of Debra, the main characters are an exercise in huge insecutiry. Frank leads the way. Remember the house painting episode: "Because I'm right"? Remember Marie changing the oregano label to keep Debra's cooking from rivaling her own?: "Would you come over as much if I didn't cook for you?"
And a New York policeman who's always worried about people having conversations about him and is intimidated by his mother. Raymond's the worst. He's not a husband or father; he's simply there. "After playing with the kids for 5 minutes I get bored. I want to watch sports." He contributes nothing to the household except a presence. His wife and kids are simply an accoutrement to him. And his halting, staccato speech pattern is beyond irritating. I watch it because I like Debra who is the only sane one among them; she's actually the glue that holds th efamily together - a typical mother.

Yes, Deborah is clearly the only sane and confident one of the whole bunch. To me, Marie is more of a villain than anything else. A very funny one, but a villain nonetheless.

If I ever behaved like Raymond, well, I don't even want to go there. The guy is beyond a "Mama's Boy." His fear of his mother actually makes him a lousy husband and father.

I thought the best episode (and there were so many to choose from!) was when Deborah gets arrested for drunk driving. Marie shows up at the hearing and keeps interrupting and being, you know, Marie, and Deborah says that she's surprised she's not drinking ALL THE TIME!

My favorite one was when Debra pretended to have had breast augmentation.

I think the worst one (except for Raymond's statement about being bored with his children) was when Marie spoke up at Robert's wedding. I didn't think that was funny at all; I think it was sick. I wish they would have let Amy's mother really tell Marie off at the reception.

Yes, sometimes the writers had Marie go too far, Frank, too.

I never started watching the show til years later. I really like it. One of my favorite episodes is when Marie drives the car into Ray/Debra's house.

And, I can't remember the exact line but I believe there was a reference to Ray's parents lengthy marriage or such. Ray's dad says "What contest in hell did I win?"


TIS

TIS, did you ever see the one with the tofu turkey? Debra and Marie are worried that they are all eating too much fat, so Marie serves a tofurkey one Thanksgiving.

SB,

I did see that once a long time ago. Hilarious. I felt sorry for the guys. No way in hell would I ever eat a tofu Turkey. I want the real thing. Robby: "I never thought I'd say this, but pass the broccoli."


TIS

My favorite episode is the one where Robert meets a pretty girl, but pretends that he is Ray Barone. Raymond didn't mind as he lived vicariously through his brother. The final scene when the girl showed up at Raymond's house and mentions to Debra , Frank and Marie that she was dating Raymond after meeting him in a bar.

Some of the episodes with Amy's family are classic. An episode that didn't work for me was the Italy trip. Frank and Marie were real homebodies, who had a major problem with even going to a nice restaurant.

I'm in the minority. I think Marie Barone is the best character on the show.

I never said she wasn't a great character. But if she were real, and Deborah killed her, they'd never get a conviction if I was on the jury .

Favorite episodes: "The Faux Paux" --- Ray takes the school janitor's son to a basketball game with the kids. "Throw it on the floor, that's what they pay the janitor for." In the same episode Frank tells a story about calling a co-worker's mother a "big fat moose." He defends himelf by saying "what do you feed her?"

Also, when Robert dates the "Frog Lady of Massapequa." She eats the fly. Ray: "She aaaaaaaaate it!!!!"

A few episodes:

-Flashback to when Ray and Debra met is one of the best sitcom episodes ever. It's a rare mix of humor and warmth.
-Flashback to when they bought their house, and trying to blame each other for making the decision.
-The two great fights: when Raymond decides to teach Debra that she's not going to make him be late anymore, and when they fight over who has to carry a suitcase up the stairs.
-When Marie gets involved in Robert's FBI interview.
-When Ray and Debra tell a series of lies to Marie, and she sniffs out one after the other.

The fly is also hilarious.

That might be my very favorite, MP. When Ray opens the refrigerator door and knocks Deborah down I laugh out loud every time I see it. Then she tells him he's a good kisser and he replies that she's delerious or something like that .

Klyd, I LOVE Marie and Frank. I think they're hilarious. But the writers sometimes let them get a bit too far...

mustache, how could I have forgotten the suitcase episode?? I think it was one of the best because, after you've been married a few years, everyone has had their share of suitcases. The giant fork and spoon in Frank and Marie's kitchen was the cherry on the sundae.

You're right Babe about the writers sometimes going too far. I think they went too far with the suitcase episode. It's supposed to be a comedy series, but all I took from that episode was that, as I've posted previously, Ray was simply living there in that house. He contributed very little to what is upposed to be a family.

I watched the HBO series about Ray Romano and it portrayed him almost exactly as he was portrayed in the series - he does as little as possible.

No, I thought the suitcase episode was perfect. Has this never happened between you and your wife? Walked past that dirty glass or pair of shoes that are out of place?? And you're seething, but pretend not to see it?? It's happened to me and my husband for sure, and that's why it was so funny, because it was something that you could relate to.

It happens all the time. Making the bed is our suitcase. We usually alternate (but keep track ). When one of us, er, forgets, well, let's just say the bed can get to looking a little unkempt .

That was the only good thing when my husband worked nights - no making the bed. One of us was always in it!

Now, let's be practical here. It's one thing to ignore an incidental thing such as ya'll have described. However, expecting a wife to carry a large, heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs is quite another. Why wouldn't a man do that for a woman even if it wasn't his wife?

Another good episode is where Debra's recently divorced parents are coming for Thanksgiving and the dad is bringing a new girlfriend, who shocks them all by being so old. Ray puts his foot in his mouth by telling the mother-in-law, that it turns out the old guy just wanted something different.

And when Debra starts scolding him about the hump-backed housecleaner, Marie turns around and slaps Frank.

Frank says he could have had his way with the housecleaner .

Frank says he could have had his way with the housecleaner . [/quote]

Another classic Thanksgiving scene is where Frank is choking to death and Debra and Marie are arguing over whether it's the turkey or fish that's causing it while Robert performs the Heimlich.

I'll tell ya, Klyd. My Mom---God rest her soul---was a pain in the ass. But she never would have shown up at my house with an unexpected turkey!

This reminded me: when my husband and his mother were having their mother/son dance at my wedding, she had a choke hold on him like nobody's business (mind you we were going to be living 2 blocks away) and she whispered in his ear. Some time later I asked him what did she say to him at that time. My husband said, "Oh she was just telling me that wives come and go, but your mother is forever." At the time I took offense to it (naturally).
15 years later, we are as close as mother and daughter and by having my own son now, I can really understand that wives DO come and go and your mother IS there forever. I am blessed to love my in-laws as my own blood.

As far as Everybody Loves Raymond, I loved the show as well. BUT, one thing, even now, watching the reruns that bugs the absolute hell outta me is that when Marie or Frank are speaking to Robert or Raymond they refer to the other parent as "Frank" and "Marie". What parent doesn't say "Mom" or "Dad" or "your mother...." when talking to their children? It never made sense to me, yet it seems like it was done on purpose. It's done over and over thru the years.

One of the funniest scenes is when Frank & Marie move out of their house to a retirement community. Robert & Amy start moving their stuff into Frank & Marie's house and Marie has a melt down about Robert's "sex machine"... it was really one of those portable gym like Boflex systems. Priceless!

I thought it was hilarious when Frank and Marie did their impersonations of Dera and Raymond at the anniversary party for Lee and Stan.

Just watched the one yesterday when the whole family gets on Ray's back about not going to Church. When he does hefinds out Frank is one of the ushers who stand outside during the whole service! Very funny!

Last night I saw the episode where Ray tells his brother that he gets bored with his kids after 5 minutes and wants to watch TV instead. Why would hte producers want to portray such a father (if you can call him that) in a comedy series?

Wow, you're really having a hell of a time getting over this one, huh?

To quote the Fonz: "Exactamundo!"

Last night they aired the episode where 40 something year old Robert starts dating a 22 year old, who turns out to really be 19. The scene in the restaurant towards the end of the episode really spoke to every phobia that middle-aged people develop. Great episode.

Reminds me of a Sinbad joke about 50 year old men marrying 22 year old girls... He said don't be dumb - they don't want your old ass! They want your house after you die from a stroke!

I LOVE that Sinbad concert! I was laughing so hard that I was crying.

Great stuff, SB. I only wish Sinbad would do more shows more often. I often watch a lot of the old Raymonds OnDemand in the TBS section. They are all classics! (Back on subject!)

I heard a dull thump earlier today on the front windows or door of my house, and later noticed a dead robin on the front porch. It reminded me of the bizarre way that the Barones overreacted to Amy's family's killing of the wounded bird on Thanksgiving. It made for a funny episode.

Here's a weird, quirky thing in many episodes. Now Frank and Marie live across the street, so it only makes sense that they enter through raymond's front door. But frequently even when Marie is bringing a large pan of food, they enter and leave through the back door, which means they cross the street, go past the front door and alongside the house through the yard to get to the back door. It's only a few steps (once inside) to go from the front to the back door. So, it's completely illogical for the Barones to do this.

I know it's a convenient exit for purposes of filming the show, but it makes no sense at all...and yes, I know it's just a tv show.

I might have a possible answer. My mom, like Marie, was a clean freak (not like Marie otherwise thankfully) and we never were allowed to enter thru the front door. If company came and rang the front doorbell that was different. Anybody else, it's the only the back (or side door). It would make sense that especially with food (and the possibility of spilling) they'd go thru the back.

Another "Marie" thing I can relate to? Although not in recent years but in childhood years my mom would leave the plastic on the couch in the living room (that room was like the highlight of the house I guess) Yea we razzed her a lot, God bless her. In later years, she stopped doing that but even til the end, the living was the room you don't mess around in. You just sit.

TIS

Yes, I agree about access. It is kind of strange they do that. It's for filming purposs, no doubt.

However, in the long shot of Ray's house, it seems to have a stone or large brick veneer halfway up. But in one episode they are painting it and it has a wood veneer.

I have brick on the front of my house, but siding on the rest, so Ray's house may be like that. And I agree with TIS about the back door thing.

After doing some dogged research, I discovered that the house painting scene was of the back side of the house. However, the house wall they are painting frames part of the kitchen where the back door is located and it is a straight line across the back wall. From inside the kitchen, the doorway is perpindicular to the sink.

I'd have to think that the front of the house had to be painted because Frank demanded that it be painted yellow to stand out in the street where all of the other houses were white.

Then again there had to be some remodeling of the front of the house as Marie drove through the front wall.

Well, I looked at a video of it online and the area that they are painting looks like a sort of vestibule, an entryway, almost like an add-on that's only about 10' wide. It's definitely not the front of the house.

Mudroom.

Just saw the front of the house again. It has quite a few large bushes right up against the house and the yard slants upward towrd the house. There is no driveway, so Marie must have backed across the street, hoped the curve, and then had enough momentum to mak eit up the lawn and crash the outside wall.

She was trying to kill Frank and Debra in one mishap.

One of my all-time favorite moments was when they went to Sicily. Frank and Ray were sharing a bed. Frank recalled to Ray how Marie told him that she used a bunch of their money for something. Frank said that he began to "think about the dress he would lay her out in" at her funeral. It was only then that Marie told Frank that she used the money so they could all travel to Sicily.


A close second is when Frank drove their car through the front of Ray & Debra's house.

Driving the car thru Ray's house was hilarious!!



TIS

I love when Ray puts on the Ice Castles song and tries to cry .

What about when Ray gets caught at the school stuffing meat down his pants? Debra was running for office against some guy who brought prime rib to win votes. Ray stuffed the beef in his pockets to hide that he wanted to eat it while still supporting his wife. Of course he got caught.

Or when Debra came downstairs in the slutty outfit for her PTA meeting?

Classic, Babe!

I don't know which was funnier - Raymond's reaction or Robert's!

Yeah, poor Amy. Robert obviously had a crush on Debra, and he was always getting caught .

Speaking of poor Amy...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSECwl-gaQ

LOL That was a good one! Talk about the Mother-in-law from hell..AND right across the street???



TIS

That's for sure. That was always anundercurrent in the series that was a bit creepy.

The whole family was in desperate need of analysis and treatment.

Marie keeps them all in line.

She needed analysis and treatment the most. She screamed insecurity.

I thought Marie was a horrible person. Funny as hell, but horrible just the same.

She needed constant reinforcement. Her daily putdowns of Debra substituted for her failure to get that reinforcement. Remember the time she mislabeled the oregano to ruin one of Debra's dishes she prepared? She did that so that Raymond would continue to come to her house to eat.

Horrible, but funny horrible. She was my favorite character. Like Frank, you occasionally saw their softer side.

Debra was my favorite character. Hence, my low opinion of Marie. Debra would get no peace while Marie was still alive and living across the street.

And can you imagine if Peter Boyle had died during the run of the show, and they had to write that into the script? I'm sure they would have taken the meddlesome mother-in-law character into another dimension.

But again, I think Doris Roberts deserved every Emmy that she ever won. The character was hysterical.

Like any good Italian boy, Ray would have moved Marie in to live with him & Debra. That would have been worth seeing!

Reminds me of that episode where Ray and Robert argued in the van about who had to take Marie after Frank died. And then, who got to take Marie.

Ray: "I think you're forgetting a very special little woman called Debra. Do you really think mom will want to live under the same roof with her arch nemesis?"

Raymond, Robert and Frank are dumb, needy and weak. But they are funny. Frank tries to talk tough, but the only ones intimidated by him are his two boys, who never grew up.

And why was Robert always broke?

A police lieutenant in the NYPD makes at least a hundred grand a year, maybe more. He must have had some bad habits .

He probably had to pay it out in lawsuits.

Yeah, can you imagine Robert involved in a controversial, racially motivated shooting?

Reverends Al and Jesse would be no match for Marie Barone .

3 classics...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2IIaq6-GZc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Im5KzoqbmI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCO0RCad8NA&feature=related

This basically sums up the entire series.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH77kR3Ttrc&feature=related

A few of the better storylines were

1) when the beautiful woman who Robert dated purposely ate a fly



2) when Marie finally relented and took off the plastic cover on the couch.

3) when Frank accidentally passed out condoms at Halloween

The best part of that Halloween episode was the inside joke of Frank dressed as Frankenstein. Peter Boyle was truly hilarious.

You know, when I watched the original episodes of it, I liked it. However, in repeats, I'm more critical of it (as myprevious posts indicate). In fact, its like the moth to the flame. Those repeats tend to irritate me - for the most part, they've lost therir comedic value. For example, I just watched the one where Frank is ranting and raving about the lack of celery or whatever in his tuna salad. How vapid a life does one have to have to complain about something like that - maybe even for TV programs?

Sportswriters don't seem to like 'Raymond":

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/4937/baseball-writers-still-dont-love-raymond

Well balanced families don't make for good comedy, Oli. It's as simple as that.

One thing I was going to add is, in my opinion, Everybody Loves Raymond was the "successor" to Seinfeld, the same way Seinfeld was the "successor" to Cheers.

One could argue Curb Your Enthusiasm belongs in there but I'm talking about network television. And I wouldn't include The Simpsons since I put that in it's own category for being animated.

The overall point being, we really didn't get a worthy "successor" to Everybody Loves Raymond. At least not one I'm aware of. The Office had some potential early on but that quickly jumped the shark.

When it comes to the office stick with the British one, far better and more intelligent than the US counterpart.

Previously I mentioned that it made no sense for Marie and Frank to enter and exit Raymond's home through the back door when they live across the street. These entrances/exits were done out of filming convenience.

When anyone leaves the back door, they turn right to go to Marie's house, usually passing by the kitchen window. But I noticed recently that in one episode Raymond leaves the back door to get coffee at his mother's, and turns left. Robert comes through the back door and moments later also turns left to go home.

For some reason this really bothers me.

I agree Kly. But I've seen them turn left plenty of times.

However, the more I watch it, the more my conclusiion is reinforced that Raymond was crap as a father and husband.

Last night they showed the episode where Marie backed the car into Raymond's house. Frank didn't have car insurance and they had to go through Ray's homeowner's insurance with Frank paying the deductible. Now strictly from a legal standpoint, wouldn't you be in pretty deep shit for having an accident with an uninsured vehicle? There would certainly be more to it than was depicted.

And what really gets me about that episode is Robert. It's been made clear that Robert works for the NYPD. He's a New York City cop. Yet he came and filled out the accident report on Lynbrook, Long Island, which is in Nassau County. He has no jurisdiction. They made the same mistake when Debra got arrested for DWI. She ended up in Robert's precinct, even though the party was local.

I know I'm a pain in the ass, but stuff like that just bugs me.

Well PB, the same jurisdictional malfuntion on Dallas. Southfork is located outside of Dallas. Yet, it was the Dallas PD that showed up to areest Bobby Ewing there.

Sorry, but those two episodes are some of the funniest stuff ever on that show, PB. Nothing about them bothered me.

They're two of my favorites also, Babe. I'm just being a pain in the ass. And if Debra was ever going to shoot Marie, it would have been at that DMV hearing. There isn't a jury in the world that would have convicted her.

I saw them go left again. I'm starting to think that maybe they go right when there's some relevance to being seen in the window. And yes, Raymond is a terrible dad and husband. It's peculiar that he constantly whines about what a terrible and unfeeling dad he had while he is indifferent to his own kids. This was evident when he took the wrong twin to the doctor.

True. Frank would have been arrested. Even though Ray and Debra wouldn't have reported him, it is certain that their homeowner's insurance company would have required that the car and owner be identified as they would have filed a subrogation claim against him....and Marie.

Kly, this is why you are who you are!

It's not a good thing.

I just noticed when they show the outside view of the front of the house, there's a garage on the right side of the house. However, there is no pathway visible around the garage to the rear of the house and there is no such pathway on the left side of the house either. If they go out the back door, either way they turn they must be walking on grass.

I also have noticed that they turn left often after leaving the back when I thought initially they went right most of the time.

Does anyone know where their house is located?

The show is set in Lynbrook, Long Island.

No, I meant the house that is pictured in the series.

I looked at imdb.com for filming locations, Oli, but it simply says that it's filmed on the lot at Warner Brother Burbank Studio.

Olivant...watching a sitcom with you must be a trip. This is supposed to be silly, mindless television. I haven't done this much thinking or been this confused since since...EVER! lol

Oli, just because you are so you, here's a little gift for you:

The actual house in real life is located at 135 Margaret Blvd Merrick, NY. And Marie and Franks house is really located across the street! Go to google maps pan view and see for yourself!

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/ray-debras-house-from-everybody-loves-raymond/

So I'm guessing then that outside shots are NY and the inside were filmed in Burbank studios?





TIS

I guess so. They probably used the same exterior shot of the house for years, since you never saw them outside. I do notice that the windows of the exterior look like dormer windows that you would find on a Cape Colonial, but their bedroom ceilings don't slope down accordingly.

Years ago some friends from work and I drove down to Burbank Studios to see them tape an episode of Murphy Brown. Don't recall what city that was suppose to take place in but inside shots were in Burbank studio. (I wasn't a regular viewer of the show)

For some reason I just assumed Raymond had to have been filmed on the East Coast.


TIS

Mille Grazie!

And Carmela: I strive to inspire.

Cool. I went to Lotview to see them. Now I can't remember if the house has dormers in the series. I'll check that tonight. Also, in the series I don't think they show that pathway from the front door.

TV Land right now. Robert just asked Amy's parents for permission to marry her and they said no. No matter how many times I see this episode it makes me howl with laughter .

I love this show. In my opinion it was one of the best compilation of characters. They all compliment each other and seem to feed and play off each others talents.

One of my favorite episodes is when they go to Italy! Especially the scene where Raymond is in the bathtub!

Love this show. When it first started my wife forced me to watch. Evidently Rays mother reminded my wife of my mother.

In my view it was one of the top three comedies ever made. The honeymooners and I love Lucy are the other two.

One of my favorite episodes for me was the one with The Lucky Suit.

When I hear of someone dying I say he died because he didn't wear his Lucky Suit.

I used to really like it. However, a few years ago it dawned on me that, most of the time, Raymond is an indifferent father and husband. He occupies the same house as his wife and children, but infrequently acts as a component of a family. In fact, he admitted such when he told Robert that when he comes home he interacts with his kids for about five minutes and then wants to (and does) watch television. As a television character, there are family-friendly ways to achieve comedic portrayals. In any case, I'm no longer the fan of it that I once was.

I like the show, but Raymond is the whiniest, most immature excuse for a son, husband, or father on tv.

My favorite episode is the one where he and Debra put on the skit portraying Frank and Marie for the anniversary party of Lee and Stan, and then Frank and Marie turned the tables on them.

Doug from King of Queens surpasses. I assume that when they were creating King of Queens, they said, "Raymond's a hot wife/dopey guy show, let's do a hotter wife/dopier guy show.

I still love the show as much as ever. To me, the funniest episodes were always the ones where it was Debra vs Marie.

If Debra killed Marie, on Christmas Day, in front of Saint Patrick's, while the Monsignor was handing out Communion, they'd never get a guilty verdict if I was on the jury .

As far as Ray being a lousy father and husband, it's a sitcom. And highly functional families just aren't as funny.

Agreed, Ray's immaturity is what's funny. One of my favorite episodes is the Thanksgiving when Marie decided they needed to eat better so she made a Tofurkey. She even had those little paper things on the "drumsticks".

Most hilarious? When Marie and Frank sell the house to Robert and Amy and move to a senior complex, only to be thrown out for being too disruptive.

The whole cast was great together. You can see the same eposode 5 times, and you still laugh. It was the same with the Honeymooners and I love Lucy.

My favorite episode is the one where Micheal reads a paper at the schools open house. That episode cracks me up every time.

The Angry Family. Hysterical .

A great show and I particularly loved Robert and the episode where he was hanging out with the blacks and acting like them.- Yeah he had some good moves.