Here's why Phil Rosenthal never quit even after Raymond exceed expectations
Everybody Loves Raymond, but not everybody loves working.
Some people have a number that screams "Retirement" to them. That number could be an age. In the past, we've highlighted 67 years old as the big goal to hit before stepping away from one's career. That number has shifted as the cost of living has risen while wages remained stagnant. That "Retirement" number could also be a financial total, some great, dreamed-of sum that will pay our way for the rest of our lives. How much money would you have to make before quitting and spending your life relaxing?
By even the most conservative estimates, Phil Rosenthal raked in that latter number, exceeding any figure he could've possibly laid out for himself. Rosenthal was, of course, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond. That show was a hit when it aired, and, more lucratively, exists forever in reruns.
In addition, Raymond has been exported to countless other markets, retooled to fit foreign sensibilities, and recast for international audiences. All of this means the royalties roll in perpetually for Rosenthal. Whatever lofty dollar amount Rosenthal may have set has been surpassed by the money Raymond brought him.
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*available in most MeTV marketsAnd yet, Phil Rosenthal persists. He could've disappeared forever, never leaving his bed for the rest of his life, and he could've afforded it. He probably could've paid waiters to serve him fresh grapes straight from the vine without ever lifting his head from his pillow. But, instead, Rosenthal remains a presence on TV, most famously with his Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil. Why? Well... It's certainly not for the cash, as Rosenthal explained in an interview with The Arizona Republic.
"The truth is," said Rosenthal, "I'd like to keep working, because i enjoy it so much. I was pitching once to a network executive who shall go unnamed who said to me at one point in the conversation, 'Why are you still doing this?' I said, 'Doing what?' He goes, 'You know, pitching the show. You don't have to do that.' I said, 'What are you talking about? It's what I do. Why do you do what you do? Why, because i Had one success I should lay in bed the rest of my life? By the way, I did it all because it's fun, and I keep doing it because it's fun."


