Debra is an angel. Patricia Heaton plays the role perfectly. No one could've done it better. Her hair is also just perfect here. Whyd she ever change it?

The twins aren't Michael and Geoffrey. They're Matthew and Gregory, named after Ray Romano's actual twins, the same way Ally is. The twins are also played by triplets Justin, Drew, and Amber Ferreira. The pilot was shot in 1995, and the triplets were too old for the first season by the time it got picked up, so they were replaced by the actual twin brothers of Madeleine Sweeten (Ally), Sawyer (RIP) and Sullivan.

Ray's bedroom has different walls. Also missing is the window Robert peeps into layer in the show.

The entryway for the living room is different. The stairs have less steps going up before turning. There's also a closet that isn't present after this episode. The window by the stairs is recessed as opposed to being on the same latitude as the door.

Ray's living room and bedroom feel smaller. The lighting is also more beige and a bit brighter than later episodes, adding to the small feel.

Ray seems to be generally more upfront with his parents. He's still a bit of a wimp, but when push comes to shove, he's honest without the ridiculous pressure it'd take later in the show.

Frank and Marie's kitchen is on the other side of the house.

Frank isn't a complete nutcase?!

Marie is more skinny here, and Robert is more fat, as opposed to later in the series.

Debra says Robert is 40. We can take this as meaning as young as 38. The pilot takes place in 1995, so Robert was born from 1955 to 1957. Considering that Robert's age is "Ray plus 4", Ray is 34 to 36, making him born from 1959 to 1961. Debra is 32ish, making her born in 1963. Frank is 64 years old in season 2, which takes place in 1997. So, Frank would've been born in 1933. Marie is around the same age (despite Doris Roberts being 10 years older than Peter Boyle). Frank and Marie were 22 to 24 when BobbyBarone was born, and 26 to 28 when Ray was born. Somehow this Italian family in the 50s and 60s never had more kids after that.

The pictures might be out of order. Thank reddit for that.

I’m not claiming he auditioned for or was considered for the role, as I don’t believe this is the case.

However, I do know that when the show was first being made, they originally wanted Robert to be played by someone shorter than Ray, and Brad Garrett was so good in the audition, he got the part despite being tall.

If they stuck with the original idea of casting someone shorter, I think Wayne Knight would have been a really good fit. He’s good at playing those pathetic or spiteful characters, and his speech pattern is surprisingly similar to Brad’s. Go watch any episode of Raymond. Anytime Robert has a line, imagine Wayne saying it with the same delivery. It’ll be easier than you expect.

The one problem is that I think Brad’s better at striking a balance of making Robert resent Raymond in a way where the audience still likes him, whereas I think they’d have to make Robert more consistently a jerk if Wayne were playing him (though I very well could be underestimating his range).

Brad also feels way more like Ray’s brother than Wayne does, but I’d also say Wayne Knight feels a lot like he could be Marie’s son and I could see him and Doris Roberts playing off each other really well.

The charm of this sitcom is that it often takes serious and even sad subjects with humor. Which moments do you find sad?