Ray Romano doesn't want an Everybody Loves Raymond American reboot: 'I'm just a little protective'

Ray Romano says no to reboot fever — at least if you're American.

"I'm just a little protective of Everybody Loves Raymond," Romano recently told Yahoo Entertainment in an interview for his new series No Good Deed, costarring Lisa Kudrow. "Just because it was very personal to me."

Romano hesitates at the idea of retooling and reviving the popular CBS sitcom because it "was based on my life and I was such a part of the creative side of it and all." The actor also served as an executive producer on the series and even wrote several episodes across its nine-season run. Romano specified that he wouldn't "want it rebooted in America."

Several international adaptations of the series have premiered to varying degrees of success in countries like the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, India, Egypt, Israel, and Poland. While the Polish series, called Wszyscy kochają Romana, only aired four episodes before being pulled for low ratings, the Russian adaptation of the series, Voroniny, celebrated becoming the longest-running adaptation of a TV series anywhere in the world in 2017.

"I actually like that it's rebooted there because it just shows how other cultures — we're all the same... So it's good to see them appreciate it," Romano explained.

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Kudrow, who starred on hit sitcom Friends throughout its 10 seasons, was decidedly more ambivalent when asked about reboots. "I don't know, I think it's okay.... Reboot whatever you want," she said.

There was talk of something like a Friends reboot in 2019 — a prospect Jennifer Aniston felt would "ruin" the legacy of the original series — but that turned out to be the 2021 HBO Max reunion special. A Friends game show was recently announced, however, which sets out to test superfans on their most granular recall of the beloved NBC sitcom.

Romano and Kudrow are focused now on the premiere of their new Netflix series No Good Deed. The twisty comedy with a mystery at its black heart stars the duo as a married couple showing their beautiful Los Angeles home to three hopeful couples, each of whom realizes in turn that all isn't what it seems.

The stellar main cast is filled out by Linda Cardellini, Teyonah Parris, O-T Fagbenle, Abbi Jacobson, Poppy Liu, Luke Wilson, and Denis Leary. The full first season of No Good Deed can currently be streamed on Netflix.