Caffeinated Clint
Rather than see his mug slapped on the page of a future ‘Where are They Now?’ magazine feature, former "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Brad Garrett is taking a page out of Kelsey Grammer’s book and gunning to star in his own spin-off (Could have easily have said a page out of Matt Le Blanc’s book, but don’t want to ruin the big guys week – he just won an Award, ya’ know?).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the character of Robert, the goofy brother of Ray (Ray Romano), on the hit CBS series, might be able to snag a show of his own.
Negotiations for a "Raymond" spinoff revolving around Garrett’s woebegone character, Robert Barone, his wife and in-laws are said to have heated up at CBS during the past two weeks, sources said Monday.
"Raymond" wrapped its nine-season run in May but enjoyed a last hurrah Sunday when it beat out favorite "Desperate Housewives" for outstanding comedy series Emmy. Garrett also walked away from Sunday’s awards with his third supporting comedy actor trophy for his work on the much-decorated sitcom.
Talks for a Garrett spinoff have been on-again, off-again for some time, but sources said the various camps involved had made significant progress on outstanding issues during the past week. Sources said there is a strong possibility that "Raymond" creator and executive producer Phil Rosenthal will come back on board as showrunner with a number of the scribes that worked alongside him on "Raymond" for years.
Sources said the cast members eyed for the spinoff include "Raymond" regular Monica Horan, who played Robert Barone’s wife Amy, Fred Willard and Georgia Engel as her parents and Chris Elliott as her brother.
A CBS spokesman confirmed Monday that the negotiations have had renewed momentum during the past few weeks, but he stressed that no formal agreement is in place.
"You know, we should try to be a little funny because there may be a spinoff," Garrett joked Sunday night as the cast of "Raymond" gathered onstage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles one last time to collect the comedy series statuette.
