It�s about that time of the year. Television shows are leading up to their final episode of the year. For more than a couple of shows, however, they are leading up to their final episode, period. Just last night I watched Topher Grace, as Eric Forman, tell his parents and girlfriend about moving to Africa to get money for college. This character is someone we all have grown to know and love just like Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher). These two actors have been reported not returning for another season. So what will become of �That 70s Show?�
What makes a good show a good show? What makes a good comedy a good comedy? If it is something we can relate to, then we can understand where the humor comes from. One of my favorite comedies that I�ve watched recently has to be�Mean Girls. That is a movie that takes place in a high school, and is aimed toward high school people as an audience. That 70s Show takes place in high school, and, like all good comedies, has really funny characters.
Eric Forman goes to his high school guidance counselor to talk about what he could do to pay for cottage. Chris Elliot plays the counselor who has had a crush on Donna (Laura Prepon), driving by her house every once in a while. Of course, Chris is always hilarious, even as a hated Brother-in-law. As Peter McDougal, Chris Elliot plays a sheltered man in his forties who recently moved out of his parents� house.
Fred Willard, who is becoming more and more popular in comedy films today plays his father, as Hank, and Georgia Engel plays Pat McDougal. Peter�s sister, Amy, played by Monica Horan, fulfills this crazy family with parents who are dedicated to religion and don�t watch television, for they don�t have one, and Hank doesn�t drink carbonated beverages. Amy has moved to the city, as has Peter recently, and in New York, they live. The parents sound a little boring, perhaps, and the character of Peter, although funny, is not very liked because he wasn�t very supportive of Amy�s recent marriage.
This family is not who we schedule our Mondays for. My least favorite day of the week is not Monday, just for a very special half hour that I have to look forward to. And not only do I have 9:00pm to look forward to, but I am entertained for the 2 hours from 8:00-10:00pm. And not only that, because I get to visit my favorite family at 7:30pm also.
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8:00pm � �Still Standing� The Miller family, starring Mark Addy and Jami Gertz, an excellent show, hilarious, but with the occasional annoying guest stars.
8:30pm � �Listen Up� The Kleinman family, starring Jason Alexander and Malcom-Jamal Warner started their new sitcom off rocky, but it�s increasingly entertaining.
9:00pm � "Everybody Loves Raymond" The Barone family, starring comedians Ray Romano and Brad Garrett with an awesome cast in a hilarious situation comedy with so much truth.
9:30pm � �Two and a Half Men� The Harper family, starring Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer as brothers, also a hilarious show, but lacks some true comic talent.
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It all started with Ray Romano coming on, as a guest, to David Letterman�s The Late Show. He gets the audience laughing so well, and seems so excited to be there. He ends by telling the audience how much harder it is to please an audience and tells them about his kids. Then he shows the audience how easy it is to make kids laugh�pulls out his keys, and shakes them for the audience. They laugh.
Philip Rosenthal and Ray Romano are funded by David Letterman�s television production company, Worldwide Pants Inc. They create a pilot. Phil tells a story through the world of the sitcom about something that really happened in his life. His parents wanted to get out of the Fruit of the Month club that Phil set them up for. Out came the idea for the infamous Fruit of the Month Club scene.
What�s most important for a sitcom�s pilot to do is create characters that you want to see more of. Then, once this pilot is scene by television studios, the executives decide whether or not the show deserves any kind of a season. Thank God they liked this first episode. �Everybody Loves Raymond� started on Tuesday�s, if I remember right.
The pilot aired in September 13th of 1996.
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They change studios. Switch twins, and their names. Ally, Michael, and Geoffrey Barone are born on television, but �It�s not really about the kids,� is it?
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Ray Barone, played by Ray Romano is a successful sports writer with a wonderful family with three kids and a lovely wife, Debra, played by Patricia Heaton. Of course, Ray�s brother, Robert Barone, played by Brad Garrett, isn�t so happy for Ray�s success. In fact, he�s like any normal guy with a successful sibling, a jealous one. And like Ray Romano�s real brother, Robert Barone is a cop. Everything for Ray Barone goes well for him except for one thing. His parents live right across the street. Marie (Doris Roberts) wonders why the children don�t get very excited anymore one time when she comes over. �Well, maybe if you gave them some time to miss you,� Ray replies to his mother. And, of course, there�s Frank Barone, played by Peter Boyle as the sarcastic and insulting father, but also charming in a way.
Ray was working as a delivery guy�s assistant when he delivered to Debra�s house. After accidentally seeing her naked, they still decide to go out on a date. They are dating when Debra invites Ray over for a movie and tells him to bring a candle, which makes Ray think he�s gonna get lucky for his first time. Marie comes over to stop them from doing anything by bringing over lasagna and a priest. Marie tells Debra what Raymond really thinks about her and tells her that she thinks they should wait until marriage. When they do get married, Raymond proposes through his column once he becomes the new sportswriter for Newsday, but Frank is the one who reads this, against Raymond�s wishes, to Debra. Once Robert walks in on �another gift for Raymond,� getting his new column, picture in the paper, and proposing to Debra, he asks what Debra said to him. Debra tells his mother, �Yes.�
Frank tries to give Raymond a little booze before the wedding, which seemed to be the reason why Raymond was acting so happy throughout the ceremony, but it turned out that Ray didn�t even crack the seal on the hooch. After being married, they are ready to have kids. Or are they? Ray doesn�t know until Debra tells him how she was so excited to have a kid and how they would name the child either Ray or�Raymona. The night Debra tells Ray about her getting �knocked up,� as Frank would say, Robert announces that he met a girl named Joanne. Of course, Marie shoots him down quick announcing that Debra�s pregnant, which she could tell just by looking at her face. All too soon, Robert, in his patrol car, has to rush Debra to the hospital, and they are stuck in traffic which causes Robert to use some serious police training. �I�m delivering this baby.�
With the new baby, and twins on the way, Ray and Debra need to move into a house. Frank has one for them to check out, �And you�ll never find better neighbor�s.� Debra needs Marie�s help, and although Ray warns her, she doesn�t see what the big problem is with his parents.
These stories are told in season finales of the first 6 seasons along with how Robert got divorced from Joanne, a stripper by the name of Cinnamon. �You better not be keeping these kinds of secrets about Debra,� Marie warns Ray.
�You mean Peppermint?�
That was a traditional idea that the writers did, the flashback episode for every season until the 7th season, when Robert got married to Amy�bringing in the McDougal family.
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