Ray Romano
Impeccable joke structure disguised as a tired man complaining about his life.
4 specials · 1995–2019
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He walks to the mic looking slightly uncomfortable in his own clothes. He paces the floor, holds the stand close, and speaks in a familiar nasal drawl, pitching his voice up when he hits a moment of exasperation. He relies on strict setup-and-punchline rhythms, but he delivers the material like an exhausted man complaining to a neighbor. He will start a story about a minor domestic dispute and then carefully lay out the evidence for why he is entirely at fault.
Specials
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Two unannounced club sets in New York after twenty years away.
Netflix · 59 min
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The exhausted domestic stand-up that built a television empire.
Columbia Records · Album · 54 min
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A domestic stand-up set recorded days before his sitcom premiered.
HBO · 27 min
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Full Frontal Comedy: Episode 1 (Romano / Schimmel / White / LaRose) with Robert Schimmel, Steve White & 1 more
A 1995 premium cable showcase of domestic neuroses and club filth.
Showtime · 23 min
On stage
Romano spent nine years anchoring a massive network sitcom and now takes on dramatic film roles, but he still drops into small New York clubs to run sets. He does not need the stage time. He shows up because he genuinely likes the puzzle of a joke. When he filmed Right Here, Around the Corner, he shot it at the Comedy Cellar and the Village Underground, keeping the ceilings low and the room tight.
He talks mostly about his wife, his grown children, and his physical decline. He takes premises that could easily slip into hacky territory, but he steers clear by stripping away his own dignity. When he brings up his sex life, the punchline is usually just a description of him trying to catch his breath. He will let the crowd laugh at a humiliating admission while he just stands there, blinking, waiting for them to finish so he can explain how things actually got worse.
Turning points
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Breakthrough Standup Spot on Late Show
After being fired from NewsRadio, Romano delivered a standup set on the Late Show with David Letterman, leading to a development deal with CBS and David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants.
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Historic TV Salary on Everybody Loves Raymond
Romano became the highest-paid television actor in history during his multi-Emmy-winning run as Raymond Barone on CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond.
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Return to Standup with First Special in 23 Years
Romano released Right Here, Around the Corner on Netflix, recording sets between the Comedy Cellar and the Village Underground in New York.
At a glance
Fans also like
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Kevin JamesRomano's friend and co-star in the comedy Grilled shares a complementary brand of relatable, working-class domestic humor.
Also on screen
- 1996–2005
- Everybody Loves Raymond
- Ice Age
- 2009–2011
- Men of a Certain Age
- 2012–2015
- Parenthood
- 2017–2019
- Get Shorty
A clip to start with
Ray Romano's Best Advice for Getting Older | Netflix Is A Joke