With such a snappy title as Everybody Loves Raymond, it’s no wonder so many viewers were interested in the show’s storylines, characters, and comedy. The phrase immediately piques a potential audience member’s curiosity: who is Raymond, why does everybody love him, and does he live up to the expectations? Strangely enough, the main character’s actor wasn’t in love with the title. In a 2022 interview with Larry King, actor and comedian Ray Romano shared the reasons why he felt that Everybody Loves Raymond wasn’t the best title for the series in which he starred.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Doesn’t Fit the Character
In the March before the seventh season of the show aired, the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond joined King for an interview to talk about behind-the-scenes details, careers before the show, and the relationships on set. King brought up a rumor that Romano wasn’t the biggest fan of the title of the show, and Romano confirmed the rumor to be true. “First of all,” Romano stated, “you’re a stand-up comic, you have very low self-esteem to begin with.” Before creating Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano had been working as a stand-up comedian. It’s a staple for many comedians to use self-deprecating jokes, and Romano is no exception.
Following his appearance on David Letterman, the producer of the Letterman show, Rob Burnett, reached out to Romano about creating a show based on his life, family, and humor. Not long after that, the show was pitched to CBS, the casting was finished, and Everybody Loves Raymond was airing on TV. However, even though Romano impressed Burnett with his comedy, low self-esteem follows Romano’s character, Ray Barone, into the show. Whereas his brother Robert (Brad Garrett) often mutters the title of the show under his breath, the main character who “everybody loves” doesn’t share the same high regard for himself. In that way, the title doesn’t necessarily match the character.
Romano continued in the Larry King interview: “It was a title that…invites hatred. Who is this guy? Let’s see how I love him. I was worried about that.” When it comes to writing and characterization, it’s best to show the audience why they should love a character through behavior, actions, and personality, rather than simply telling the audience to connect with this character. When you boil it down, it comes down to the all-important balance between showing and telling. Ideally, it’s best to do both — without showing, there’s no proof to back up what you tell the audience about a character, and things can get confusing for an audience without a certain degree of exposition.
