A "Raymond" Curse?

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus won an Emmy last week, the “Seinfeld” curse was officially broken.

Which means there’s room for a new show to take its place.

Now your first thought is probably “Friends,” with the failures of “Joey” and “The Comeback.” But with Matthew Perry in “Studio 60,” I don’t think a “Friends” curse is going to happen.

Which points me at another possibility—“Everybody Loves Raymond.” First to try their luck from that show is Brad Garrett with the new FOX comedy, “Til Death.”

Garrett is Eddie, a high school history teacher and Joely Fisher is Joy, his longtime wife. When newlyweds Jeff and Steph move in next door, Eddie trys to teach Jeff the ways of marriage, getting both Jeff and himself in trouble. And though Eddie fires off LOTS of insults about marriage, it’s clear that he still loves his wife after all these years.

I was actually surprised to hear myself laughing at this one. It’s not hilarious, mind you, but it is enjoyable. The biggest problem I see is the title. Obviously it comes from “Til death do us part,” but I think it comes off too mean-spirited and gives you the impression you’ll be watching a couple that hates each other—which is not the case.

As for whether “Til Death” will start a “Raymond” curse, it’s hard to say. But its killer Thursday timeslot isn’t going to help any.

“Til Death” premieres Thursday, September 7th at 8 p.m. on FOX.