Now I Understand Why “Everybody Loves Raymond”!

There was a long period where I didn’t watch TV at all. Don’t feel like I missed much, but there are exceptions! One is the long-running, popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005). I just binged-watched a number of episodes at a friend’s house and I finally got it.

I had casually watched episodes in the past, and the show just seemed to be another shallow comedy. But for some reason I paid better attention this time, and not only found myself laughing out loud, I was shocked at how the show not only revealed negative characteristics of the main characters, but also let the characters openly comment on these characteristics! It was all out in the open!

From Wikipedia…

“The show is centered on the day-to-day life of an Italian-American named Raymond “Ray” Barone, a sportswriter working for Newsday, living with his family on Long Island (New York)… He avoids responsibilities around the house and with his kids, leaving them to his wife, Debra, resulting in her being angry and stressed out quite often.

Raymond’s parents, Marie and Frank, live across the street with their older son Robert. The Barone relatives frequently make their presence known to Ray and Debra, much to the annoyance of the latter two… Debra’s justifiable complaints about Ray’s overbearing family serve as one of the show’s comedic elements. Out of the three unwanted visitors, Debra is particularly resentful of Marie, an insulting, controlling, manipulative woman who criticizes her passive-aggressively and praises Ray, clearly favoring him over other son Robert.

Ray typically falls in the middle of family arguments, incapable of taking any decisive stand, especially if it might invoke Marie’s disapproval. Robert, jealous of his younger sibling’s position as their mother’s favorite son and the success his brother has achieved professionally and personally, is Ray’s biggest rival; Robert and Ray frequently argue like overgrown children, focusing much of their energy picking on or one-upping each other…

Frank Barone is a retiree prone to directing insults and merciless put-downs at everyone he meets. Largely an absentee father when Ray and Robert were growing up, Frank buries his feelings and rarely yields to sentiment… Unlike everyone else, Frank has no problem criticizing Marie and often comes to Debra’s defense, whenever Marie comments disparagingly about their daughter-in-law…”

Here’s the YouTube page for the show.

This is from an episode where Robert interviews for a dream job with the FBI, but his mother, Marie, sabotages the interview by sending a “helpful” FAX to the interviewer right in the middle of Robert’s interview!

The show can be a little raunchy at times, so it’s not for kids, but it’s pretty mild by today’s standards.

Frankly, I don’t know what else I’ve missed on TV that was good. Maybe someone can let me know in the comments. I did enjoy Seinfeld quite a bit when it was on (1989-1998–mostly before Everybody Loves Raymond), and also loved it because of the way it exposed “human” nature, and have found Jerry Seinfeld to be one of the funniest and insightful standup comedians I’ve ever seen. Here’s some of Jerry’s takeaways from being married later in life. He is clean, for the most part, but I wish comedy could go back to being for everybody all the time.

A friend actually admitted to being like the manipulative character, Marie, in Everybody Loves Raymond. The key is seeing one’s flaws and being committed to overcoming them, particularly through time-tested spiritual practices like prayer and meditation.

Is there any particular TV series past or present you appreciate for its entertainment value AND its depth? Please let me know.

Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He promotes natural health, success, and freedom during chaotic times.