'Raymond' Up for One More Season?

By Todd Peterson

Wednesday February 11, 2004 12:04 PM EST

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Does everybody love "Raymond" enough for one more season?

CBS's hit sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" may return for a ninth season, despite last season's salary brouhaha and star Ray Romano's burgeoning film career, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Romano, 46, has talked about ending his top-rated comedy for a couple seasons now, and last fall it seemed like the end was near as costars Patricia Heaton, Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts and Brad Garrett all balked at Romano's $1.8 million-per-episode paycheck versus their own salaries. The dispute was eventually settled, and the entire cast returned for the eighth season.

Now Romano is reportedly meeting with show creator Phil Rosenthal and some of the show's writers to determine if they can put together enough material for another season.

"We are in the middle of deciding right now whether we are going to do another year," Romano told reporters in January at the Sundance Film Festival where he was promoting his film "Eulogy."

Whether "Raymond's" ninth season materializes remains to be seen, but Romano's film career seems a sure bet for now. "Eulogy," which also stars Jesse Bradford, Zooey Deschanel and Kelly Preston, is scheduled to hit theaters in May. But Romano will hit the big screen first with "Welcome to Mooseport," a comedy starring Gene Hackman, due in theaters Feb. 20.