"I always felt like the show was a gift," he says of his creation's success. "Now our former enemies want to do it? How could you not take that opportunity?
"It wasn't until I got there that I thought, 'Maybe I should have thought this through.' "
It immediately became apparent that all the Muscovites involved in the project couldn't stomach the Raymond character. That's a pretty big stumbling block when you're making a show called Everybody Loves Raymond (or as it came to be known, Everybody Loves Kostya).
"I was told Russian men are not like Raymond," Rosenthal says. "In fact, there's a certain disdain for the wimpy guy, the guy who is bossed around by the women in his life."
A second problem quickly emerged. The haughty woman in charge of wardrobe insisted that all the female characters dress in chic evening wear.
Not the right mood
That didn't really fit the mood of TV's most kitchen-sink sitcom. It was like Alice Kramden and Trixie go to the ball.
Rosenthal was already jittery. It was suggested that he get K&R insurance before going over. Say what? Kidnap and ransom, he was told. But don't worry; it hardly ever happens.
"It happens enough that they have initials for it," he frets.
"My favorite thing in the film was the Russian stage manager, when they asked her, 'What about Phil's fear of being kidnapped?' " Rosenthal says.
"She said, 'He doesn't look like the kind of man who needs to be stolen.' "
Rosenthal's agitation was not allayed when he first arrived in Russia in March 2008 and discovered that Sony, the studio that had brokered this international venture, had decided to go with a discount security arrangement.
"My bodyguard-slash-driver took me aside and said, 'You know Sony did not go for the gun package.' "
