A milestone in comedy? Raymond? I don't think so. And lately, it's more of a millstone than a milestone. I liked the show for one reason--it made me laugh. When it stopped making me laugh, I stopped liking it. It was the last sitcom I watched. Never got into the Simpsons.
The show was number one for something like 6 straight years or more. People used to gush about how "real" it was.
Whether you like it or not, ratings-wise "Raymond" dominates this era the way "Cosby" dominated his.
Yes, the ratings have always been good. Dominant, in fact. I assumed it was because the show was just plain funny. Let's face it. That's rare on tv. A funny comedy.
But I do think there's a difference between Raymond and the Cosby show, which was a phenomenon. At that time, sitcoms were dying out. No one thought there could be another successful sitcom. Cosby proved the naysayers wrong. Raymond is no phenom. Just funny--and successful.
Funny how tastes change. I remember enjoying the Cosby show. When I see re-runs of it now-yaaaawwwwn!
I agree, Wilso. I don't know what we thought was funny. Some shows do pass the test of time. Lucy, All in the Family, The Honeymooners. Others just fizzle out.
The stories are not important -- there are practically none of the marital woe, family problem stories that Lucy and Desi, the Honeymooners and All in the Family hasn't explored. It's the jokes -- mainly the one-liners that become repetitive. What do the writers do when the sexual innuendo joke has become hacknyed? Even "Frasier" has less than average shows and its still better than most of the other sitcoms. Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has been provocative humor which does not tied up its dependence on one-liners. It's more believable because its about the real faults and foibles of dealing with social situations. It's the final "black-out" scene that always puts me rolling on the floor.
We've started watching old Cosby episodes at work at lunch recently. Even when I know the episodes, I still cackle. There was a group of about 20 of us hanging on every word of the episode where Theo gets his ear pierced. We all knew the dialogue and the moves, and we were still howling. Some of those family situations are just so right. Timeless.
Roberta wrote:
But I do think there's a difference between Raymond and the Cosby show, which was a phenomenon. At that time, sitcoms were dying out. No one thought there could be another successful sitcom. Cosby proved the naysayers wrong.
Interesting that you should say that. I wasn't aware of the idea that sitcoms were dying out.
Cosby really was a phenomenon. Remember, he not only made his show popular, but he was the lead-in to Michael J. Fox's show. Together, those two shows were No.1 and No.2 for something like 8-10 years in a row. They dominated the night.
Never did "get" Michael J. Fox's show, but it was a monster hit nonetheless. Occasionally, for some reason Fox's show would get a slightly larger rating than Cosby's, and the TV columns in the paper used to write silly articles about whether Fox had finally moved out under Cosby's shadow. That's what happens when you have two shows Number One and Two for a decade: TV writers start wondering who is carrying who.
In addition to those two, there was another comedy of note, one I liked even better: Newhart. His first show was a big hit, too. This one was just as big a hit, and was on the same era as Cosby. So if the writers were wondering if the sitcom had disappeared, it turned out to actually be a golden age of sorts for sitcoms.
Although Newhart might have gotten a little stupid the last couple of years, it really had one great thing going for it. Like Friends, it was something of a "lifestyle" comedy.
What is a Lifestyle Comedy? A Lifestyle Comedy is a comedy that people tune into because they admire or aspire to the lifestyle of the show's characters. It may or may not be funny.
Don't forget, a lot of people made a lot of money in the eighties, many of whom never went to jail. Although Newhart was not a stock market manipulator in the show, he lived the arbitrageur's dream-take your money, move to Vermont, open a little bed & breakfast place, relax, smell the roses and look at the falling leaves. It is a good thing it was funny for the first several years, but it really did not have to be-Newhart and his wife were living the lifestyle a significant number of people wanted to live. It almost had to be a hit.
Before my TV tanked, I was just getting into Nick at Nite re-runs of Cosby, and LOVING it. I watched 'em for the first time as a teenager, from the kids' perspective (I thought Theo was adorable, I was in awe of Lisa Bonet's fashion sense), and now watching from the parent's perspective. Kinda cool.
Hmmm. I watched a few of the Cosby reruns on Nick at Nite. I couldn't get interested. Maybe I'll give it another try.
keltidwizard, Yup, the sitcom was on the way out. There were a few around, but nothing big. I remember reading that the networks were planning few new comedies and were going to focus on hour-long dramas. Next thing you know, boom. Cosby's show hit and it hit big.
@Roberta,
Quote:Everybody Loves Raymond.
Does this mean that one person loves Raymond, Roberta?
I have never Loved Raymond
well, to make it brief, and though I may be mispeaking abit but I hereby apologize for any mis statem,enst but, As I Understand the entire sequence of this thread , and I am only speaking from a personal point of view and not a clear understanding or "fan base" for the entire program presentations , but, clearly, numerous People had originally liked Raymond . However that has changed markedly . Now, many of these same people, ie those who once liked (or actually loved) Raymond, apparently, for reasons known only to them, do NOTlove Raymond any longer.
G Figure
@farmerman,
As succinct a summing up as ever was seen.
I was shocked when I read one of the little twin boys shot and killed himself over the weekend. The twins are 19 years old. How sad and tragic.
‘EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND’ STAR SAWYER SWEETEN TOOK HIS OWN LIFE AFTER BEING BULLIED, SUFFERING FINANCIALLY (REPORT)
Quote:Bullying and financial woes drove Everybody Loves Raymond star Sawyer Sweeten to take his own life, a new report by ‘Radar Online’ claims.
The 19-year-old — who committed suicide on April 23 with a gunshot to his head — was allegedly in major debt prior to his death and was unable to land a new acting gig. Speaking of his failed career, a source says, “It was humiliating after being on a top show.”
I tended to overlook the kids, because they were not often in the plots, as I remember. It happens pretty regularly that kid actors have a tough almost impossible time of it growing up.
