Everybody Does Love Raymond

The eighth season of Everybody Loves Raymond has gotten off to a false start due to salary demands and cast members calling in sick. The day that production started on this season of Everybody Loves Raymond, two essential cast members were no shows at the taping. Patricia Heaton called out sick and Brad Garrett was not written into the show – his character was not essential to the first taping. It has been reported that Garrett’s character was written out of the first episode due to his refusing to visit the set without a substantial salary hike.

Garrett was not the first to protest, but he was the longest protester. With Garrett making only $200,000 an episode and his onscreen brother, Romano, making a cool $5 million an episode, one has to wonder why Garrett has waited this long to do battle. He was by far the person that held out the longest. And one might wonder why he was so upset in the first place. Yes, it is Romano’s show, but he is nothing without supporting characters.

Guess there is something to be said about those that wait…Garrett was the one that held out the longest and sources say that he has been offered at least $10 million for the upcoming series. That is more than double his take-home pay right now. That is great for Garrettt, but one has to wonder why someone on television deserves to earn $10 million or $50 million for one season. A great actor? Fine. Funny? Fine. Dramatic? Fine. But what have they really done for the world?