It's no secret that the key to Everybody Loves Raymond's success was relatability. That family was your family, and the laughter hit that much harder because it was real. All comedy is truth, and Ray had something to say about how we all relate to our folks at home. There's the overbearing mom, the inappropriate dad, the awkward sibling dynamics... It's all there, on our screens, for nine incredible seasons.

While all these efforts brought audiences closer to the show as each episode unfolded, one particularity mirrored a Raymond actor's real life. The show was built to feel accessible for everyone, but for series star Patricia Heaton, an early coincidence created a much easier way of relating to the show.

"It's a little bit in my genes," Heaton told The San Francisco Examiner in 2002. "My brother is a journalist and my father was a sports writer."

Watch Everybody Loves Raymond on MeTV!

ONE FULL HOUR

Weeknights at 9 PM & Sundays at 10 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

Of course, any fan of Everybody Loves Raymond knows that the main character provided for his family as a New York sports writer. While that detail seems staggering now (seriously, a family of five on a sports writer's salary), the story could've been straight from Heaton's childhood.

"He [Heaton's father] was at the Cleveland Plain Dealer for 50 years," she said. "And I started as a jounralism major at Ohio State, ended up in theater and I love to read."

While there's no record of Heaton consulting in an official capacity regarding these journalistic details on set, she doubtlessly proved to be an invaluable addition to the cast, and not just because she's an incredible actress.