It’s a moment we (or maybe only me) were waiting for: Ray Romano singing “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé on Made for Love, as heard in the trailer. But sadly, it never appeared in the series. I don’t hold it against the HBO Max tech-comedy too strongly because it was still a good show and Cristin Milioti rules, but at the same time, I’m furious. If you promise me the star of Everybody Loves Raymond covering Beyoncé, you better deliver.
So what happened? Basically, it was very effective marketing.
“When thoughtfully considering the best first beat in this marketing campaign, we wanted to lean into this absurdity and leave our potential audience with piqued interest but more questions than answers,” Pia Chaozon Barlow, HBO Max’s senior VP of original marketing, told the A.V. Club. “The idea for the ‘Rayonce’ teaser was born out of the desire to lean into the notoriety and popularity of a smash hit and recognizable song lyrics while also leveraging the iconic voice of Ray Romano.” She added that Romano’s spoken-word cover, which I’m guessing his character has sung to “synthetic partner” Diane at least once, “provided an unexpected twist and allowed us to kick the door open on this marketing campaign in a surprising way.” The big takeaway there is: “Rayonce.”
If Made for Love returns for season two, Brad Garrett should sing “Halo.”
(Via the AV Club)
