herher les russes...

Apparently, everybody doesn't love Raymond:

"Here's how it was explained to me," Mr. Rosenthal said. "They're coming, the Russians today, from a place of a little humiliation, having lost the cold war, and the last thing they want or need is some American coming and telling them what to do. So maybe that accounts for some of the resistance I was getting. Or maybe senses of humor are different all over the world. But I couldn't help believing that dealing with your parents and your wife and your kids and your brother, I couldn't believe it wasn't a common thing."

A far simpler excuse: Russians despise chumps, and love bullies. (Channeling Richard Pipes for a moment.) Al Bundy is a shoe salesman who gets railroaded by every person he meets. We Americans, for whatever reason historically and culturally, love underdogs, and savor the moments when Al finally gets his way. The Russians, on the other hand, respect anyone who can make the rules obey them.

I watched a few minutes of the pilot. Dour and humorless.