|
 In television, where programs can
premiere and disappear in the same week, Everybody
Loves Raymond reigned as America's best-loved show
for nine years with more than seventeen million
viewers. As the number-one sitcom, it received more
than seventy Emmy nominations, including two wins
for best comedy. With You're Lucky You're Funny,
Phil Rosenthal takes us onstage and inside the
writer's room.
Rosenthal's meteoric ascent was
preceded by odd jobs, including a stint as a museum
security guard, running a deli, and writing for a
slew of forgettable shows—including one starring
Robert Mitchum as a curmudgeonly homeless man taken
in by two orphans. But when he met comedian Ray
Romano, they discovered a shared lifetime of family
dysfunction— and endless material for a sitcom.
Not only a chronicle of one man's
rise to the peak of his profession, Rosenthal's book
is also an unprecedented look at the making of a hit
series: how shows are written and character
developed, how comedy is refined, how network
executives are outsmarted, and most important, how
egos are massaged. You're Lucky You're Funny is an
inspiration to anyone involved in the creative
process and a must read for the show's millions of
devoted fans. Released October 19,
2006 through Viking Books. |
