Where has all the laughter gone? Network prime-time television now finds itself ensconced in the age of the heavy-hitting drama. With the departures of "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Frasier," only one sitcom has been able to maintain both high quality and a mass audience, and that's the CBS hit "Everybody Loves Raymond." But that, too, will soon be exiting the airwaves.

There was a Golden Age, the 1970s until the mid-80s, when sitcoms ruled prime time. The writing was both intelligent and funny. The characters fresh and truly comical. The story lines provocative, yet laughter-driven. That's what made "Everybody Loves Raymond," which debuted in 1996, so delightful. The laughter was back -- in a smart, forget-the-troubles-of-the-day kind of way.

After nine seasons, "Raymond" is about to call it quits, with the series finale airing at 8 p.m. May 16 on WBBM-Channel 2. No fanfare, no "special" final episode, just a regular 22-minute show. With 12 Emmy Awards, "Everybody Loves Raymond" must know what it's doing.

The show was the brainchild of its star Ray Romano and co-creator Phil Rosenthal. If the story lines seemed "too real," it's because many of them were culled from Romano's and Rosenthal's real-life family exploits.

Ah, la famiglia.

The show centered around two generations of the Italian-American Barone family of New York -- Marie and Frank Barone and their two children, Robert, the divorced and still-living-at-home, police officer older son, and Raymond, the successful, married-with-children golden child who lives across the street.

Being of Italian heritage, my curiosity about the sitcom was almost instantaneous. Would this be just another show that played up those horrible Italian stereotypes?

As my late Italian grandmother would say: "No."

They weren't mobsters, or thugs, or people with seriously deviant problems. They were people I knew.

Maybe it was the little things. Among Italians, the correct term for your matriarch is "Ma." "Dad" or "pop" is preferred for the patriarch. Ma is the best cook on earth -- nobody can duplicate her lasagne, spaghetti and meatballs or, God-forbid, her braciole. The plastic covers on the sofa are non-negotiable. Chocolate cake will solve all of life's problems. Lemon chicken does not a meal make.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" was first and foremost about the family -- a somewhat dysfunctional but totally loving family.

This was not Ozzie and Harriet. This was not Archie and Edith. This was not Homer and Marge. The Barone family was, in many ways, my family. My friends' families. Maybe your family. They said stupid things. They said funny things. They said ridiculous things. They said loving things. But they said. They talked.

And they argued.

Most of the series' best comedy revolved around arguments -- those petty, stupid everyday LOUD discussions that, when you stop and think about it, are really very funny. The Barones argued about who invented the lawn, about who they'd pick for their respective spouses as a replacement after their deaths, about who was a better cook, about who was the favorite child, about why you don't serve fish for Thanksgiving dinner, or why the men never helped with housework, or why an aquarium is not the best idea for a birthday present, or why you should never borrow or lend money to a relative. The guilt trips alone became became riotous comedy.

That Ray was an idiot is an understatement, but he always meant well. Wife Debra (multiple Emmy winner Patricia Heaton) could be seen as the snobby outsider, but she loved Ray with all her heart, no matter how lame he could be. Robert (Brad Garrett) was the most insecure person on television, drowning in self-pity. "It's all about you, Ray" became his rallying cry, but he had a heart as big as he was tall. Frank (Peter Boyle) was an overbearing sexist boor who used his experiences in the Korean War to teach his kids about life's hard knocks. But to him, family came first. Marie (Doris Roberts) was the world's most exasperating mother-in-law, who truly believed that no woman was good enough for her Raymond, and that a mother's love is irreplaceable. Who could blame a mom for loving too much?

So at the end of nine seasons, what did "Everybody Loves Raymond" teach us? Perhaps teach is not the right word. "Ray" reflected. It reflected the everyday lives that many families live: We have to do laundry, and fight about why the hamper is never used. We have to sit through gruelling holiday dinners with the in-laws. We have to fight our spouse for counter space in the bathroom. We have to confront our parents when they become too old to drive. We work longer hours because sometimes we actually enjoy our time away from the family.

We have to accept that relatives can be ingrates, no matter how much time you spent picking out the perfect Christmas present. We have to realize that a daughter's $200 party dress is indeed the most important thing in the world when you're 11. We have to realize that when we get married, we not only gain a husband or wife, we, as only Debra could say it, "gain a whole freak show who set up their tent across the street."

"Everybody Loves Raymond" made a lot of people laugh every Monday night, and made many of us realize there are people in the world who are actually as mixed up as we are. Every family has its Raymond, its Marie, its Frank, its Robert, its Debra. And yet, life really is good.

In the episode where Robert and Amy (Monica Horan) finally get married, Raymond, in his best-man toast, tells the newlyweds to "keep the good ones" -- the good memories in life, because in the end, those are the ones that really matter. So, in appreciation, let's toast "Everybody Loves Raymond" for nine seasons of feel-good laughter. For nine seasons of "good ones" to keep.

BARONE FAMILY TIDBITS

For nine seasons, "Everybody Loves Raymond" unleashed pearls of wisdom amid its unique brand of witty repartee. And though some of the following passages are funnier when viewed in their original context, they speak volumes about the characters and the success of the show:

On marriage, romance and dating

Ray: "Men don't like to cuddle. We only like it if it leads to ... you know -- lower cuddling."

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Debra wants Ray to have a vasectomy.

Debra: "Why don't you tell your partner that it might be in his best interest to take over this little responsibility. He might get out more often."

Ray addresses his "partner":

Ray: "Don't listen to the crazy lady. No snip snip."

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Robert finds out just how young his date is.

Robert: "Did you see the way she looked at me when she found out I was 43? Like I just sat up in the coffin."

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Ray tries to address his brother's fear of the ultimate commitment.

Ray: "OK, Robert, you want to know the advantages of marriage. Fine. You know when you fall asleep and you stop breathing? When you're married, there's always somebody to nudge you back to life."

Ray: "You want to know what marriage is really like? You wake up, she's there. You come back from work, she's there. You fall asleep, she's there. You eat dinner, she's there. I know that sounds like a bad thing. But it's not. Not if it's the right person."

Frank: "I'd like a minute for rebuttal."

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Ray and Debra have a heated argument over his behavior at the buffet at parent council elections at their kids' school.

Ray: "You said you didn't know me?"

Debra: "You were stuffing your pants with food!"

Ray: "So? I'm your husband. You're supposed to love me, no matter what's in my pants."

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On family

Debra is flummoxed after a psychotherapist interviews her and Raymond for a new book on families.

Debra: "Dr. Laura thought I was boring."

Ray: "You're not boring. You're normal. Living in my house, I prayed for normal. Then, I had to fall asleep to the sound of my brother naming his toes. There was Fat Tony, Danny the Weasel, Billy Stretch and Tastes Bad."

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On raising kids

Ray tries to tell his young daughter Ally to behave.

Ray: "All right, Ally, you have to do what Mommy says."

Ally: "Why?"

Ray: "Cause I do."

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Ray and Debra's young twins are beside themselves with laughter after knocking their father's golf bag down the stairs.

Ray: "Yeah, you won't be smiling when we send you a postcard from Disneyland."

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Ally gets "the talk" from her dad.

Ray: "Turns out Ally didn't want the sex talk! She asked me why God put us on earth!"

Debra: "So what did you tell her?"

Ray: "I told her heaven was too crowded."

Debra: "You what???"

Ray: "And then I faked a cold and got the hell out of there."

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On life in general

Debra can't deal with one more stupid thing Ray has done.

Debra: "You know what, I'm tired. Could you just call yourself an idiot?"

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Robert comes home with takeout food from Nemo's pizza parlor.

Robert: "Hey, ma, I told Nemo you were hurt, so he threw in these breadsticks for free."

Marie: "They look old."

Frank: "You are what you eat."

Marie: "Robbie, give your father his order of miserable bastard."

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Frank: "You want to know the meaning of life? You're born, you go to school, you go to work, you die. Marie, cannoli!"

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Frank's response to life's ups and downs.

Frank: "Holy crap!"

BEST OF THE BARONES

Here are some of this writer's favorite episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond":

Season 1
"Turkey or Fish": Marie has always cooked the family Thanksgiving dinner, until Debra steps up and says she wants to handle the responsibility in order to create her own traditions that she can pass down to her children. Debra, chided throughout the series for her poor culinary skills, decides she can't compete with Marie's turkey and fixings, so she opts to serve fish. The fish ends up in the dishwasher, Marie ultimately shows up with a turkey anyway, and Frank and Debra's dad duke it out over watching a soccer match instead of the Thanksgiving Day football games.

Season 2
"Anniversary": On his parents' 40th wedding anniversary, Ray learns that his folks separated for an entire year when he was a young child. The flashback to the separation, caused by an argument over salt, is simply priceless as Romano and Heaton play the young Frank and Marie.

Season 3
"Robert Moves Back": Robert and his virgin girlfriend Amy (Monica Horan) make love for the very first time, only to discover that his entire apartment building saw them through his bedroom picture window. Too embarrassed to remain in his building, Robert moves in for a while with Debra and Ray, which leads to one of the most hilarious moments in television comedy involving Robert, Amy and a very unique use of Robert's police uniform.

Season 5
"Italy": In a fabulous two-parter (my absolute favorite of the entire series), Marie surprises the family with a two-week trip to Italy to visit Rome and her ancestral hometown. Everyone's thrilled except Ray, who has a cold, and can't see the beauty of the forest for the Italian cypress trees. The gorgeous episode, shot on location in and around Rome, speaks volumes about family and the importance of learning about and appreciating one's heritage. The episodes also introduce the gelato shop owner Signore Fogagnolo (the menacing father of an Italian woman who falls for Robert), played by "The Sopranos" alum David Proval.

Season 6
"Marie's Sculpture": Marie has taken up sculpting, and she presents Ray and Debra with her first work, a giant abstract that resembles a VERY intimate part of the female anatomy. The scenes in which one by one (except for Marie) they begin to associate the work with the exact part of a woman's body are some of the funniest moments in any television sitcom in history.

"Baggage": Ray and Debra have a two-week standoff over a vacation suitcase that neither one wants to "carry upstairs." It's a battle of wills, made worse by the fact that Ray has to go out of town, needs a suitcase and comes up with an ingeniously hilarious substitution for it. Oh, and then there's the wedge of cheese.