Everybody Loves Raymond Reboot Chances Get Blunt Response From Ray Romano Following Frasier & Night Court Success

Ray Romano bluntly addresses the possibility of reviving Everybody Loves Raymond, following the trend of recent sitcoms that were resurrected.
Ray Romano candidly addresses the possibility of reviving Everybody Loves Raymond, following the success of revivals like Night Court and Frasier. Debuting in September 1996 with Phil Rosenthal as the creator, the CBS comedy centered around sportswriter Ray Barone (Romano) and his dysfunctional family. It ran for nine seasons, airing its finale in May 2005, bolstered by an impressive cohort of actors that included Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Peter Boyle.
In an interview on Real Time with Bill Maher to discuss his directorial debut movie Somewhere in Queens, Romano answers about the chances of reviving Everybody Loves Raymond. He said it was “out of the question.” The actor also shared his thoughts on the problems with reboots and why it’s better to leave his sitcom in the past. He also acknowledges the deaths of Boyle and Roberts in 2006 and 2016, respectively. Read his quote below via Deadline:

As far as a reboot, well it’s out of the question. They’re never as good, and we want to leave with our legacy as what it is. It’s out of the question because now his [Ray Barone’s] parents are gone: Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts. The rest of the cast wanted it to go on, but myself and Phil Rosenthal, we thought it was time.

Romano Is Right About The Recent Revival Trend

Even with the relative success of revivals like Night Court and Frasier, there are significant caveats to both. Although it did debut to strong viewership, ratings for Night Court season 1 dropped significantly after its initial buzzy debut. That could suggest that, although there was interest in checking out the show’s return and what it would look like, the run was not great enough to be sustained. NBC still renewed Night Court for season 2, but the initial hype fell off.

The same could be said for Frasier, which garnered headlines because of Kelsey Grammer reprising his famous role. However, it failed to break out in terms of Nielsen ratings and even garnered criticism from an original Frasier writer. Thus, Romano has a valid reason to keep Everybody Loves Raymond’s legacy away from that kind of tampering, especially considering that the CBS sitcom was fortunate enough to sign off on its own terms.
In the Everybody Loves Raymond finale, Ray goes into surgery while his family waits to hear that his operation went well. It is a significant event, but it’s played casually. The last scene of the comedy holds to that, focusing on the ensemble as they are gathered around a table and conversing as usual. Ray is fine, and he’s with his loved ones. That’s a fine sentiment to end a family comedy.