Two extremely different shows end their network runs this week, going out in extremely different ways. Venerable sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond ends its nine-season run with a much-hyped finale May 16 at 9 p.m. on CBS. And the latest (and for now, last) installment of the Star Trek franchise, Enterprise, will end its four turbulent seasons May 13 at 8 p.m. on UPN. Both shows have their loyal followers, but in almost all other respects they represent polar opposites. Perhaps the most striking thing they have in common is that, in their own ways, they are each examples of a dying breed.
Raymond is probably the last good traditional sitcom on the air. The only other highly rated, long-running sitcom after Raymond heads off is NBC's Will & Grace, and it wore out its welcome years ago. Not that Raymond is on the level of classic shows like Seinfeld or Cheers, but it's affable, well-acted and often funny, if rarely ever hilarious. It's the kind of show that becomes appointment viewing for only a dedicated core of fans, but is easy to tune into occasionally for the average viewer, to flip past and stop on for a second, only to realize later that you've watched the whole episode.
Star Ray Romano will probably never get past his sitcom persona, but his put-upon husband and father is the perfect role for him. Like a cuddlier version of Jerry Seinfeld, Romano's Ray Barone is sarcastic and quick-witted, but he's also loving and insecure, and genuinely cares about his family, unlike the gloriously self-involved heroes of Seinfeld. Like the best sitcoms, Raymond is impeccably cast beyond its signature star, and doesn't have to rely on him to carry the weight. Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle are the perfect bickering couple as Ray's parents, and giant comedian Brad Garrett is an excellent foil as Ray's brother Robert.
You could argue that Raymond paved the way for a parade of similar domestic sitcoms on CBS and ABC, with loutish, inattentive husbands often paired with disproportionately attractive wives. Certainly shows like King of Queens, Still Standing and According to Jim owe more than a little to Raymond's success. But while those shows offer slob husbands and supermodel wives, Raymond's pairing of Romano and Patricia Heaton looks and feels natural. Romano may not be the most attractive man on TV, but he and Heaton look like a real couple, and play off each other with natural chemistry.
After nine seasons, Raymond has probably reached its logical end. Befitting its modesty, the show will go out with a regular half-hour episode, not like the bloated finales of shows like Friends and Seinfeld. With it, the traditional multi-camera, laugh-tracked sitcom heads one step closer to extinction.
Some are already predicting extinction for the Star Trek franchise, which will be off the air for the first time since 1987 when Enterprise airs its final episode. Ratings for Enterprise have been in free-fall since it premiered, and most Trek faithful agree the show, a prequel to the original 1960s series, hasn't lived up to the Trek standard. The truth is that Trek has been in decline for years, subject to the law of diminishing returns, and is only now reaping the consequences. Enterprise isn't all that good, but it isn't all that much worse than the last Trek series, Voyager, which lasted for seven seasons on UPN before being sent off in style.
Star Trek needs a rest, even if new producer Manny Coto managed to breathe some life into Enterprise this past season, and UPN was smart to make a move that would mandate that break. There are only so many ways to approach the same concept, and the defection of many Star Trek die-hards from Enterprise has proven that even nerds have a tolerance limit. Producer Rick Berman, who has guided Trek since creator Gene Roddenberry's death, plans to give the franchise, including its spin-off films, a few years off and has said that the next movie will be a stand-alone story.
It's a prudent move, since Trek has far from exhausted all of the possibilities of its universe. Berman and partner Brannon Braga just need to take more chances on giving people like Coto the freedom to take risks, just like Roddenberry did on the groundbreaking original series nearly 40 years ago. What was once exciting and innovative TV should, and could, be that way again.