Good riddance.
"Everybody Loves Raymond" aired its 210th and final episode last night after nine seasons. What had started as a unique, quirky comedy about a dysfunctional extended Long Island family gradually turned into a predictable wife-knows-best, husband-is-an-idiot sitcom that unsuccessfully tried to be the 21st century "Honeymooners."
When the show first aired in the fall of '96, actors Ray (Raymond) Romano and Patricia (Debra) Heaton actually demonstrated feelings for each other, a young, typical Long Island couple whose parents lived way too close. But something rotten happened along the way. They began to fight more. Ray could do nothing right. Debra was always right. And Raymond whined. And whined. And whined.
When special emphasis was set on brother Robert (Brad Garrett), the producers thought it was funny to just leave the camera on his face for what seemed minutes, not seconds, as he reacted to the shenanigans and absurdity of the family brouhahas.
It was clear that Executive Producer Phil Rosenthal thought Robert's facial expressions were Jackie Gleason-like, so scripts were written and produced to focus on uncomfortably long close-ups of Robert's reactions. Yawn.
What was most infuriating about the demise of this once-clever comedy was that "King of Queens," a far better show without the glossy ratings and Emmy nominations, began copying the formula of predictable wife-knows-best, husband-is-an-idiot. "King of Queens" was always superior to "Raymond," but the latter's success was a bad influence and has diluted the quality of "King of Queens" content.
With "Raymond," if it wasn't for Doris Roberts (Marie), there would have been very few laughs over the last five years or so. A husband and wife constantly fighting with a grumpy parent (Peter Boyle as Frank) saying "holy crap" every few scenes does not make for good comedy.
So off it goes, into syndication or maybe to Mooseport. Whatever. "Everybody Loves Raymond" won't be missed. Maybe CBS' Monday night prime time slot will find something worth watching.
It's always a little sad to see a long-running TV show end, but it's much, much worse to watch it die and continue to air as a shell of its former self.
Sorry but I couldn't disagree more because there are so many scenes in both shows I could totally relate to. Whether it's Long Island or Queens I have had many, many laughs. No show is perfect but both are both far better than any "reality" show because the reality shows don't even come close to reality. ELR and KOQ are closer to reality than any show I've seen in a long time; middle class couples and families just trying to love and laugh with each other.
Posted by: Liz | May 17, 2005 at 01:12 PM
I love "King of Queens" and I liked "Raymond," up until about 2000. I think the show went downhill about the same time its popularity soared. Producers were trying too hard. If you look at the early "Raymond" episodes, they were better written with more character development. The last five years or so they've relied on the Debra-Raymond conflict and goofy Robert facial expressions to carry the "story" line. Watch any recent "Raymond" and you'll see what I mean.
Posted by: Dan | May 17, 2005 at 01:21 PM
I agree. However, your article pretty much pans the whole series and emphasizes the negative rather than the positive.
Posted by: Liz | May 17, 2005 at 01:28 PM