According to Deadline, Ray Romano (Somewhere in Queens, Ice Age) completely shut down any rumors of a reboot for Everybody Loves Raymond. Romano, who played the character Ray Barone, stated this fact to Bill Maher on Real Time on December 15th. While Maher praised Ramono for the decision, fans were left upset.
Deadline reported that Romando said, “As far as reboot, well it’s out of the question,” he continued this statement by saying, “it’s out of the question because now his [Ray Barone’s] parents are gone: Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts.” Boyle passed away in 2006 while Roberts passed away in 2016.
Deadline noted that Romano also said, “They’re never as good and we want to leave with our legacy as what it is.” Maher was supportive when he heard this, acknowledging that it would’ve earned a heavy payday, saying, “You never went to a reboot. You had one of the most successful sitcoms of all time.”
Deadline also revealed that Ramone claimed that most of the cast actually wanted a reboot. However, Ramone as well as the showrunner, Phil Rosenthal (Spanglish, Somebody Feed Phil), thought that the show didn’t need any more seasons.
Many fans were upset by the news, but Romano holds firm to his statement that the show is fine as it is without a reboot. “The rest of the cast wanted it to go on,” Deadline recited, “but myself and [show runner] Phil Rosenthal, we thought it was time.”
Several sitcoms have recently been given the reboot treatment. Paramount+ premiered Kelsey Grammer (Cheers, Girlfriends) in a new Frasier series, which follows him back in Boston working on his relationship with his estranged son. ABC found success with The Conners. a reboot of the original Roseanne that saw the star’s departure after the revival’s first season. And Fox’s That 70s Show found new life with That 90s Show on Netflix, following the children of the original series characters.