It's tough naming a sitcom! Heck, it's tough naming anything... Naming a child? That kid's going to have to grow up with that name and keep it their whole life! That's 80 years of being named Myron or Gertrude or whatever it is. Let's face it, we love those names, but how will they stand the test of time? 

While your kid might meet a few thousand people over a lifetime, each with their own opinions and preferences, imagine their name is broadcast to millions. Well, if you're sitcom creator Phil Rosenthal and standup comedian Ray Romano, and your child is a TV show and not a human, then that's exactly what happened. 

As the then-unnamed pilot based on Romano's life neared filming, the team desperately needed a title. There was no way the show could go on air without one. So, Romano turned to something his real-life brother said... While bemoaning the fact that Raymond was given praise for seemingly very little, the brother often repeated, "Everybody loves Raymond."

Watch Everybody Loves Raymond on MeTV!

ONE FULL HOUR

Weeknights at 9 PM & Sundays at 10 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

"So I told this story to Phil [Rosenthal]," Romano told NPR. "And Phil said, 'Oh, that's— we have to use that. We have to use that as the title.' And I said, 'Well, please don't." And he said, 'Well, let's just use it as the working title. And then we'll change it when— you know, when it comes time to go to pilot.' And of course, Les Moonves, the head of CBS, fell in love with the title. And he would not— I tried desperately to change that title."

It's easy to look back now and see Everybody Loves Raymond as a bankable commodity, but that title wasn't necessarily always a sure shot. Before the show became a hit, the name was just one more variable that could be changed for better audience engagement.  While its success is inarguable today, who knows what the ratings would've been had Romano gotten his wish?

But... Why, exactly, didn't he love that title?

"Nobody wants that," said Romano in 2019. "It's just asking for trouble. Even if they don't take it at face value, to this day— to this day, someone will start an article with, 'Well, not everybody loves Raymond,' and this and that."

Fair enough, Ray! Fair enough...