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Ray Romano's Next Move

Posted April 1st, 2008 by Rich Heldenfels

TNT has made official its commissioning of a DRAMA pilot starring "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Ray Romano. Details after the jump. …

The official word:

TNT has ordered a one-hour pilot of MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE, a new character-based drama from Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy® winners Ray Romano and Mike Royce. Romano will star in the project that takes a wry look at what it means to be a guy approaching mid-life while also exploring the unique bonds of male friendship. Romano wrote the pilot script with Royce and will executive-produce with Royce (who will serve as showrunner), Rory Rosegarten and Cary Hoffman.

“MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE is about the highs and lows of being a guy in the modern era. It’s about three best friends, each hoping to fulfill his dreams before the clock starts running out,” said Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the content creation group for TNT and its sister networks, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. “It’s an honest, emotional, funny and very personal take on the subject. MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE is a very special project for TNT, and we’re proud to be doing it with Ray and Mike. When we read the script we knew right away this is a series we want to bring to our audience.”

"Mike and I have always had success writing what we know. What we know now is that we’re middle aged, neurotic and fat,” said Romano. “We’re excited to be working with Michael Wright and TNT, who have been incredibly enthusiastic and supportive."

MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE follows three guys who have been best friends since college. Now in their 40s, they’re finding that life is indeed, as John Lennon once said, “what happens when you’re making other plans.” The show focuses on Joe (Romano), a friendly, 40-something, slightly neurotic, divorced father of two who had dreams of being a professional golfer but instead owns and runs a party store. He has two best friends: Owen, an overstressed African-American husband and father who is a car salesman at his dad’s dealership, and Terry, an offbeat handsome, intelligent and still struggling-to-make it actor.

MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE is the latest project to emerge as part of TNT’s aggressive plan to change most of the network’s weekday, primetime schedule to originals by 2010. The network currently has 15 projects in various stages of development, including both scripted dramas and unscripted programs.

3 Responses to “Ray Romano's Next Move”

  1. Ian Says:

    Can Ray Romano do a drama? He was great on Raymond but he's a comedian by nature and that show was a sitcom. Can he really handle drama? I mean Jerry Seinfeld was fantastic on Seinfeld but most people would rightfully be skeptical if he signed on to a drama or even announced he was making a guest appearance as a dying patient on ER. I'll reserve judgment but I'm skeptical about this.

  2. Rich Heldenfels Says:

    I don't know. There were moments on "Raymond" that at least required some emotion, rather than just playing it for laughs. And there are a lot of funny guys who also have dramatic chops, even if audiences don't want to see them used. But Romano is so identified with the one role, and the one show, that it will be interesting to see how well he steps out of it — and how quickly he can get us past an urge to laugh at anything he says.

  3. Kaser’s STAR PULSAR Says:

    [...] Loves Raymond's" Ray Romano. Details after the jump. … (more&#823 http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/heldenfiles/2008/04/01/ray-romanos-next-move/ The HeldenFiles Online http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/heldenfiles No Comments so far Leave a comment [...]

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