Patricia Heaton on Getting Back to Back to You

• Apr 16, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by G.J. Donnelly

Sure, Kelsey Grammer is worth his weight in sitcom gold, but Back to You (Wednesdays at 8:30 pm/ET, Fox) relies as much on the ballast of Patricia Heaton’s caustic Kelly Carr as it does on Grammer's pompous anchor Chuck Darling. The former Everybody Loves Raymond star explained why she doesn’t live in her old show’s shadow.

TV Guide: What’s in store for Kelly and Chuck?
Patricia Heaton: Generally, their relationship, and whether they should reveal that he’s Gracie’s father, will come to a head. The pressure’s on Chuck to get over his Peter Pan complex.

TV Guide: Kelly’s like Moe Howard in the way she keeps everybody in line.
Heaton: [Laughs] That’s a great metaphor! Debra Barone was like that. But Kelly is allowed her craziness, too.

TV Guide: What’s it like playing off Kelsey?
Heaton: It’s like flint. We spark off each other. It’s different than with Ray Romano, whose character was more hangdog.

TV Guide: And now, the dreaded Everybody Loves Raymond comparison.
Heaton: Raymond was like Andy Griffith — the comedy came out of the characters. Back to You pops a bit more. Kelly is who Debra might have been if she wasn’t a stay-at-home mom.

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