TV sitcoms often rely on the strength of their cast of memorable and humorous characters. This is certainly the case when it comes to the family sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which had a successful 9 season run. While this show had no shortage of zany, yet charming characters, one of the standouts who tends to get overlooked is the wisecracking, witty, and often cynical father of Ray (Ray Romano) and Robert (Brad Garrett) Frank Barone, played by the late great Peter Boyle. Despite his somewhat blunt, hard-nosed demeanor, Frank can be quite the whimsical goofball, providing many of the show's comedic highlights and some of the funniest zingers.

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With that said, let's take a look at the funniest, highest-rated episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond which are largely centered around this hilarious father figure.

Frank Goes Downstairs (S6) - 7.8

You've got to give props to the writers for an amusing premise just as much as you do to Peter Boyle, who is at his goofy, comedic best in this season 6 episode of Raymond.

In it, Ray and Debra have apparently had a particularly "vigorous" sexual episode to the point where they had fallen off their bed, causing Ray to injure his wrist. Rather than having to go through the awkward process of explaining this to a curious Frank and Marie when pressed about Ray's wrist, they tell a cover story about falling down the stairs. Being the prideful "Mr. Fix-it" that Frank tends to be, he decides to try fixing their stairs, at which point they collapse and land him in the hospital. As you might expect, this presents quite a few chuckle-worthy scenarios and exchanges in the hospital as the truth comes out.

Frank's Tribute (S3) - 7.8

Everybody Loves Raymond Frank and Marie sitting on the couch

How do you produce a video tribute for a man that's been more known for his smarmy, negative demeanor and zaniness far more than his good deeds and kind spirits? This is precisely the challenge that faces Ray and his brother Robert, as they're tasked with cobbling together a short film painting the traits and deeds of their father in a positive light. This film is for the purpose of his lodge buddies voting him "Man of the Year."

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Since scouring the lodge for positive testimony proves futile, the two devise a plan to ask the men there what they think of chocolate instead, using editing trickery to make it sound like this appraisal will be of Frank. As you'd probably imagine, the final completed piece makes for quite a few laughs. This is really a memorable episode, largely thanks to the hilarious tribute video.

The Gift (S2) - 7.8

A large portion of the humor from Raymond comes from the super-competitive dynamic between Ray and his brother Robert, and this extends to being viewed more favorably by their father. For his big 65th birthday, both of his sons buy him a gift, but unbeknownst to Robert, Ray has gone all-out, gifting him a large fish tank complete with rare varieties of fish.

This particularly bothers Ray's often neglected brother, as he's given him naught but a "remote boat," which Frank barely gives a second thought. Meanwhile, Frank spends a good chunk of the episode staring hypnotically at his new tank. Fans of the quirky Robert and Frank alike should definitely get a kick out of this classic episode.

Driving Frank (S3) - 7.8

Part of Raymond's charm is that, despite its wacky scenarios and somewhat eccentric characters, many can relate to the family dynamic and unique drama shown in many episodes on one level or another. Such is the case for this episode, which begins with Debra expressing concern for Ray's father driving their kids, as - let's face it - he's not getting any younger.

This one is full of the typically amusing one-liners from a stubborn Frank. It's also got some pretty funny situations which include his own son (a police officer) giving him a ticket, in addition to Ray sitting through a particularly rough DMV test with Frank.

Tasteless Frank (S9) - 8.0

Everybody Loves Raymond seemed to get increasingly wacky and over-the-top with each season, which tended to culminate during its final season. Case in point - an episode that features Frank taking a certain pill in order to help with his "manhood." Unfortunately for his wife Marie, who very much prides herself on her cooking, a side effect of this is he losing some of his sense of taste.

Naturally, some awkward conversations take place as the Barone family gets together for dinner. Despite being one of the very last episodes of this series' memorable run, "Tasteless Frank" shows that writer Philip Rosenthal was far from running out of amusing ideas.

Frank Paints The House (S5) - 8.2

As this episode excellently shows, Frank isn't merely a sarcastic, wisecracking slob with few redeemable qualities. He does, in fact, possess an endearing desire to succeed and take pride in his work - a quality that seems to have only been emboldened following his retirement. This is conveyed through his seriousness in painting Ray's house with Ray and Robert, as their father takes almost a militaristic approach to complete the job.

Related: The 10 Funniest Episodes Of Everybody Loves Raymond, Ranked

While this episode still has its laughs - especially during the final scene - it's actually a more serious, in-depth look at Frank's character. This occurs following Frank responding harshly to Ray firing him from working on his house. We discover that this action has conjured up some demons of his past, as he had been fired from a career in his younger days.

Meeting The Parents (S7) - 8.2

This episode doesn't just stand on the comedic strength of Peter Boyle, but also the funny Fred Willard as Amy's dad, the talented, recently deceased Georgia Engel as her mom and Chris Elliott as her brother Peter. This meeting between two very different families produces quite a few laughs, thanks in part to the great comedic chemistry between Boyle and Willard. As you'd imagine from an argument involving whether or not Amy and Robert should be married, hilarity - and some awkwardness - ensues here.

This dynamic cast of colorful characters that is Amy's family really help carry much of the later seasons of Raymond, and "Meeting the Parents" is a terrific example of this.

The Kicker (S6) - 8.3

While Frank does have his charming attributes, this episode reminds us of his more stubborn, greedy ways, which reaches such an absurd level here as to invoke some face-palming as well as laughter. Basically, Frank and Robert return from a football game, as Frank boasts of his catching a field goal from one of the players. The "kicker?" the player - who's merely a college kid - seeks the ball which was used for this historic field goal, but Frank decides to hold it at a ransom of $10,000.

It's a bit of a character study for this typically closed-off man, which ultimately does end on a heartfelt note.

The Skit (S6) - 8.4

Frank is often at his humorous best when playing off his wife, Marie - both of whom have don't hold back when it comes to ribbing one another and generally giving each other a hard time. We don't just get more of this typically amusing Frank-Marie banter in "The Skit," but Ray and Debra actually provide their own rendition of this back-and-forth.

They do this by performing - you guessed it - a "skit" during an anniversary party of Frank and Marie's friends. What begins as a lighthearted impersonation of these friends quickly shifts to a lengthy riffing of Ray's parents. This leads to plenty of drama when Frank and Marie turn the tables on them and perform their own skit imitating Ray and Debra. It's like one big roast, and it's a lot of fun to watch.

The Wallpaper (S5) - 8.5

As you'd imagine, a premise involving a car smashing through the wall of our lead characters almost writes itself in terms of funny banter. While Ray's parents - who also happen to live across the street - tend to barge in unannounced and unwelcomed quite a bit, this reaches a new level of craziness when they accidentally drive straight into their living room.

This leads to some hilarious back-and-forth, particularly between Ray and his father. This includes an intense scene where Ray blows up at him in a sort of delayed reaction when finding the wallpaper of his rebuilt wall doesn't match that of the old wall.

Next: The 5 Best & Worst Episodes Of Everybody Loves Raymond (According To IMDb)