I was definitely not a fan of “Everybody Loves Raymond.’’ Some of the actors were funny, most of all Doris Roberts as the mother-in-law. But the show’s portrayal of gender roles and marriage was pretty retro. The blueprint for too many episodes: He wants sex and golf, she denies it to punish him for an insensitivity, they make up, kinda. He was frustrated, she was shrewish. He did hangdog while his mother and wife did catfight.

After “Raymond,’’ I never thought that I would take Ray Romano seriously as an actor. I was wrong. Romano, now a supporting cast member on HBO’s “Vinyl,’’ is a very good dramatic actor. That hangdog face, with the right adjustments, can have a far more poignant impact.

I first came around regarding Romano when he was one of the four leads on TNT’s excellent but short-lived “Men of a Certain Age.’’ He played a guy whose gambling problem had destroyed his marriage, leaving him sad and angry and ashamed. Romano hit all the right notes, gently but precisely. Melancholy, regret, rage, new hope, they were all there.

Now, after some good work on “Parenthood,’’ Romano is a really welcome addition to “Vinyl.’’ He plays Zak, the head of promotions at the record company founded by Bobby Cannavale’s Richie. He’s in serious financial straits, he’s got a pressure-filled marriage, and he’s frustrated with Richie’s decisions about the company – a frustration that led to a broken nose courtesy of the boss at one point. Zak may be too nice, too soft, too sensible for the music business. He’s a suppressed, wary personality, one of the show’s many yins to Richie’s yang.

In one scene in episode 2, Zak can’t sleep. He gets out of bed, goes into the garage, turns on the car, and sits. Ultimately, he decides to live, but it’s a powerful moment — unnerving, heartbreaking, filled with emptiness. Romano plays it just right.

On Tuesday, Romano will guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live’’ on ABC at 11:35 p.m.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com.