‘90s Sitcom Star Ray Romano Begged for Major Change to Hit TV Show

Ray Romano didn’t want his hit TV show to be called Everybody Loves Raymond—but he was outvoted by network executives. The CBS sitcom, which debuted in 1996, was permanently named after a line that was in the pilot script, even though the comedian was told it was a "working title."

“The line ‘everybody loves Raymond’ was in the pilot script, and [show creator] Phil [Rosenthal] said, ‘I'm going to use it as a title,’” Romano revealed at a 30 Years of Everybody Loves Raymond: A Behind-the-Scenes Tribute event at the Paley Center...