The fourth season of ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch an ...

'' aired from September 20, 1999 to May 22, 2000

Production

The fourth season of ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' was produced by HBO Independent Productions, creator

Philip Rosenthal Philip Rosenthal (born January 27, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005). In recent years, he has presented food and tr ...

's company Where's Lunch, and

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

Worldwide Pants Worldwide Pants Inc. is an American television and film production company founded and owned by comedian and talk show host David Letterman. The company was formerly headquartered at the Ed Sullivan Theater building in New York City, but has sinc ...

. The episode "Marie and Frank's New Friends" was the final appearance of character actor David Byrd, who passed away at the age of 68 on February 2, 2001 due to cancer. Starting in the season, episodes of ''Raymond'' were produced in high definition.

Cast

Main

Ray Romano Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...

as Raymond "Ray" Barone *

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on sitcoms, having played Debra Barone on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005) as well as Frances "Frankie" Heck on '' The Middl ...

as Debra (née Whelan) Barone *

Brad Garrett Bradley Henry Gerstenfeld (born April 14, 1960), known professionally as Brad Garrett, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Possessing a distinctive deep voice, he has appeared in numerous television and film roles in both live-action and ...

Robert Barone This is a list of fictional characters from ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', an American sitcom, originally broadcast on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a sportswriter ...

Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...

Marie Barone This is a list of fictional characters from ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', an American sitcom, originally broadcast on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a sportswriter ...

* Peter Boyle as Francis "Frank" Barone *

Madylin Sweeten Madylin Anne-Michele Sweeten (born June 21, 1991) is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Ally Barone, Alexandra "Ally" Barone on the popular family sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005). Personal life Sweeten was bor ...

as Alexandra "Ally" Barone *

Sawyer Sweeten Sawyer Storm Sweeten (May 12, 1995 – April 23, 2015) was an American child actor, known for playing Geoffrey Barone on the sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. Early life Sweeten was born in Brownwood, Texas, to parents Timothy Sweeten and Eliz ...

as Geoffrey Barone * Sullivan Sweeten as Michael Barone

Supporting

Monica Horan Monica Louise Horan (born January 29, 1963) is an American actress best known for her role as Amy MacDougall-Barone on the television sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. Life and career Horan was born in Darby, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Selm ...

as Amy McDougall *

Andy Kindler Andy Kindler (born October 16, 1956) is an American comedian and actor from Queens, New York. He played the character "Andy", a fellow sportswriter and friend of sportswriter "Ray Barone" (Ray Romano) on the TV show ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', w ...

as Andy *

Jon Manfrellotti Jon Manfrellotti (born 1953) is an American actor who has appeared in several sitcoms. He is perhaps best known for his role as Gianni in ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. Career Manfrellotti got his first role in '' Flodder in Amerika!'' in 199 ...

as Gianni *

Tom McGowan Thomas McGowan (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He first became known for his stage career both on and off Broadway. In 1991, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in ...

as Bernie Gruenfelder *

Maggie Wheeler Margaret Emily Wheeler (née Jakobson) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Janice on the television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004), and Anita on ''Ellen'' (1994–1996). Early life Wheeler was born Margaret Emily Jakobso ...

as Linda Gruenfelder *

Katherine Helmond Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as ...

as Lois Whelan *

Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy'' (1965–1968), the espionage television se ...

as Warren Whelan *

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, ''Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the day ...

as Judy *

Victor Raider-Wexler Victor Raider-Wexler is an American film and television actor. He is best known for roles as Stan in the sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2004), the dual roles of Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Kaufman in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2 ...

as Stan *

Len Lesser Leonard King Lesser (December 3, 1922 – February 16, 2011) was an American character actor. He was known for his recurring role as Uncle Leo in a total of 15 episodes of ''Seinfeld'', starting during the show's second season in the episode "Th ...

as Garvin *

Charles Durning Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...

as Father Hubley *

Fred Stoller Fred Stoller (born March 19, 1958) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and author. He is best known for portraying Gerard on ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. He is also the voice of Stanley in the ''Open Season'' series, Fred the Squirrel in ' ...

as Gerard * Suzie Plakson as Joanne Glotz *

Ashley Crow Ashley Diane Crow (born August 25, 1960) is an American actress. She is best known for her role of Sandra Bennet on the television show '' Heroes''. Life and career Crow was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She moved to Mountain Brook, Alabama at t ...

as Jennifer Whelan * David Hunt as Bill Parker * David Byrd as Harry Stipe

Reception

Reviews

During the 1999–2000 TV season, some critics claimed ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' to be one of the greatest sitcoms in an otherwise terrible season for the genre. Bruce Fretts of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', ranking ''Raymond'' the second-best series of 1999, claimed the cast "returned to full strength" in the season, and "no show has ever deserved its better-late-than-never ratings success more." Mitchell J. Near of ''

Lawrence Journal-World The ''Lawrence Journal-World'' is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, by Ogden Newspapers. History Though the ''Journal-World'' title came into existence in 1911, the paper dates itself to 1858, according to the ...

'' called Marie and Frank "the best TV parents (from Hell)" of the 1999–2000 TV season, while ''

Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East ...

'' ranked ''Raymond'' the second best show of the season. It was also on ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'''s list of the best shows of 1999. Upon each episode's initial airing, Mike Hughes, a TV critic for

Gannett News Service Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. "What's with Robert?," "Debra Makes Something Good," and "Confronting the Attacker" in his weekly feature of "Tonight's Must-See" programs. He called "Left Back" "a terrific episode, even by this show's high standards." Hal Boedeker gave a positive review of the season finale, labeling it "far more impressive than most ballyhooed sweeps programs." As he elaborated about the episode, " uziePlakson gives a memorably chilly performance, and the episode even manages a surprising cliffhanger."

Awards

Emmys

On May 24, 2000, a truck of 9,600 videotapes, each containing four segments from season four of ''Raymond'', was stolen from a North Hollywood parking lot; they were meant for voters of the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s, and the robbery occurred a week before content submission to the Emmys was due. The tapes had been dubbed only hours before by a

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

company in Camarillo, California. Although this resulted in a delay, as HBO and Worldwide Pants had to re-produce the tapes, Rosenthal responded that he had no worries about ''Raymond'' not gaining Emmy nominations as a result. On June 21, the truck was spotted by a driver in a location five minutes away from the parking lot; 9,100 of the tapes were found in the truck, and CBS donated them to hospitals and nursing homes. ''Everybody Loves Raymond'''s fourth season received nine

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations, including one Outstanding Comedy Series accolade for the season itself. Rosenthal and Romano were also nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for writing "Bad Moon Rising," Will MacKenzie was nominated for

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series is presented to the best directing of a television comedy series. Winners and nominations 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Total awards by netwo ...

for his work on "The Christmas Picture," and Mike Berlin was nominated for Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series for "Robert's Rodeo." Five acting award nominations were for the lead performers. Romano was nominated for

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The award is presented to the best performance by a lead actor in a television comedy series. Beginning with the 18th Primetime Emmy ...

; Heaton was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series; Roberts was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; and Garrett and Boyle were both nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In the end, Heaton won the Lead Actress award, giving ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' its first-ever Emmy win. Analyzed Rosenthal, the public airing of Heaton's September 10, 2000 winning increased the popularity of ''Raymond'''s cast, which was a prominent factor of "

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

," an episode that aired a month later, garnering 22 million viewers, a record for the show.

Other

For acting in the season, Romano was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy; it was the first of only two nominations the series received throughout its nine-year run, as Romano would be nominated for the same award a year later. In what was

Viewers for Quality Television Viewers for Quality Television (also called "VQT") was an American nonprofit organization (under 501(c)(3)) founded in 1984 to advocate network television series that members of the organization voted to be of the "highest quality." The group's go ...

's last Q award ceremony, the season was nominated for five awards, such as Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Comedy Series for Garrett, and won four: Best Quality Comedy Series, Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series for Heaton, Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series for Romano, and Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series for Roberts. At the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

TCA Awards The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer towards the end of the organization's summer press tour. Due to ...

, the season was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and Romano was nominated for Individual Achievement in Comedy. In regards to the fourth Online Film & Television Association TV Awards ceremony, Romano won Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Heaton was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Boyle was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, the leads were nominated for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and the season received a nomination for Best Comedy Series. The season garnered another Comedy Series Ensemble nomination at the sixth Screen Actors Guild Awards, an event where Romano was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. At the 2000 American Comedy Awards, Romano won Funniest Leading Male Performer in a TV Series, other nominations including Funniest Supporting Male Performer in a TV Series for Boyle, Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series for Roberts, and Funniest Television Series for the season. As an

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

composer,

Rick Marotta Richard Thomas Marotta (born January 7, 1948) is an American drummer and percussionist. He has appeared on recordings by leading artists such as Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Ste ...

received a Top Television Series award from the company's Film and Television Music Awards for his music on the latter half of

season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

and the first half of season four. The season also won Best Comedy Series awards from the American Cinema Foundation as an E Pluribus Unum award, the

TV Guide Awards The ''TV Guide'' Award was an annual award created by the editors of ''TV Guide'' magazine, as a readers poll to honor outstanding programs and performers in the American television industry. The awards were presented until 1964. The ''TV Guide'' A ...

, and the

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' Family Television Awards.

Episodes

References

{{Everybody Loves Raymond 1999 American television seasons 2000 American television seasons Everybody Loves Raymond seasons