It’s been nearly twenty years since Everybody Loves Raymond went off the air after nine hilarious seasons, but the sitcom is still beloved to this day. In a new interview, the show’s star Ray Romano is revealing the secret behind the success of this show, which ran from 1996 until 2005.
Romano Sounds Off
Romano, 66, told The Associated Press that Everybody Loves Raymond would not have survived if it weren’t for his late co-star Peter Boyle, who played Raymond’s curmudgeonly father, Frank.
Going into season one, Romano wasn’t confident in his own acting abilities, so he was afraid the show would flop. It was Boyle who stepped up to ensure that Romano would know that everything was going to be alright.
“He’s one of the main reasons it worked for me, because he made me feel accepted and comfortable,” Romano recalled. “He was that kind of guy.”
In hiring Boyle for the show, Romano and the other producers “rolled the dice” because he was known more as a dramatic actor. This risk ultimately “paid off because he was hilarious,” according to Romano.
Boyle had an interesting past, as he “was a monk sworn to silence for two years,” living in a monastery before finding success in Hollywood.
“He’s just a fascinating guy and totally different from the character that he played on my show,” Romano gushed.
Romano and Boyle starred in all 210 episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond. During that time, they each earned multiple Emmy nominations for their work, with Romano winning three.
Watch Romano talk more about Boyle after his death in the video below.
Boyle Passes Away
Sadly, Boyle died in 2006 from myeloma at the age of 71, according to Fox News. Immediately after his death, Romano described Boyle as his mentor on their sitcom.
“He gave me great advice, he always made me laugh, and the way he connected with everyone around him amazed me,” he said at the time, according to CBS News.
Romano went on to describe Boyle as being “a compassionate and thoughtful person.”
Find out more about Boyle’s death in the video below.
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Romano’s Feels ‘Lucky’
Looking back in his latest interview, Romano considers himself “lucky” to have had such a talented cast on his sitcom.
“Listen, when you’re creating a sitcom, you’ve got to get lucky,” he explained. “And we got lucky that we found Peter, we found Doris Roberts and even Brad Garrett.”
“All those things had to fall in place for it to be successful,” he added.
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While fans may love Everybody Loves Raymond reruns, Romano can’t watch the show himself. This is because he “was filled with doubt all the time,” and that’s all he can see when he watches old episodes.
“I can look back and see I’m stiff,” he lamented. “We’re trying to kind of nail down the tone. And so it’s a little bumpy in the beginning.”
There are millions of Everybody Loves Raymond fans, however, who would beg to disagree. They truly don’t make sitcoms like that anymore!
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