Ray Romano, actor, comedian and writer, did a service to society putting his semi-autobiographical life on TV. A regular viewer of “Everybody Loves Raymond” knows it teems with real-life problems, including pesky in-laws, played by Peter Boyle (as the father, Frank) and Doris Roberts (as the mother, Marie).

In a recent episode, for example, Ray’s almost-stoic brother, Robert (Brad Garrett), has been assigned by his fiancee Amy (Monica Horan) to create the wedding invitations. Aided by Ray and Frank, Robert masterminds a truly horrific invitation which he expects to be edited by Amy. She’ll think that Robert isn’t capable of doing it, do it herself and save him from a lot of work in the future. And the ploy might have worked, if it wasn’t for the wedding planner, who, instead of giving it to Amy, sent it out.

Chaos ensues, ending with all three men in serious trouble with their spouses. They have been “faking” ignorance in order to get out of housework for years. Lines like “That’s idiotic” and “No, it’s right-iotic,” snapped between Ray and his wife, Debra (Patricia Heaton), keep the audience rolling with laughter.

Name-calling, lying to your spouse and semi-promoting laziness aside, the show should be respected for including a moral. Although its delivery by Amy in a humbling fashion toward Debra and Marie is more than tacky, their reactions made up for it.

The chemistry between Ray and Debra could carry the show alone, and their interaction, sometimes with only facial expressions, was amazing. No other TV couple could fly the line, “How do you feel now that the shoe’s on the other foot? Smelly and uncomfortable, isn’t it?”