50 Fun Facts About Everybody Loves Raymond

Which newspaper does Ray write for?

The paper is a real Long Island daily; he is later promoted to chief sports writer.

On which network did the show air its entire run?

The show is credited with helping revive CBS after its struggles in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

How many episodes were produced across the show's run?

Those episodes were spread over nine seasons, from 1996 to 2005.

In which Long Island town do the Barones live?

The writers originally wanted Queens, but CBS pushed for a Long Island suburb with broader appeal.

Who created the series?

Rosenthal, a former Coach writer, got the job after sending a Frasier spec script to David Letterman's company.

Which real-life relative of Ray Romano inspired the character of Robert?

Romano actually has a brother named Robert too, but the TV Robert was based on his older brother, an NYPD sergeant.

Where did the show's title come from?

The brother's line was, "I had a day where people were shooting at me, and you're bringing home trophies. Everybody loves Raymond, don't they?"

What nervous habit is Robert Barone known for?

The tic, nicknamed "crazy chin," is said to have started as a coping mechanism when baby Raymond arrived and took all of Marie's attention.

What is Robert Barone's profession?

He works his way up to lieutenant by the series' end, and once interviews with the FBI until Marie interferes.

What is Frank Barone's signature catchphrase?

Frank blurts it out whenever something surprises him; Marie's own catchphrase is "I don't like that."

What did Frank Barone do for a living before retiring?

He is also a registered real estate agent and a Korean War veteran who never lets anyone forget it.

What is the name of the lodge Frank belongs to?

His fellow lodge members once named him Man of the Year.

Debra Barone's maiden name is what?

Debra grew up wealthy, the daughter of Lois and Warren, unlike the blue-collar Barones across the street.

Before marrying Ray, Debra worked in public relations for which team?

The job fits Debra's backstory of traveling widely and dating a few famous sportsmen after high school.

What is Robert Barone's catchphrase when he walks in on a silent family gathering?

It captures Robert's lifelong sense of living in his younger brother's shadow.

Whose best friend is Amy MacDougall before she starts dating Robert?

Debra introduces the two, and Amy and Robert break up several times before finally marrying in season 7.

How much did Robert and Amy pay to buy Frank and Marie's house in 2004?

The bargain backfired: Frank and Marie moved back in after being thrown out of a New Jersey retirement community.

What were the twins named in the pilot episode, before being changed to Geoffrey and Michael?

The pilot used Ray Romano's real sons' names; Romano found it awkward to have all his TV kids share names with his real ones.

Where did Ray Barone go to college?

Ray Romano himself briefly studied accounting at Queens College before comedy took over.

How did Robert once get injured on the job?

Robert briefly quit the force afterward and nearly became a telemarketer before Ray helped talk him back.

Who played Frank Barone?

He was Emmy-nominated seven times for the role and never won, the only main cast member without a Raymond acting Emmy.

The actor who played Frank Barone earlier starred as the monster in which Mel Brooks film?

He also played the philosophical cabbie Wizard in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver.

Who played the meddling matriarch Marie Barone?

She was reportedly one of about 100 actresses considered for the part and won four Emmys for it.

Who played Ray's towering brother Robert?

He was the first actor cast after Romano and the only one to audition without Romano in the room.

Who played Debra Barone?

She later spent nine seasons as Frankie Heck on The Middle, where Doris Roberts and Ray Romano both guest-starred.

Who played Amy MacDougall?

In real life she is married to the show's creator, and her name did not join the opening credits until the final season.

The child actors who played twins Geoffrey and Michael were the real-life brothers of which co-star?

The Sweeten siblings were born in Brownwood, Texas, and were cast less than a year after moving to California.

Who was Ally Barone named after?

Romano's real daughter also appeared on the show as Molly, the best friend of the fictional Ally.

Which comedian played Ray's colleague Andy, and later got his own show that crossed over with Raymond?

Once he got The King of Queens, Ray Barone and Doug Heffernan met on screen several times.

Which comic actor played Amy's father, Hank MacDougall, in the later seasons?

The role earned him Emmy nominations three years running, 2003 to 2005; Georgia Engel played his wife Pat.

Ray Romano is also the voice of which character in the Ice Age films?

He has voiced the woolly mammoth in every film in the series since the 2002 original.

How many Primetime Emmy Awards did the show win from its 69 nominations?

Ten of the wins were for acting; Romano, Heaton, Garrett and Roberts each won at least once, while Frank's actor went 0 for 7.

In which two years did the show win the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series?

In 2002 it lost the top prize to Friends despite three of its actors winning that night.

Which 2000 episode brought the show its first acting Emmy, for the actress playing Debra?

The 2000 episode, about Debra's PMS, was written by Romano and Rosenthal and later criticized by psychologists for its portrayal.

Roughly how many viewers watched the series finale in May 2005?

The finale scored a 20.2 rating; the retrospective special that led into it drew about 24.5 million.

The show's theme music was improvised from the opening bars of a song used in which Woody Allen film?

Composers Terry Trotter and Rick Marotta kept the first few measures and improvised the rest, matching the show's piano-heavy score.

The house used for exterior shots of Ray and Debra's home is in which Long Island village?

It sits at 135 Margaret Boulevard, directly across from the house used for Frank and Marie's exteriors.

The actor who played Frank suffered what medical emergency on set in March 1999?

He initially refused to go to the hospital, and doctors said fifteen more minutes would have killed him; he missed three episodes.

In the episode "Baggage," what do Ray and Debra leave sitting on the stairs for three weeks?

Marie reveals she and Frank had the same standoff for decades over a decorative fork and spoon on their kitchen wall.

What does Marie's abstract artwork resemble in the episode "Marie's Sculpture"?

Marie's actress took the sculpture home when the show wrapped, and the episode was left unaired in the UK for years.

In "The Canister," who takes the blame after Debra realizes she never returned Marie's canister?

He tells Debra she is like a daughter to him, and the episode won Patricia Heaton her second Emmy.

Which NFL legend guest-starred in the season 1 episode "Debra's Sick"?

With Debra, Ally and Michael all sick, Ray is stuck taking the kids to the doctor while a Hall of Fame quarterback drops in.

In the hour-long "Italy" episode, whom does the family travel to visit?

Ray Romano really was uninterested in going to Italy, so the writers built the episode around his reluctance.

What honor did the "Italy" episode receive in 2002?

The two-parter also won an Emmy for sound mixing and opened season five on October 2, 2000.

What is Ray's medical procedure in the series finale?

Trouble waking him from anesthesia sends the family into a panic that everyone agrees to hide from Marie.

What is the last line of dialogue in the series, spoken by Ray at a crowded breakfast?

The camera pulls back on the family eating together in Ray's kitchen as the picture fades to black.

In "Marie's Meatballs," how does Marie undermine Debra's attempt to learn her recipe?

Marie eventually confesses she wanted to keep everything "right," then hands over her recipes.

What is the title of the 2010 documentary about adapting the show for Russian television?

The show's creator directed, wrote and starred in it, and Ray Romano makes a cameo.

The Russian adaptation was broadcast under what title?

The surname was picked to sound like "Barone"; the remake ran from 2009 to 2019 and outlasted the original many times over.

Roughly how many episodes did the Russian remake produce, a Guinness record as the longest adapted TV show?

After it ran out of original scripts at episode 210, the Russian writers kept going with help from original Raymond writer Jeremy Stevens.