Shark Bytes

I think this show was so well loved because the stories were so relatable. However, some things always annoyed me. Debra could be such a shrew, always picking at him and calling him names and rolling her eyes. The other was when Ray would do something smart in an episode and get no credit or the writers would turn it around so he would look like an idiot. A lazy husband is fine but occasionally it went to far.

This jumped on Day 1. This is not to say that the actors were not talented, all of them have talent. The plot line was horrible. How is a man who leaches off his parents, an extremely overbearing mother-in-law, and obnoxious father-in-law, and as many have said, a shrew wife funny? Also what was up with the kids disappearing? That should be a category. It happened on Friends with Emma and Ben, and on Boy Meets World with Morgan. Please don't insult people's intelligence.

Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts as Frank and Marie were the best on the show, and were absolutely hillarious together. Yeah, Deborah could be nasty at times, but by putting up with Ray's family you could see why. Brad Garrett as Robert had his very funny moments, but got a little boring after he married Amy. Worst part? THE KIDS! Who did THAT casting? Not only were they annoying the rare times they were on, but not believable that these three blond kids could be remotely related to Ray & Deborah! That was a joke. Despite the slight annoyance, for the most part I really enjoyed the show and still watch it in re-runs.

Without a doubt, not only the worst show that has even been on television, since nothing could be worse, it is the worst show that will ever be on television. Each of the characters is so far over the top it is beyond parody. I am offended by the shrew wife, stupid husband, interfering mother-in-law, etc., as being even believable, much less representative of any real family. Every show has the same basic lame plot. Stupid husband does something dumb - shrew wife overreacts - causing dumb husband to do something even dumber - m-i-l has to put in her 2 cents, aggravating the situation....aaarrrggggghhhhhhhhh

very mediocre show with extremely annoying cast..but i like patricia heaton although she plays the stereotypical shrewish wife but she is very talented.

and raymond..well i think he is the most annoying person in the universe

It has long been my opinion and observation that with a few talented exceptions, an actor's true personality and character are easily seen in the characters they play especially on TV. I remember a few years ago seeing the woman who plays Debra appear on Dr. Phil to get help for her anger and rage problems. No big surprise there!

Very funny show but the last season was mediocre IMO. I guess they just figured, it's the last season so let's just make Ray a buffoon and Debra even more of a bitch (although I don't know how she put up with him and his lunatic family for so long, I would've moved away a long time ago, but I guess that would be the end of the series LOL). Anyway, I wasn't a big fan of Amy, she was pretty anal and her face kind of bugged me, she basically had one expression(<x>she's also married to Phil Rosenthal the co-creator of the show). My favorite character was Frank, even though he was a mean old bastard (no offense, RIP Peter Boyle). My favorite episode is the Thanksgiving (or Chrismas, I know it was a holiday) episode when Debra's father brings home that old lady, that episode was hilarious. I don't think the show really ever JTSed, it was consistantly(sp) funny but for me the show wasn't the same when Robert married Amy, still a very funny show and it was smart to end the series when they did. Good chemistry between all the actors IMO, Doris Roberts is a great actress and very funny lady (remember National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? she was hilarious in that)Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton were great together as well, great chemistry, you'd think they were an actual couple. Anyway, great show, a true classic.

And the poster below who said they took a risk with the fly episode is right, it was weird but it worked, it was hilarious. That's the great thing about ELR writers, they weren't afraid to be out there with plots and apparently were actually based on things that actually happened to the writers.

The show never jumped for me. It goes down as one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. As for jumping the shark, the writers probably took a risk with the episode where Ray witnesses Robert's girlfriend eating a fly. A bizarre plot, but the episode was hysterical.

The children were on more often in the beginning. But as the show progressed and the kids got older, they had less roles on the show. In fact, many episodes did not have the kids on at all. It may have had something to do with the adult themes of some of the plots and laws limiting work time for child actors.

I don't care how many Emmys she's won; her acting range is limited to whining, complaining, and nagging. And she's not funny. Every time she makes a remark, I cringe, not laugh. Maybe a better actress could have made something of this part, but Patricia Heaton is not a good actress.

The later shows when the kids occasionally had a few lines were painful to watch. Those kids, especially the twins, were awful. They obviously had no natural talent and received poor acting lessons. Those boys really make you appreciate kids like Jerry Mathers and others who made it look so easy.

If you are going to criticize an actor at least get her name right. It's Patricia Heaton. Ray and Phil saw about 200 women for the part of Debra and chose Heaton. I think she is very funny and I guess the people that gave her two emmys must not know talent either, huh?

This show is consistently funny, but I think Raymond and Debra would be divorced by now. Also, Ray doesn't really seem to be a sportswriter. He doesn't seem to do anything at all. And the kids are just plot devices, thank goodnes.

I like this show a lot. Marie and Frank are so sharp and funny. Frank can be pretty mean at times, but I still can't help laughing. I don't know why Debra dislikes her mother-in-law so much; I'd love to have a MIL who's happy to clean, cook, and watch the kids. But Debra gets mad about it!

I enjoy both Ray's and Robert's unique style of humor. They work very well together.

The only character I can't stand is Debra. She whines, cries, nags relentlessly. She blames Ray for things over which he has no control. My family watches every week, and we all say to ourselves, how can he stand her?

The charactor is badly written and badly cast Patricia Keaton cannot act, and she is not funny--she's no Carol Burnett. I don't know who's in the current crop of comic actresses (Tina Fey?), but he should have searched a little harder to find a wife.

Ray has said that he does most of the writing on the scripts; so obviously everything we're seeing on the show is exactly the way he wants it. I'm just wondering if he wishes he had found someone else with more talent.

The episode that stands out in my mind and still induces nausea is when Ray has to sleep in the same bed as his brother Robert only to discover Robert sleeping naked. Must get the Pepto Bismol.

Reading some of these reviews is making my head spin. The men say "Debra is annoying", the women say "Debra is great for putting up with Ray". I mean c'mon - that's basically the whole point of the show. There is a huge difference between a character who is intentionally annoying because it's part of their character and one who is annoying because they're an unbelievable terrible actor. Pretty much everyone on this show fit the former category until the introduction of Amy - who was possibly the worst actress in mainstream sitcom history.