Brad Garrett stars in 'Til Death

Forget Raymond and forget the phrase "supporting actor" - Brad Garrett stars in new FOX series

One of the clichés about celebrities is that in person they rarely resemble their on-screen personas.

Take Brad Garrett. He played Robert, Ray's long-suffering brother on Everybody Loves Raymond and earned five Emmy nods for his portrayal. (He won in 2002, 2003 and 2005.) He wasn't the brightest spot of that show, in fact, he was renowned for being an odd duck. The man is freakishly tall and resembles Herman Munster and sounds like him too. He seems sarcastic to a fault.

Oddly enough it's these characteristics that have landed him his own show 'Til Death. It's not a Raymond spin-off but an entirely new beast in which Garrett plays Eddie, a fellow who has been married for 9,000 days to Joely Fisher's character, Joy. It's safe to say there's little nuptial bliss for those two, in fact, they're chafing in their union. So, when newlyweds move in next door, Eddie is determined to teach the new neighbours that marriage sucks.

I didn't really like the pilot. I'm not a fan of Garrett's work. So it was strange yesterday to see him onstage for a panel discussion at TCA in Pasadena and to watch him prowl the stage and take control of the room without ever leaving his chair.

The man has a quirky brand of charisma and startling presence. Maybe it was his sense of humour?

Tanned and slim in jeans and a striped shirt, Garrett looked much younger than he does on TV. He explained why he signed on for another sitcom although he just finished shooting a film Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant: "I'm very picky and I'm not in demand."

He added, "This is the first character this is close to me. I'm a large bombastic kind of windbag."

He talked about his appreciation for Jackie Gleason's work in The Honeymooners, how he will always do stand-up, and his own experience with marriage, saying "I've been married seven years but we've only been together three."

Asked if he thought the troubled marriage scenario might be getting old, he said, "I don't really think you want to watch marriages that work on television. Marriage is a blend of neuroses and Joely is incredibly neurotic." He paused. "So am I."

Forty-five minutes later, Garrett was still funny, charming, thoughtful, and quick-witted. Millions of viewers already know that about him but it was news to me. I might just give 'Til Death a chance. Now if only Garrett could do something about his voice...