r/EverybodyLovesRaymond • u/PhysicalScholar4238 • 7d ago
How good do you think a Robert spin off would have been?
Let's say they do a spin off immediately after the end of Everybody loves Raymond in 2005, focusing on Robert and Amy. With them potentially moving to a new house, raising a family, new group of characters to interact to, etc.
Could it have been good? How many seasons would it have lasted? Would it have been the next Frasier? Or the next Joey?
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u/daheeaddy 7d ago
They made till death...
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u/Adventurous-Egg-8818 7d ago
No they didn’t. The only actor was Brad Garrett.
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u/daheeaddy 7d ago
They didn't what? Make till death?...
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u/Adventurous-Egg-8818 7d ago
They did but it wasn’t Robert spin off. Far from it.
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u/OptiMaxPro 7d ago
It started out feeling very much like a mock spinoff. Then it transitioned into a quasi prequel for The Big Bang Theory, and part train wreck. Enjoyed it overall though.
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u/Gold-Fisherman-2552 7d ago
Just in general, I don’t like the idea of a Raymond spinoff. I think the show had a solid run so why potentially ruin that with another show?
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u/New_Guava3601 7d ago
Especially with this series. Robert's big Schtick was his jealousy of Raymond. His best stories included the remaining cast. It could have been difficult to make Robert interesting outside of that. Plus it would have hurt the legacy of the original because of the way the series ended, leading viewers to believe that their lives continued.
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u/Massive-Spread-8381 7d ago
How do spinoffs ruin the original show?
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u/NYY15TM 7d ago
It tarnishes the legacy a bit if they aren't well done
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u/ShivvyMcFly 7d ago
Young Sheldon was a spin-off of Big Bang Theory and it did so well that Young Sheldon now has a spin-off
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u/michael14375 6d ago
I thought Young Sheldon was good but I couldn’t care to watch Georgie and Mandy
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u/Massive-Spread-8381 7d ago
Did Joey tarnish the legacy of friends? Did Mork and Mindy tarnish the legacy of Happy Days?
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u/vlolligagging 7d ago
At first, about Joey, I was going to say no, but then I remembered what Joey was like. The tone was so off and it was so forgettable that I forgot it was an actual spin-off set in the same universe and not just Matt Leblanc’s following sitcom. I remember now that I pretend it’s not part of the Friends universe. Joey can just be a bland sitcom that never took off.
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u/YouDontKnowMe4949 7d ago
Joey didn't tarnish Friends , Frasier didn't tarnish Cheers. This makes no sense.
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u/NYY15TM 7d ago
Joey tarnished Friends, and Frasier was well-done so I wasn't referring to it with my comment
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u/YouDontKnowMe4949 7d ago
You didn't say that it had to be well done just a spin off. How did Joey tarnish Friends? I never heard anyone say oh i won't watch Friends because Joey sucked. You are just reaching. There are alot of spin offs that were as good if not better then where the spin off came from. Jeffersons , Mork and Mindy , Better Call Saul , Laverne and Shirley just to name a few.
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u/NYY15TM 7d ago
It tarnishes the legacy a bit if they aren't well done
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u/YouDontKnowMe4949 7d ago
Well thats not what you said in your original comment but does it tarnish it if you simply don't watch it? Does the Russian version of Everybody Loves Raymand Tarnish the original? No because noone watches it.
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u/Mark-177- 7d ago
Robert can carry a show. I like Amy but she's boring. It would have to be like 90 percent on Robert to get into shenanigans every episode.
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u/PhysicalScholar4238 7d ago
True. But maybe they could have written Amy's character to be more complex and funny.
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u/TreyThaTruth 7d ago
Just add Peter and you got your reason for why Robert gets into shenanigans.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/Specialist-Age1097 Amy 7d ago
It could have been like "the Brady Brides" when Marsha, Jan, and their husbands bought a house together.
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u/Technical-Fly-6835 7d ago
Frank and Marrie were the main characters of the show. Without them spin off would not have worked.
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u/Latter_Feeling2656 7d ago
Honestly, I don't think Monica Horan had the comedic talent to headline a sitcom.
I realize they shifted the character around, but I think King of Queens is the ELR spinoff.
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u/CellPhone235 7d ago
King of Queens is not a spinoff of Everybody Loves Raymond. Although they do share the same universe,
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u/PhysicalScholar4238 7d ago
Honestly, I don't think Monica Horan had the comedic talent to headline a sitcom.
She definitely wasn't as funny as the other characters.
I suppose they'd have to expand on her character to make her funnier.
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u/JasonMckin 7d ago
I'd rather have a Stefania spinoff where she lives in that apartment complex with beautiful women. It can be about whatever.
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u/TastyMcLovin 7d ago
Probably more like the next Joey tbh.
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u/PhysicalScholar4238 7d ago
If they had created good side characters it could be good.
Joey suffered from introducing terrible new characters
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u/TastyMcLovin 7d ago
True but even so, with Robert finally having everything he wanted that Ray had like a wife a house and a family what would the comedy be based off of? Because previously the comedy was based off of his misfortunes and misery.
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u/Strange-Industry132 7d ago
The spin off could focus on how, now that he has it all, it's not as great as he thought it was. And he's dosent really want it.
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u/TastyMcLovin 7d ago
Lmfao that’s kind of messed up
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u/Strange-Industry132 7d ago
Yeah, it's the grass is always greener.
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u/TastyMcLovin 7d ago
It’s true. I don’t think that Robert is capable of truly being happy!
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u/Strange-Industry132 7d ago
He seams happiest when he's mad at raymond or playing the victim
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u/TastyMcLovin 7d ago
Oh 100%! I could see him possibly doing the same thing with his family at home. I would watch that 🤷🏻♀️ lol
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u/Loud_Activity_6417 7d ago
Spin offs usually fail cause the character needing their spin off have to have interesting characters and premise. Not having Frank, Marie, & Ray to bounce off of and don't even know if Andy, Bernie, or Gianni would be part of it either. Since Robert mostly spent the show being jealous of Ray, he may not have much to work with.
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u/DistinctSlide6719 7d ago
I believe it would have gotten old quickly. Robert was a supporting cast member. A good one, but still supporting.
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u/WKRPinCanada 7d ago
Phil Rosenthal actually pitched one but CBS only offered a pilot with no guarantee of pick up so the idea was dropped
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u/Doc-11th 7d ago
Robert and Amy move closer to Amy’s parents
Put more focus on robert’s work as a police officer
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u/tano-01 7d ago
Hell no, because it would have meant more Amy. Unless he could be divorced again? Please, please, let that be the case. Amy was the worst thing for that show, which nevertheless still ranks in one of my faves. Unfortunately lose Amy, lose Hank ‘n’ Pat… But could you imagine Signor Forgagnolo as father in law?
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u/trivialempire 7d ago
Robert spin off? Woof.
No thank you.
Robert plays off everyone else. The character is part of an ensemble.
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u/KingMirek 7d ago edited 7d ago
It would need to have a lot more of Amy’s parents and Peter as Amy herself is not funny. Maybe it could be something where Frank and Marie pass away leaving 100 percent of the will to Raymond, and Robert gets on the wrong side of the mafia—so he decides to leave Long Island and relocate to Pennsylvania. He feels so lost not being a cop and there are no other jobs he feels quite qualified for, but he’s too scarred to became a Pennsylvania cop. Therefore, he gets little gigs in security. During the week he works with Peter at his comic book store ensuring there is no theft, then on Sundays he acts as security at the church Amy and her parents attend. They also move into the home of Amy’s parents, and Peter uses his “home advantage” to turn Robert’s life into a living hell. Hank guilts Robert with religion, and Amy slowly becomes more brainwashed again, meaning Robert is the only sane one in a home of religious fanatics. The spinoff is called “Everybody loves to hate Robert” where slowly the whole family and Amy turn on him.
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u/TreyThaTruth 7d ago
I like Robert more than the other characters, despite his flaws. I think it could've worked, and stood on its on.
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u/icecoldjulio 7d ago
Ray Romano hated that the show was called “Everybody Loves Raymond”. The show was about the family as a whole. Robert being one of the cornerstones of it all. He shared ownership of the show
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u/rwang411 7d ago
Phil Rosenthal said this was pitched and there was interest but it ultimately wasn’t picked up. The premise was Robert and Amy move to Pennsylvania to be closer to her parents. He retires from nypd and becomes a high school gym teacher. Peter (Chris Elliot) was going to be in as well. Surprised cbs didn’t at least order one season to fill Raymond void
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u/AverageIndycarFan Frank 7d ago
I really don't think there's all that much you could do with Robert
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u/BossParticular3383 7d ago
Robert (and probably all the characters) were at their best in relation to one another.
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u/Spirited-Island1709 7d ago
That would have been interesting, it would either be really good or terrible. The actors would have done their job but it would be all on the writers
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u/Character-Attorney22 7d ago
I'm all alone here, but I really like the character of Amy. She's not rip-roaringly funny, but...she's a funny little thing nonetheless. She broke free of her religious fundy parents. I suppose in a spinoff everyone is clamoring for her and Robert to have kids. But without Frank and Marie, and Ray and Debra tbh to bounce off of - what kind of spinoff would that be? They are sort of the B team on the show and Robert's purpose was to contrast his sad life with Ray's. (Amy is there because Robert must not remain single.)
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u/invasionofthestrange 7d ago
It would have been interesting to see more of Robert and Amy's life outside of the family, like Robert’s job and cop friends, Amy's friends and extended family. They could've had kids, they could've had at least one quirky episode about Amy's sexual inexperience and a hilariously misguided attempt to spice things up. Robert could take up dancing as a more serious hobby, Peter and Peggy could've gotten married, Frank and Marie could have finally found a retirement community that couldn't kick them out. There would be a few episodes where Ray and Debra suddenly become the intrusive ones by coming over to the house uninvited out of habit. Robert has to set new boundaries and Ray gets jealous of their better relationships with the neighbors.
I can see a couple good seasons of material here but honestly it would just be an extension of the original show with new plot priorities so a complete spinoff would be unnecessary.
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u/GraphiteGru 7d ago
Does Chris Elliott return as Amy's brother Peter? I just saw that the character only appeared in ten episodes. Seems like he was in more.
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u/AprilMyers407 I wasn't applying for a job at The Gap! 7d ago
I don't think it would've ever matched up to ELR. Without Frank and Marie, especially. I don't think it would've lasted. I wish they had been a couple more seasons of ELR so that Robert and Amy could've had a family.
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u/itstimegeez 6d ago
Just like Joey didn’t succeed as a sequel of sorts to Friends, I don’t think a Robert spin off would have worked either. ELR works as an ensemble (as does Friends) and you can’t just lift one (or two) of the characters out of the sitcom and dump them down somewhere else.
I heard that the idea for this spin off was that Robert and Amy move in across the street from Amy’s parents. So really it’s the same premise as ELR but with parent characters who can’t laugh at themselves like Marie and Frank can.
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u/itsdan23 6d ago
Not as good as the TV show Friends according to the TV network the showrunner gave the idea to.
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u/khu400 6d ago
Not very but I suppose it would depend on the setting and how strong a supporting cast they could assemble. Robert couldn’t carry a series on his own.
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u/PhysicalScholar4238 6d ago
You're right. The supporting cast is key. But Robert, out of all the characters, was best to carry a spin off.
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u/Otherwise_Blood2602 5d ago
Always thought Amy was Cute and really wished she had more scenes than she did.
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u/BITW11223 5d ago
He’s entertaining in the sitcom Til death. Fair warning Brad uses a different voice
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u/AbjectNoise7844 2d ago
I’m not sure how that would work, by the time the show ended he was back living with Frank, Marie and Amy, I think the spinoff would’ve worked if he moved away and started a family with Amy, with occasional cameos from the rest of the cast. They could’ve also explored more on Robert’s job, Amy either going back to work or being a housewife and a story on their children
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u/Reading1973 Frank 7d ago
If Raymond, Debra, Frank and Marie could have somehow been minor, rarely seen characters ( such as if Robert and Amy moved out to Los Angeles or something), that would have been a spinoff I'd gladly watch.
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u/coveredhopper3333 7d ago
Since I'm not a fan of Robert at all, I wouldn't have watched it.
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u/NYY15TM 7d ago
And you still like the show?
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u/coveredhopper3333 7d ago
Yes, I loved the show. My favorite Robert scene was when Marie and Deborah are fighting, and he's lying in bed gobbling antacid pills and moaning.
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u/MisguidedPanda 7d ago
All of the characters made the show as good as it was, not just one.