| Season Number: | 8 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Num Episodes: | 23 |
| Network: | CBS |
| Prev Season: | Season 7 |
| Next Season: | Season 9 |
| Episode List: | List of Everybody Loves Raymond episodes |
This is a list of episodes for the eighth season of Everybody Loves Raymond. The season consisted of 23 episodes and aired on CBS from September 22, 2003 to May 24, 2004.
The eighth season was produced HBO Independent Productions, creator Philip Rosenthal's company Where's Lunch, and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants.
Ray Romano was paid $40 million to work on the season, or $1.8 million per episode, which made him the highest-paid television star at the time.[1] Romano's contract renewal also included a deal that Romano would earn royalties through syndicated re-runs of older episodes. Co-star Brad Garrett, earning $150,000-$160,000 per episode, refused to show up for production and tapings unless CBS producers would negotiate a new contract with him; As a result, his character was written out of the first episode of the season.
The producers threatened to write out his character permanently, but when fellow cast-mates Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle all called in sick the following week, CBS entered negotiations. Garrett's rep confirmed the cast had no problems with Ray personally, stating "Ray deserves every penny, all Brad wants is compensation commensurate with what other similarly situated actors have made in the past and are making today." Garrett's pay was later increased to $250,000 per episode, which was similar to Robert's and Boyle's pay, and was increased again to $315,000 per episode during the show's ninth season.https://ew.com/article/2003/09/12/exclusive-raymonds-garrett-why-he-held-out/
The new negotiations included deals on syndication, with each cast member (excluding Romano) receiving a 0.5% ownership of the show. Doris Roberts stated, "In the years to come, my grandchildren will always have some money coming in from syndication, and that's great." Ray Romano called the situation "inevitable," but also showed support for his cast-mates, stating, "When my salary came out in the papers, I knew stuff would happen. I'd do exactly the same thing."
See main article: List of Everybody Loves Raymond characters.
See also: List of Everybody Loves Raymond episodes.