Posted on 05/16/2005 7:40:32 AM PDT by AmishDude
The success of CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond" offers several lessons today's TV executives would do well to recognize:
It takes time to grow a hit.
When "Raymond" premiered in September 1996, the show aired at 8:30 p.m. Friday and had terrible ratings. Critics raved about it, but viewers didn't find it. CBS paid attention to the critical plaudits and moved "Raymond" to 8:30 p.m. Monday in 1997, where it grew into a hit.
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Letterman's from Indiana.
Agreed. There seems to be a general lack of the 'humor' gene at Free Republic anymore.
I find both Seinfeld and Raymond hilarious and I watch when I can.
The humor is harmless and the shows are well-written with fun characters.
I think it's hilarious that Debra has been called a *itch and that people can't stand Marie! Kudos to those fine actresses since that is the role they were paid to play! lol
I'll bet "Debra" hits a bit too close to home for some!
Now I feel soooo inferior after being lectured to. Once in a while it's just best to keep ones opinions to themselves. By the way, are you going to Australia to lecture them on how to live?
That Arrested Development probably won't be having a long run is a very sad thing to me. It would be nice to see the DVD sales for it take off like they did for Family Guy and encourage the network to bring it back. They are both on the Fox Network and they have seemed very committed to AD. I guesss they do realize when they have something that is really good.
The shoe fits; anyway...didn't mean to impy he was originally a NY'er. Thanks for the info.
"I have never watched one minute of this show, or Steinfeld, or Friends. I didn't allow myself to drop to the government school educated level of 5th grade."
Were you wearing your smoking jacket and reading Aristophanes when you typed this?
LOL! Still wiping the tears from my eyes.
Good one!
By George, I think you hit the nail on the head. LOL.
I have neihbors that are a real-life Marie and Frank. They never fail to make me laugh.
They don't always stay with a good show - as much as I can't stand Aaron Sorkin, I thought Sports Night was one of the most regrettable cancellations ever.
I only discovered it in reruns in the past couple of years, so I've never seen the newer shows. Of course, it's the only comedy I watch (and I just catch it sometimes). It does make me laugh. Sometimes I need that after perusing FreeRepublic.....
susie
Agree wholheartedly on both counts.
Oddly enough, I can't do that now that I have a satellite dish (and my friends with cable are in the same boat.) The VCR will only record what's coming in on Ch. 3, which is whatever I'm watching at the moment. I can't tape ch 2 from the broadcast airwaves because antennas haven't been worth squat in NYC since the towers went down.
Cable also makes those old picture-in-picture sets sort of useless, too.
Just ignore those who make snide comments. They are few in number, as you can see.....plus, they really add nothing to the debate, except call names....notice the first poster to do that. Says alot doesn't it? Anyway, at least Ray and his wife are still on their first marriage, at least that is one good thing about the show. At least the kids are being raised by the original parents.
Have a great day!
Good for you. I still have one but it is not hooked to an antenna. We just use it for videos or DVDs and that is usually just 1-2 nights a week, and even then there goes by many a week when I don't watch the fool thing at all. I've managed to fill the time with other stuff.
???
Yeah, but she's hot. And she's a conservative. With principles. She even walked out of an awards show (where, I believe, she was supposed to present) after a lewd performance was given.
Granted, her character is supposed to be my age, so if you're younger, you might not see it. I find it hard to believe that she's actually a couple of years older than me. In fact, in the episode where someone sneezes on Ray in the airport (offscreen), she's practically draped over a pillow wearing a teddy -- and there was a followup scene a couple of weeks ago.
That said, yeah, a lot of times, her character is a b*tch, but sometimes the only person with any common sense can come across that way.
TS
Her character is a comedic foil, like Audrey Meadows was to Jackie Gleason or Bud Abbott was to Lou Costello.
In other words, Raymond gets to be funny in situations with her because she's playing it straight most of the time. It's the actress's job and she does it extremely well.
The idea of a straight man/woman is a very important element of comedy and has been for centuries, if not millenia.
I'm "in the zone". My in-laws are a block away. I've been married the same amount of time and my kids are the same gender and ages, except I have one boy, not twins. Of course, that makes me Debra, but my wife would still argue that I'm the one that's the idiot. (That's more gender-oriented, apparently.)
TS
Like her? She's the only one I can even sympathize with...
Ye Gods! If MY mother was ANYTHING like 'Marie' in ELR, I'd move to bloody Botswana.
In my limited viewing of this show, I've come to one conclusion: Ray needs to grow a pair and let the parents know that their house = their rules, and his house = his rules.
= )
IMHO, of course.
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