Ray Romano returns with 'Men of a Certain Age'

Those who subscribe to the familiar adage "Dying is easy, comedy is hard" have not been hanging around lately with Ray Romano. one tree hill dvd box setThe star and inspiration behind the hit family comedy "Everybody Loves Raymond" has discovered something that 70s show 1-8 dvd far more difficult than comedy or sustaining a hit network sitcom. It's developing his Act 2.

Romano is grappling with boston legal dvd the demands of being the creative force behind TNT's "Men of a Certain Age," his first TV venture since 2005, disney 100 years of magic dvd box set when "Raymond" ended its nine-year run on CBS. Toning down his familiar everyman comic persona, Golden Girls dvd he is leaping from the plush neon flashiness of network TV to the less glossy and more frugal regions of cable, Cold Case dvd and with a risky concept. The show, which also stars Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula, revolves around three friendsGilmore Girls dvd descending not too gracefully into middle age. Finding the proper tone has made Romano a bit anxious.

"Yes, I'm nervous about this," House md dvd he said, taking a break on the Paramount Studios set of the dramedy, which he produced and created with Mike Royce. Scrubs dvd "There are so many things I'm worried about. Will people watch? What will people think of me in this role? Desperate Housewives dvd box set What if it doesn't get picked up? What if it does get picked up and we've got to do another season?"

He paused, then smiled: "There's no winning. Criminal Minds dvd box setThere's only less losing."

Complaining about a Gossip Girl dvd box set heightened stress level, of course, is part of the joke. The success of "Everybody Loves Raymond," one tree hill dvd box set now in syndication, has given him financial stability. And he has not been twiddling his fingers. He performs stand-up around that 70s show 1-8 dvd the country and he's featured on the Golf Channel's reality series "The Haney Project," with Hank Haney, boston legal dvd Tiger Woods' swing coach.

Sitting in the faux diner where the main characters gnash disney 100 years of magic dvd box set over their plight, he was reflective, though there was a twinkle in his eye.

"Ask my psychiatrist," he offered. Grey’s anatomy dvd "This is the good kind of stress, unlike the stress you have if you're idle. It is taxing -- I've had a couple of sleepless disney 100 years of magic dvd box set nights here and there. But I'm enjoying it even through the torture."

Romano and Royce had originally planned for the series to go to HBO, Golden Girls dvd but an executive shift derailed it. CBS indicated interest, but wanted the show to be a more traditional 30-minute sitcom. Grey’s anatomy dvd Taking the show to TNT offered more freedom.