Ray Romano has issued his definitive opinion regarding an Everybody Loves Raymond reboot, and it’s not looking great for fans. The immensely popular CBS sitcom starred Romano as sports writer Ray Barone and ran for nine seasons between 1996 and 2005. Despite its continuing presence on TV reruns and streaming platforms, Romano has no plans to mount a lucrative reboot.
“I'm just a little protective of Everybody Loves Raymond," he told Yahoo Entertainment. “Just because it was very personal to me.” Romano added that the show "was based on my life and I was such a part of the creative side of it and all" that it seems inconceivable to relaunch the program with new actors or modernized storylines. The star has previously said that a Raymond reboot is “out of the question.”
The show followed Ray and his wife (Patricia Heaton), who are often put at odds due to his interloping parents (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle) and sad-sack brother (Brad Garrett) who live across the street. Boyle and Roberts passed away in 2006 and 2016, respectively, making a proper reboot of the series in its original form all but impossible.
However, Romano did leave one loophole for any fans (or freelance producers) holding their breath for a Raymond reboot. The star wouldn’t "want it rebooted in America," but he’s supportive of other countries’ versions of his seminal show. In 2017, the Russian adaptation of the series, entitled Voroniny, became the longest-running adaptation of any television series in the world.
"I actually like that it's rebooted there,” Romano said, “because it just shows how other cultures—we're all the same,” he explained. “So it's good to see them appreciate it.”
Romano, who’s made a successful transition into more dramatic character roles since Raymond concluded, is currently starring opposite Lisa Kudrow in Netflix’s dark comedy No Good Deed.
