When Everybody Loves Raymond first aired in 1996, not everybody loved it. In fact, many viewers could hardly find the sitcom, which was tucked away into the Friday night 7:30 p.m. time slot on CBS.

According to a 2001 interview with the Evansville Courier & Press, a sitcom hadn't succeeded in that time slot since the days of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. However, in 1997, the series made a big move to a Monday night time slot.

The move to the 8:30 p.m. time slot turned the seemingly unknown series into a ratings powerhouse and an Emmy Award magnet. It's amazing what a time slot change can do, and Everybody Loves Raymond was a prime example.

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"I think it is like anything," series star Ray Romano said. "The writers and actors have evolved at the same time. The writers know the characters better, the actors know the characters, and the audience knows the show better."

According to the interview, Everybody Loves Raymond doubled its ratings during its first episode in the Monday night time slot and quickly became a CBS smash hit. The series would go on to draw around 19 million viewers a week. That's a lot of people who loved Raymond!

A big reason for Everybody Loves Raymond's success was its onscreen family. They weren't formal or proper, and they rarely had their lives together. No one believed in knocking before entering, privacy was nonexistent, and everyone was in everyone else's business.

But that's exactly why people loved them.

"It seems like the most traditional sitcom in the world," Wendi Goldstein, senior vice president of comedy development for CBS, said. "But there's a certain twist to the writing where it will suddenly give you something you weren't expecting."

The twist came from real-life experiences. The show drew on the lives of its writers, actors and creators, making the stories feel authentic to millions of American families who tuned in each night.

The series came a long way from its poorly rated Friday night time slot to become one of TV's most popular shows, winning multiple Emmy Awards along the way.

"In our first year, the audience didn't know why it was funny if Marie overheard a conversation," Romano said. "Now, they know every nuance of every character, so you can write to that ... You don't always have to have punchlines anymore on our show."

After all, when you've spent enough time with the Barones, even the family drama becomes a punchline!