For my Top 10 Tuesday this week, I am counting down Top 10 Everybody Loves Raymond Characters!
The late, great Fred Willard was always good for some laughs and his Hank McDougall character was a great recurring addition to the cast in the later years of the show. The show sort of let Willard do his thing as his character was aloof at times and joyously judgmental of some of the behavior of the Barones and others.
9. JUDY POTTER
I sometimes find Sherri Shepherd annoying but one of her earlier roles was one of her funniest. She only appeared in nine episodes as Robert's patrol partner but she was really funny in those nine episodes. She didn't put up with Robert's nonsense and she had a matter of fact delivery over the less matter of fact Barones. She made Robert's scenes better.
For most of the run of Everybody Loves Raymond, the kids were sort of an afterthought. They had some moments here and there but they really served as catalysts or plot points and nothing else. Late in the run, the show started to give some personality to oldest daughter Ally and she was given some better material. She responded with building a solid character that probably would have become stronger if the show kept going and she kept getting older.
7. PAT MCDOUGALL
The other half of the McDougall couple, Pat McDougall was played to perfection by Georgia Engel. Engel made a career off of her soft voice persona but if that's all she had, she wouldn't have been so darn funny in everything she was in. As Pat, she was sugary sweet on the outside but it always felt like there was a layer of darkness beneath her and that was Engel's gift. She could make any line seem simultaneously sweet and salty.
It might surprise fans of Raymond that Robert is this low, but he is just simply not one of my favorite characters. I have him this high partly because of the sheer amount of time he is in the show and how integral of a character he is. There are times where I find his sad sack personality show especially when he is feeling jealous of Raymond, but too often I also find him annoying.
5. AMY MCDOUGALL-BARONE
Robert's significant other actually tops Robert on the list but that's more about my general "meh" feeling towards Robert. Amy was a funny character who invigorated some much needed life into the show as she became a more prominent character. Everybody Loves Raymond is sometimes criticized for being the same show from the beginning to the end of its run. Amy was one place where the show chose to evolve the characters.
4. DEBRA BARONE
Debra Barone has some truly funny moments in the series. There are times where Patricia Heaton's character can be one of the most hysterical characters. But there are also times when she is almost an unbearable nag. I know that was often the point of her character but I think they could have given her a little bit more of a healthy balance. Heaton found that balance much better in her signature role (as far as I'm concerned) on The Middle.
The title of the show says that Everybody loves him. Although of course I think most characters on the show and fans like or tolerate him more than love him. I think he has a lot of funny moments and he ranks ahead of his on-screen wife because his good moments outweigh his bad. Sure, he can be awfully mopey sometimes but he basically has Ray Romano's sense of humor and comedic style and I'm mostly a fan of the self-deprecating nature of it so I'm usually a fan.
2. FRANK BARONE
Oh Frank, one of the most stereotypical old men in TV history. He was always good for a couple great quips in an episode and while he could have easily become a catchphrase-ridden character, Peter Boyle gave the character more depth. A few times where we saw genuine emotion from Frank were some of the better moments in the entire series because he wasn't just the gruff old man he sometimes appeared to be. But mostly, he was just pretty hilarious.
This is one of those lists where the show's MVP is well ahead of any other character. Everybody Loves Raymond worked first and foremost because of Doris Roberts as the mother and mother-in-law from hell. She was so passive aggressive towards Debra and the choices that were made but she did it with a sickly sweet demeanor at times. She also had hilarious relationships with every character on the show. The show may have been titled for Raymond but Marie is the catalyst to its success. Be honest, do you really enjoy the show in scenes she's not in? I don't.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at Good & Evil!
Tuesday in 2 Weeks: Top 10 Mom Characters!
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