Exclusive | Why Ray Romano was tortured by the Everybody Loves Raymond name and begged to change it

Everybody loves photos. “Everybody Loves Raymond” is the latest show to get an exhibit at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan, displaying costumes, props, and around 300 photos from the classic sitcom. “Almost all of the behind-the-scenes footage was shot by me.It’s probably the most documented TV show ever,” series writer and exec producer Tom Caltabiano exclusively told The Post.

“I met Ray [Romano] in probably 1989.And I take pictures of everything, so I took a lot of pictures of Ray when we were doing stand-up together on the road.

Then, he just happened to become famous… [as] I was writing [on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’], I started taking more photos, but I was 100% unofficial.” “Everybody Loves Raymond” ran for nine seasons on CBS, from 1996 to 2005.The sitcom followed Raymond “Ray” Barone (Romano), a sports writer living with his family in Long Island.

Patricia Heaton co-starred as his wife, Debra, Brad Garrett played his brother, Robert, and Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle played his parents. By the end of the show’s run, Caltabiano took 30,000 photos, making the 300 on display just a fraction of the total.He explained that it’s rare for a writer to be on staff “for the entire series from beginning to end,” which is also why the show is so well-documented. The exhibit is currently open and runs through Sept.7. Some props include Robert’s police uniform, and the fictional family’s toaster and yellow coffee canister.Visitors can also pose for photos on the couch from the show, but curator Jason Lynch told The Post that those are recreations to avoid any mishaps.“We just wanted guests to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the family’s furniture and take a photo and feel like they are part of the family.

Which is also the feeling you get watching the show,” he explained, adding that everything else in the exhibit is original.  For Caltabiano, tracking down the props and costumes for a show tha...