by Jenny Holmes

Created on: May 27, 2009

"Everybody Loves Raymond" - the best show on tv that has brought families together from all over the world. Although this programme originates from American it is also watched by many other nationalities in other parts of the world but everyone can relate to this type of comedy. The programme centres around a young married couple with two young children. Living across the road is the dominant mother and downtrodden father of the youngest son. The mother is the type who believes no woman is good enough for her child and spends most of her time in and out of their house offering "words of wisdom" to her daughter-in-law. Even the eldest son is still living at home mollycoddled by the mother.

Most families can relate to at least one scenario in these households if not all. They use the most normal mundane acts happening in any family throughout any day and make it funny thereby bringing what could be a disastrous situation into one where people feel they are not the only ones in the world who have these problems. In some instances it could even change the way people react in their everyday lives by realising they act in the same way. How many people look at the over protective dominant mother and realise that they too say the same things to their own daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law can then see the daughter-in-law's viewpoint via the programme and hopefully realise the error of her ways.

Sex too can often be most problematic between married couples especially when trying to juggle busy lives but yet again the writers of Everybody Loves Raymond deal with it in a lighthearted way so that people watching the programme can laugh and realise they are not the only ones in the world with this sort of problem.

Even the downtrodden father can be found in any family throughout the world. In fact there are probably more of them about than the poor daugher-in-law. He spends his days ignoring his wife's taunts and moans as he has heard them for too many years than he can remember. He is angry that his eldest son is still living at home and he is also angry that his wife cares for, and fusses around her sons and not him. Yet again the writers of the show portray these situations in a lighthearted way as if the whole thing is a normal part of everyday life thereby not isolating the real situation in a real world.

It is a great pity the powers that be have decided not to write any more episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond". However, long may the repeats on the worldwide television survive.

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