5 Things In Everybody Loves Raymond That Make No Sense (& 5 Fan Theories That Do)

The hilarious world of Raymond Barone didn’t always make sense and some fans came up with wild theories to make up for it.
Everybody Loves Raymond ran for nine seasons and an astonishing 210 episodes, from 1996 to 2005, offering fans plenty of things to question about the classic sitcom. The series served as the breakout hit for Ray Romano who starred as sportswriter Ray Barone raising his family alongside wife Debra with his overbearing family always getting involved. The series delivered lots of laughs with its strong writing, eccentric characters, and hilarious domestic misadventures.

Like most sitcoms, Everybody Loves Raymond is not a show that requires much of a deep dive from viewers. However, with the show continuing to find new fans and seeing the older ones revisit it, there are some interesting points that come up. Not only are there aspects of the show that don’t make sense, but some of them offer the opportunity for some fun fan theories. From Ray and Debra’s marriage to the dynamics of brother Robert right to the show’s final episode, Everybody Loves Raymond provides a surprising amount to explore further.

A collage of Everybody Loves Raymond characters on Christmas

Everybody Loves Raymond is one sitcom that fans never get tired of rewatching, especially when it comes to these fan-favorite holiday specials.
Where All Of Robert’s Money Went
Things That Make No Sense

Robert’s Date Everybody Loves Raymond
There is an ongoing joke throughout Everybody Loves Raymond that Robert Barone is jealous of everything working out for his younger brother while he is left with less in comparison. However, one way Robert should be better off than Ray is financially. Robert lives rent-free with full board at his parents’. At the beginning of the series, he is a police sergeant and later earns a promotion to the rank of lieutenant. That’s a pretty impressive promotion and one that comes with a sizable pay rise.

Robert seems to be constantly short of money.
Yet despite this, Robert seems to be constantly short of money. At one point his finances are so bad that Robert resorts to eating bologna for his meals and Ray and Debra have to give him money. Robert may have had to pay out some sort of settlement following his divorce from his first wife Joanne but the extent to which he is shown to be struggling seems unlikely.

How Ray Was Able To Support An Entire Family As A Writer

Things That Make No Sense
Marie Barone Ray Barone and Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond
Another financial situation that doesn’t make any sense on Everybody Loves Raymond is how Ray is so successful. Ray and Debra live in a spacious house, in a well-to-do residential neighborhood, their kids go to nice schools, and they are never seen struggling. Indeed, them being able to help Robert when he is struggling is odd as Robert’s job as a high-ranking police officer would seemingly pay a lot more than Ray’s job as a sports writer.

There are many examples of financially unrealistic situations in sitcoms, especially when it comes to “cool jobs.” Making Ray a sports writer adds to the character’s personality on the series but the show seems less concerned with showing the realities of the job. The Barone family on Everybody Loves Raymond is an affluent middle-class family which could not be expected on such a salary.

Why Debra Always Stayed At Home

Things That Make No Sense
Debra looking shocked in Everybody Loves Raymond
Even if Ray does make a better-than-average salary as a sportswriter and is able to support his family, there’s something slightly odd and reductive about Debra’s decision to stay at home rather than get a job herself. A fiercely independent woman of considerable intelligence and capability, it is out of character for Debra that she would decide to play homemaker. While it is an important role in the household, it doesn’t seem like something Debra would be satisfied with settling into.

For someone who so regularly challenges her husband, Ray, it makes little sense that she would not want to go out into the working world. More importantly, given how often Ray’s parents stop in during the day and how much it tests Debra’s patience, it would be more realistic that Debra would take any opportunity to be out of the house and away from her in-laws.

Frank And Marie Using The Back Door So Much

Things That Make No Sense
One of the simplest aspects of Everybody Loves Raymond also helps to make it one of the funniest sitcoms of all time.

One of the simplest aspects of Everybody Loves Raymond also helps to make it one of the funniest sitcoms of all time. Ray and Debra live directly across the street from Ray’s parents, Frank and Marie, meaning that they pop into the house frequently and unannounced. This is well established and, in most instances, they will visit Ray and the family using the front door.

However, there are a number of instances when the in-laws will choose to come in through the back door which enters into Ray and Debra’s kitchen. Along with highlighting the lack of boundaries Marie and Frank have, it is also strange that they would go around the house to enter from the back. This is most likely done for blocking reasons as it allows scenes to start in the kitchen rather than go through the house, but it is odd when examined further.

The Disappearance Of Shamsky Number 2

Things That Make No Sense
Robert Barone on the floor with his dog Shamsky in Everybody Loves Raymond
At one point in the series, Robert Barone had a dog called Shamsky Number 2. The gag being, of course, that Shamksy Number 1 had died at some point and Robert continued on the name as a tribute to his former pet. However, the joke takes on a somewhat darker tone when Shamsky Number 2 disappeared from the sitcom and no one ever explained what happened to him.

While it is not unheard of for shows to remove characters without explanation, even dogs. However, given the fact that the existence of Shamsky was used to highlight that it was replacing Robert’s deceased dog, it makes the disappearance a little awkward. Sitcom pets can be fun, but sometimes there is a lot of work in having an animal as part of the cast and it is likely the showrunner simply decided Shamsky wasn’t needed.
Ray Ramone’s Kids Aren’t His

Everybody Loves Raymond Theories

The Barone family tree on Everybody Loves Raymond is brought to life through some inspiring casting. Actors Ray Ramono, Brad Garrett, and Peter Boyle could all convincingly pass as relatives of the same family. However, there is a little more question when it comes to Ray and Debra’s children. Ray is blessed with decidedly dark, brown hair. His wife, Debra has decidedly dark, brown hair. However, Ray and Debra’s kids all have very light blonde hair.

While it might not be as noticeable in the earlier seasons of the show when the kids are very young, when they get older and even more blonde, it is hard to ignore the fact that Ray’s kids do not look like him. This has sparked the theory that the kids are not actually Ray’s offspring which would have been a very dark storyline for the sitcom to explore, despite the fact that it makes a lot of sense.

Ray Previously Cheated On Debra

Theories That Make Sense
While there are sitcom couples who clearly are happy together, Everybody Loves Raymond got a lot of fun out of seeing a more realistic marriage. Ray and Debra often get into fights and disagreements with some real tension in the relationship at times. However, there are some fans who notice a lot of anger directed towards Ray from Debra and suggest it could be the result of a past affair.

While this is a storyline that is never hinted at directly in the show, it isn’t hard to see where some viewers come up with that assumption. Debra can have a short fuse with Ray at times, and while he gives her plenty of reasons to be mad, there could be something from their past that intensifies it. Debra is also particularly critical of the time Ray spends away from the house, suggesting she might not trust him entirely.

Robert Is Secretly In Love With Debra

Theories That Make Sense
Robert is clearly jealous of his younger brother Ray which is partially due to how Ray is the obvious favorite child in their family and partially due to Robert’s own sad-sack personality. However, there could also be one area of Ray’s life that Robert wishes he had for himself — his wife Debra. There are instances in the series that clearly show Robert’s jealousy of Ray and Debra’s loving marriage which could be dismissed as him being lonely.

However, there are also a lot of moments that could be interpreted as him being in love with Debra himself, commenting on her beauty and suggesting that Ray isn’t good enough for her. While Robert does eventually find happiness by marrying Amy, there is an interesting underlying feeling that he wishes he had been with Debra the whole time.

Ray’s Friend Kevin Went Into Witness Protection

Theories That Make Sense
Kevin James had an early role in his career playing one of Ray’s friends on Everybody Loves Raymond. While his role as Kevin on the show was smaller, it helped launch his work on television, which eventually led to him getting his own sitcom with King of Queens. Interestingly, there were several crossover episodes of King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond in which Ray would hang out with his old friend. However, James’ character in Everybody Loves Raymond was named Kevin while his King of Queens character is Doug.

“Kevin,” must have witnessed some kind of heinous crime and has been given a new identity, becoming Doug, the UPS driver.

Not only did the name of James’ character change, but his job did too, which led some fans to come up with the fun theory that “Kevin,” the former play-by-play announcer from Everybody Loves Raymond must have witnessed some kind of heinous crime and has been given a new identity, becoming Doug, the UPS driver.

Ray Didn’t Wake Up From The Coma At The End Of The Series

Theories That Make Sense
The Barone family eating at the table in Everybody Loves Raymonmd
When it comes to sitcom finales, Everybody Loves Raymond has been praised for delivering a simple yet touching conclusion centered around a medical scare for Ray. After going in for surgery to have his Adenoids removed, a nurse informs Debra that they are having some trouble bringing Ray around from the surgery. While everything turns out to be fine, it results in some lovely moments in which the family shares their love following the thought of almost losing Ray.

While it is a great ending for the show, there is also a notable theory that Ray never woke up from his coma and the rest of the episode was his dream. While it is a little dark to think about given the lighthearted nature of the sitcom, there is something very suitable about Ray dreaming all of the nice things his family says about him and them making a big fuss about him.