Ray Romano Does Drama

Ray Romano just couldn't wait to get out of his 9-season sitcom -- so he could move into drama?

TNT has just ordered the one-hour pilot, "Men of a Certain Age." Romano stars as a divorced father approaching mid-life crisis, while indulging in a bit of male bonding with his college buddies.

"Men of a Certain Age is about the highs and lows of being a guy in the modern era. It's about three best friends, each hoping to fulfill his dreams before the clock starts running out," said Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the content creation group for TNT and its sister networks, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "It's an honest, emotional, funny and very personal take on the subject."

Romano agrees that he knows his subject matter. "Mike and I have always had success writing what we know. What we know now is that we're middle aged, neurotic and fat," he said.

That Mike is writer/producer Mike Royce, who also worked on "Everybody Loves Raymond."

There no exact premiere date, but Variety says the show will probably debut in winter or summer of 2009. -- Rachel Cericola