Following the end of the 1998 Monday Night Football season Everybody Loves Raymond was competing with, CBS chose to air the sports-themed "Ping Pong" in order to attract the football series' male demographic.[1] Upon its original airing, "Ping Pong" attracted 11.6% of 980,000 American homes, making it the fourteenth most-viewed program of the week.[2] According to Screen Rant, "Ping Pong" "is one of the most iconic of the entire series, as it finds Ray and Frank pitted against each other in a vicious battle."[3] However, the source criticized Ray's insult to Robert, "zero serving zero - you experimented in camp," for its homophobic nature.[4] For acting in "Ping Pong" and "Driving Frank," Peter Boyle was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.[5]
King of Queens Connection
A similar premise was also used for companion series The King of Queens (1998-2007): in the Season 6 episode "King Pong", Doug enlists Arthur's help in defeating Carrie.
References
^Lorando, Mark (January 12, 1999). "Home Stretch". The Times-Picayune. p. F1.