Dec

Ray Romano returns with ‘Men of a Certain Age’

Ray Romano who used to act with Patricia Heaton on “Everybody Loves Raymond” has a new show. LA Times has the story behind it:

Those who subscribe to the familiar adage “Dying is easy, comedy is hard” have not been hanging around lately with Ray Romano. The star and inspiration behind the hit family comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond” has discovered something far more difficult than comedy or sustaining a hit network sitcom. It’s developing his Act 2.

Romano is grappling with the demands of being the creative force behind TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age,” his first TV venture since 2005, when “Raymond” ended its nine-year run on CBS. Toning down his familiar everyman comic persona, he is leaping from the plush neon flashiness of network TV to the less glossy and more frugal regions of cable, and with a risky concept. The show, which also stars Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula, revolves around three friends descending not too gracefully into middle age. Finding the proper tone has made Romano a bit anxious.

“Yes, I’m nervous about this,” he said, taking a break on the Paramount Studios set of the dramedy, which he produced and created with Mike Royce. “There are so many things I’m worried about. Will people watch? What will people think of me in this role? What if it doesn’t get picked up? What if it does get picked up and we’ve got to do another season?”

He paused, then smiled: “There’s no winning. There’s only less losing.”

“I got offered game show hosts, or guest arcs on other shows,” he said. “I didn’t get offered any sitcom vehicles, and I didn’t seek that out. There were films I wanted to do, but they didn’t want me, and the films that wanted me I didn’t want to do.”

That might come as a surprise, as “Everybody Loves Raymond” was so embraced by viewers and critics. But his “Everybody Loves Raymond” costars have had their post-”Raymond” struggles, as well. Patricia Heaton, who played Ray Barone’s wife, Debra, already has one failed sitcom (Fox’s “Back to You”) and her freshman ABC comedy “The Middle” is struggling despite good reviews. The title of Brad Garrett’s ratings-deficient Fox comedy ” ‘Til Death” says it all.