‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Russian Remake Surpassed American Series
They say the funniest parts of life are life itself. Comedians are known for taking life situations and turning them into humorous stories to make us chuckle. It was the ultimate premise of Ray Romano’s comedy style and what led to the show Everybody Loves Raymond, 12 years into his stand-up comedy career.
In the U.S., the show would run for nine years and 210 episodes. What many people do not know is that the show remains alive and well. There are reruns in the United States that devoted fans can enjoy. It has also become a popular sitcom in other areas of the world. In fact, the Russian remake has managed to surpass the American series in both popularity and number of shows produced.
The ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ storyline and synopsis
The idea for Everybody Loves Raymond came on a whim. Romano did a stand-up comedy routine on David Letterman, and just one week later, the company called him saying that they wanted to put together a show based on his routine. In the routine, Romano told jokes about his life as a father to a three-year-old daughter and twin sons who were two, which became the base for Everybody Loves Raymond, but it didn’t stop there. The parallels to life only continued to grow.
The show, which ultimately became the 11th best sitcom starring a stand-up comedian, provided laughs for fans and the cast. Romano played Ray Barone, a husband, father, and sports writer who was imperfect. He often seemed to be trying to avoid any true grownup responsibility, choosing instead to make jokes.
He leaves the grownup decisions to his wife, Debra, who was played by Patricia Heaton. This imperfect family lives across the street from Raymond’s parents, Marie and Frank, respectively, played by Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle. It drives Debra nuts on most days, especially since Raymond allows his parents to dictate how their lives are lived. Raymond’s big brother Robert (Brad Garrett) also pops in quite often. He is a policeman that is often mocked by his colleagues and Raymond.
The show mimicked Ray Romano’s real life
Though not his own children, Raymond’s children on the set were played by Madylin, Sawyer, and Sullivan Sweeten. This was a young girl with two identical twin brothers related in real life. Madylin played Ally Barone, and Ally is the name of Romano’s real-life daughter (Alexandra). Michael and Geoffrey were the twin boys’ character names. To further add a parallel to the real-life of Romano, Robert the policeman, stemmed from his own brother being a policeman.
‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ is loved worldwide
According to Mental Floss, Americans weren’t the only ones to enjoy the humorous look on life through the eyes of Raymond. The Russian adaptation was “Russia’s number one comedy and performed original episodes after going through all 210 of the American installments.”
Egypt, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic also created shows that mirrored Everybody loves Raymond, though each has its own spin on a title for the show. Even the United Kingdom shot a pilot show called, The Smiths.
What is Ray Romano doing now?
Since Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano has done a variety of things. He gave voice to Manny in the Ice Age movies, had a recurring role in Parenthood, and was part of several other movies. The Big Sick and The Irishman are two of his recent and prominent movie titles.
Romano is currently working on an untitled dramedy that he is directing and starring in. His co-star is going to be Laurie Metcalf as his wife. The general synopsis of the movie is that the couple lives a blue-collar life in Queens and has overbearing families. Filming was set to begin this past April, but there is no word on when it may be available to watch.
