The creator and executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond dissects the art of comedy and the making of a sitcom classic
In television, where programs can premiere and disappear in the same week, Everybody Loves Raymond reigned as Americaβs best-loved show for nine years with more than seventeen million viewers. As the number-one sitcom, it received more than seventy Emmy nominations, including two wins for best comedy. With Youβre Lucky Youβre Funny, Phil Rosenthal takes us onstage and inside the writerβs room.
Rosenthalβs meteoric ascent was preceded by odd jobs, including a stint as a museum security guard, running a deli, and writing for a slew of forgettable showsβincluding one starring Robert Mitchum as a curmudgeonly homeless man taken in by two orphans. But when he met comedian Ray Romano, they discovered a shared lifetime of family dysfunctionβand endless material for a sitcom.
Not only a chronicle of one manβs rise to the peak of his profession, Rosenthalβs book is also an unprecedented look at the making of a hit series: how shows are written and character developed, how comedy is refined, how network executives are outsmarted, and most important, how egos are massaged. Youβre Lucky Youβre Funny is an inspiration to anyone involved in the creative process and a must read for the showβs millions of devoted fans.
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