Do you miss Everybody Loves Raymond? Apparently, series creator Philip Rosenthal once pitched a spin-off to the long-running CBS sitcom, Variety reports.
The family comedy premiered in 1996 and ran for nine seasons before ending in 2005. The cast included Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, and Brad Garrett.
At this week’s ATX Television Festival, Rosenthal said he pitched an Everybody Loves Raymond spin-off about Robert (Garrett) and his wife, Amy (Monica Horan):
From the moment we introduced Amy’s family … that first table read when we met them, I think in Season 7, I went from the table read to the phone to talk to Les Moonves at CBS. And then after the show was over, some of the writers and I thought this is an obvious idea — very simply, the brother now moves to Pennsylvania and he gets a job as the gym teacher, now living with her family, under the condition that has Chris Elliot as his assistant.”
He added that the spin-off was only offered a pilot, and CBS eventually decided on a show with a younger cast:
I said, ‘Les, we need a guarantee because all these writers are getting these deals. They can’t just chuck this money to do a pilot.’ They said, ‘We won’t give you more than that. They did give 13 episodes to a cast that was under 30 — they were all in their 20s. This cast, everyone was over 40. So that’s what happened to that spin-off.”
What do you think? Did you watch Everybody Loves Raymond? Would you have watched the Robert spin-off?
This would have been perfect. Wonder what the other show was.
Too much media research, this being a part of it. People won’t watch if there is not this or that, please. Oh we have to be PC or we can’t sell it. Do you know who makes or breaks a show? Thats middle America( ie, everybody loves raymond, big bang theory, THE MIDDLE!) People who watch. New Roseanne will work for awhile but won’t last after the assault on middle America thinking they’re stupid. Who watches and can get those ad dollars and who is searching Netflix for “What was that show?”
Do they realize that viewers over 50 often have more time to watch tv?