Running for an impressive nine seasons, Everybody Loves Raymond changed enough to stay fresh, though it never sacrificed what made it great.
Everybody Loves Raymond proved to be one of the most popular sitcoms of the 90s, and, over its nine-season run, the series provided some of the biggest laughs on television. The sitcom distinguishes itself from other family-based sitcoms by it’s a unique and authentic portrayal of life Italian-American life.
All this was filtered through Ray Romano’s one-of-a-kind humor, as he both wrote and starred in the series. But, despite its long lifespan, Everybody Loves Raymond did not decline in quality, as so many sitcoms do. With this in mind, here are five ways the show stayed the same, as well as five ways it changed.
Changed: The Kids Grew Up
Everybody Loves Raymond began in 96 and ended in 2005, and most of the actors had aged noticeably in that time. For the most part, this didn’t change a whole lot about the show. However, it was apparent in Raymond and Debra’s three children, who grew significantly.
Ally, Michael, and Geoffery were almost unrecognizable and were going through completely different phases of their lives. This helped to showcase the challenges of raising three children, in particular Ally, who was a teenager by the show’s final season.
Stayed The Same: The Close Family Bond
Living next door to your parents probably isn’t the ideal situation for the majority of people—even for Ray, who lived next door to his parents for all nine seasons. The closeness of the Barone family never went away, and the family remained tight-knit—maybe even a little too tight-knit—throughout the show.
The often uncomfortable and inconvenient relationship Ray had with his immediate family proved to provide some of the shows biggest laughs and remained a constant fixture of the series.
Changed: Robert
Although many of the characters in the series remained the same, it’s undeniable that Robert’s life changed significantly through the show’s nine seasons. Robert began the show freshly divorced from his wife Joanne who showed him no respect, and, from there, he experienced a slow and gradual arc of gaining more respect for himself, eventually coming to understand exactly what he wanted from life.
He finally ended up with Amy, who was far better suited for him and treated him with the respect he deserved.
Stayed The Same: Robert Was Still The Butt Of The Joke
Robert and Stefania in Everybody Loves Raymond
Despite being a police officer, Robert gains no respect from his immediate family and has lived in the shadow of his younger brother Raymond all his life. One of the shows longest-running and funniest gags was Robert himself, who is often the butt of the joke.
Throughout the shows entire run, Marie constantly favored the younger sibling, showering him with love and praise—specifically regarding his job as a sportswriter, which, in comparison, is nowhere nearly as noble as Robert’s profession.
Changed: The Family Grew
Barone family in Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond rose from humble beginnings with a focus on the Barone family. However, by the final season, the family had grown, and the audience had been introduced to more members of the family.
This included the extended family such as cousins, aunts, and uncles, not to mention Debra’s side of the family who brought with them their own problems and idiosyncrasies. On top of all that, Amy was introduced, who went on to marry Robert and became a large part of the show.
Stayed The Same: Marie
Marine is the ultimate over-protective mother. Though often played for laughs with hilarious results, there’s no doubt that her behavior is often unacceptable. Although she means well and cares more than anyone about her family, she all too often acts with her own self-interests in mind and emotionally manipulates those around her.
Marie never changed or really grew as a character despite her obvious shortcomings over the shows nine seasons, and she remained a content inconvenience to those around her no matter how much they loved her.
Changed: Frank Became More Three-Dimensional
Frank by no means had a personality change or world view altering character arc over the shows run, but he certainly became more three-dimensional. Small snippets were dropped throughout the show’s nine seasons that fleshed him into a more realistic person and not simply a grumpy old man.
Over time, Frank began expressing his passion for music and showcasing the softer side of his personality, such as his love for animals. On top of all that, we learned about his tough childhood and his cruel father that made both Ray and Robert sympathetic and appreciative of their father’s kindness and sense of humor.
Stayed The Same: Debra & Ray Still Had Problems
Despite all the jokes Ray and Debra’s marriage was far from picturesque, and the sitcom was never afraid to show the problems and conflicts of their marriage, as the best sitcoms do. In addition to this, the show never made one or the other to be the villain and allowed both characters to be empathetic.
There problems and arguments continue throughout every season, from small disagreements to big arguments. Like all marriages, it was a constant and daily effort to keep things moving along smoothly.
Changed: It Became Less About Ray
The Christmas Picture episode of Everybody Loves Raymond
Given that his name is in the title, there is no doubt that this is Raymond’s show, and he remained the protagonist of the series throughout all nine seasons. However, as the show went along, more characters were given more to do. This prevented the series from being repetitive and allowed the show’s writers to flesh out other cast members’ characters.
Entire episodes were dedicated to secondary characters, with Ray only appearing briefly. This was a tremendous breath of fresh air and prevented the show from getting stale.
Stayed The Same: Always Funny
Even the best sitcoms decline in quality as jokes begin to wear thin and the writers’ well of creativity begins to run dry. However, this was not the case with Everybody Loves Raymond, and the series continued to provide laughs over all nine seasons, and the series fortunately never managed to outstay its welcome. The show wasn’t canceled and left while it was still funny, delivering a great finale that wasn’t afraid to be earnest.
