I clearly recall the first time I ever saw Ray Romano on television. And I was a fan at first sight.
I'd never heard of Romano before he appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" in 1995, but it wasn't long into his 5 1/2-minute stand-up routine before he had me laughing out loud. Sure, part of it was because he was making jokes about the trials of being the father of young twins and I could relate, but the guy was just plain funny.
So my hopes were high when Letterman signed him to a production deal and CBS put "Everybody Loves Raymond" on its fall schedule in 1996.
And I can clearly recall watching the "Raymond" pilot in June 1996. I was visiting my parents in upstate New York and watched the show with my father and two of my sisters — and we all laughed our heads off.
My sisters and I agreed afterward that my father laughed so much despite not recognizing the qualities he shared with Frank (Peter Boyle) . . . although that's part of what has made "Everybody Loves Raymond" so relatable for nine seasons. We all see similarities between the Barones and members of our own families.
It's a sitcom, not a documentary. And it's obviously intended to make us laugh.
But the characters' behavior rang true. Maybe more so for some of us than for others . . . but Frank always has reminded me of my father.
And one of the nice things about both the show and Romano is that they didn't change much over the years. Oh, they've both changed, but they're both true to who they were in 1996.
Romano is rich, famous and set for life. But he still doesn't like the title of the show that brought him all that.
"That is the last title I would ever pick," Romano said in 1996, shortly before the show premiered.
"When I hear that title I can't breathe. I swear, I can't breathe. And I want to slap a kitten just to offset it."
Just last week, Romano reaffirmed those feelings.
"I've never warmed to it. . . . I still wish we could go back in time and change it," Romano said in a teleconference with TV critics. "It's just, Why have that? It just breeds resentment to say you're going to love this guy."
It's time to accept it, Ray. There are tens of millions of people in this country and around the world who did end up loving you. And your sitcom.
We'll miss you.
IF ROMANO HATED the title of the show so much, why didn't it get changed?
Because he couldn't come up with anything better.
The title has never been about how lovable Ray Romano or his alter ego, Ray Barone, are. It was a comment "said in a very sarcastic way" by Robert (Brad Garrett) in the pilot episode, executive producer Phil Rosenthal pointed out.
"Yeah, but people don't get that," Romano said.
"Everybody Loves Raymond" was supposed to be a working title, but it stuck. After CBS picked up the show, Rosenthal and CBS chief Les Moonves gave Romano a chance to come up with an alternative.
His suggestions included "That Raymond Guy," "Just Raymond," "Um Raymond" and "Raymond's Tree," which was supposed to be a play on the family tree.
"And Ray is one of the better writers on the show," Rosenthal quipped.
So "Everybody Loves Raymond" it was and "Everybody Loves Raymond" it remained.
And will remain in the perpetuity of reruns and DVDs.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com