Nobody in the history of American television has understood the sitcom as thoroughly as Norman Lear. On every level, Lear knew, definitively, how situation comedies worked. From conception, through casting, and the show's writing and direction, Lear could reach through the medium of TV and grab hold of American audiences. Because, ultimately, his television knowledge was itself a deeper understanding of humanity. He was able to take all of mankind's greatest strengths and weaknesses, all our triumphs and foibles, and show them to us every week, in living color.

So, when Lear gives his two cents about some other TV show, his opinion isn't just to be trusted. His word is gospel when it comes to television. Nobody else, before or since, has pervaded the culture in the way that Lear has. Whether you agree with his position or not, you have to respect his experience and perspective. 

Naturally, a compliment from Lear would be worth its weight in gold to a TV show's creators, cast, and crew. That's why Ray Romano chose to include Lear's words as the foreword to the 2004 publication Everybody Loves Raymond: Our Family Album. While the whole page-long essay extols the virtues of Raymond and its creators, the last paragraph, in particular, sums it all up pretty nicely:

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"Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett— and Ray Romano himself— grew and matured their talents in a nurturing process that is one of the miracles of good theater. And who is responsible for all of that chemistry? No one? Everyone? I'll take the word 'miracle' to describe anything that works as well as Everybody Loves Raymond."

And if there's anybody who knows about casts and chemistry, it's Lear. With a track record of ensemble comedies like All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Good Times, Lear certainly had a specific knowledge of actors and how they could best play off one another. It's no surprise, then, that Everybody Loves Raymond has entered the pantheon of sitcom greats alongside all those Norman Lear productions.