Everybody Loves Raymond Reunion: Biggest Takeaways, Episode Origins And Emotional Tributes — Grade It!

The cast of "Everybody Loves Raymond" returned to CBS' Monday night lineup this evening — not for a revival, but for something far better. 

Joined by series creator Phil Rosenthal, surviving stars Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton (Debra), Brad Garrett (Robert), Monica Horan (Amy), and siblings Madylin (Ally) and Sullivan (Michael) Sweeten, marked the Emmy Award-winning sitcom's forthcoming 30th anniversary by reassembling — first on  Ray and Debra's couch, then in their kitchen, 20 years after they last gathered around that table in the series finale.

"The philosophy of 'we need a bigger table' is everything to me," Rosenthal says, harkening back to Romano's final line in that 2005 closer. "The [Barone] family is a microcosm of your families, we hope, and of wherever you live in our country and the world. We need a bigger table — that's the idea. That's why I wanted it to be the last thing [we see in the show]."

The 90-minute special honoring one of TV's greatest sitcoms also features taped appearances by David Letterman (who discovered Romano), and fan-favorite guest stars Chris Elliott (Amy's brother Peter) and Sherri Shepherd (Robert's police partner Judy). And yes, the special is full of Easter eggs — from the canister on Ray and Debra's coffee table, to the suitcase left on their stairwell, to the dent in their freezer door from the Season 9 episode where Ray tries (and fails) to lift Debra onto the fridge. One audience member even convinces Garrett to recreate his iconic "Robert's Date" dance.  

This touching reunion also pays tribute to those no longer with us — including Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, and Sawyer Sweeten. What follows is a recap of what you might've missed.

The reunion opens with a reminder of just how far "Everybody Loves Raymond" has traveled since its 1996 premiere.

"The reason we're doing this is because of the fans," Romano tells the studio audience. "I miss it. I miss you people, I miss the cast. My real-life wife is backstage with my TV wife." He jokes about the ups and downs of a long marriage, he turns sincere once more: "We're gonna have a great night. I'm so glad you're here."

When Romano asks if anyone has traveled far for the taping, a woman raises her hand. She flew in from the Philippines — and learned English as a young woman by watching "Raymond." 

"You learned how to speak English from Ray Romano?" Rosenthal says, surprised and amused, before breaking into a playful impression of his longtime collaborator: "So were your first English words, 'Oh nooooo'?"

The special wastes no time revisiting the night everything changed for Romano — and the moment "Everybody Loves Raymond" was first conceived. Rosenthal recalls watching Romano make his "Late Show With David Letterman" debut in 1995.

"We had a production company, and we were always looking for a funny project," Letterman says in newly taped interstitials. "I thought, 'Ray is the guy.' Before he gets in the cab, let's get him to sign something."

Romano was later set on a "blind date" with Rosenthal — then just a prospective showrunner — where he laid out the now-familiar elements of what would become the Barone universe: twin boys, an older daughter, parents who lived close by, and a jealous brother. When he added that his brother once muttered, "It never ends for Raymond... Everybody loves Raymond," Rosenthal knew they had a show — even if the two of them joked at the time that there may not be anything there. 

While writing the pilot, Rosenthal filled in whatever he didn't know about Romano's family with quirks from his own, adding that "90 percent of everything you saw on the show happened to me or to Ray or to one of the writers." Among the episodes singled out:

"Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1)
Rosenthal recalls that when he sat down to write the first episode, he needed a way to quickly convey "how crazy Ray's parents are." That's when he remembered something he'd done in real life: He'd sent his parents a gift subscription to a fruit of the month club — and their horrified reaction served as the basis for Frank and Marie's introduction. 

"The Tenth Anniversary" (Season 4, Episode 16)
"There's an episode where Ray and Debra put in the VHS tape of their wedding on their 10th anniversary and discover that he's taped over it with a Super Bowl," writer Aaron Shure recaps. "I did that, but it was my first anniversary. We put in our VHS tape and discovered that I had taped over our wedding... with an episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'"

"The Angry Family" (Season 6, Episode 1)
Rosenthal's son Ben shares that this episode was inspired by a real first-grade assignment, where he wrote a picture book also titled "The Angry Family." When the parents visited the classroom to hear it read aloud, all eyes turned to his mom (Horan) and dad.

Throughout the special, Romano & Co. reveal some of their favorite episodes — the ones that have stayed with them since the series wrapped in 2005. Rosenthal acknowledges how much he loved their annual flashback installments and singles out "How They Met" (Season 3, Episode 26), which chronicles Ray and Debra's first date. Romano fondly recalls "Talk to Your Daughter" (Season 6, Episode 19), in which Ray attempts to give Ally the birds-and-the-bees talk and instead fields deep, philosophical questions about the meaning of life.

Heaton mentions "Baggage" (Season 7, Episode 22), wherein Ray and Debra play a game of chicken to see who's going to put away a suitcase, while Garrett offers two picks — "She's the One" (Season 7, Episode 9), in which Robert's date eats a fly, and "Lucky Suit" (Season 6, Episode 16), when Marie interferes in Robert's FBI interview. Horan, who idolized TV mom Georgia Engel, recalls "Pat's Secret" (Season 9, Episode 15), wherein Robert bonds with his mother-in-law, who turns out to be a secret smoker.

Madylin Sweeten shares her adult appreciation for "Marie's Sculpture" (Season 6, Episode 5), an episode she couldn't possibly grasp as a child, and her brother Sullivan cites "The Finale" (Season 9, Episode 16), which ends with the aforementioned scene at the kitchen table.

Early on, Romano and Rosenthal make one thing abundantly clear: this is a reunion, not a reboot, and there will never be a revival. It's a point they previously made to TVLine, and one they reiterate on stage.

"We're never going to do one because we're missing three cast members — three family members," Romano clarifies, as pictures of Doris Roberts (Marie), Peter Boyle (Frank), and Sawyer Sweeten (Geoffrey), appear on screen. "We would never try to do it."

Adds Rosenthal: "It wouldn't be the same, and we have too much respect for the show itself, and for the beautiful audience, to keep it the way it is."

The special devotes an entire segment to Roberts and Boyle, whose characters, Marie and Frank, were loosely based on Rosenthal's mother and Romano's father, respectively.

"I used to say, everything you saw Peter do, my father probably did in real life — without pants on," Romano deadpans. He then shares a cherished memory from the making of the pilot: "I didn't know then how sweet he really was, and I hadn't really had a conversation with Peter. Our paths were crossing, and I swear to God, it must have been right here," on set, behind Ray and Debra's couch, "he just stops me. I haven't said anything to him, and I guess he could tell that I was a little nervous, and he just looks and he goes, 'It's just like water. Just let it flow.'" 

Romano tears up as he reflects on that moment. "At that time, I'm like, what does that mean? As an actor, I didn't know what exactly that meant, but I do now," he says. "Just the gesture of him reaching out to me... it's everything. It's everything."

Rosenthal goes on to reveal that more than 100 women auditioned for the part of Marie — they all read the Fruit of the Month scene — but "no one came close to Doris Roberts. She was what was in my head and in my life, and was so beyond. My real mother used to say, 'it's a little exaggerated," but Roberts "was always spot on. She was always 100% believable."

"We could be the best writers in the world," Rosenthal says, "but it wouldn't matter if we didn't have these people — Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts."

Heaton and Garrett commend Roberts' unmatched work ethic, while Romano notes how different Boyle was from Frank. He was a "renaissance man" — and, fun fact, John Lennon was the best man at his wedding. The cast also acknowledges Boyle's widow, Lorraine, who is in the audience for the taping. 

Earlier in the segment, Rosenthal acknowledges just how many beloved performers have passed — including Heaton's TV parents, Robert Culp and Katherine Helmond, and Horan's TV parents, Georgia Engel and Fred Willard. "We were so lucky to work with these comedy legends that we idolize," he says. "We stand on the shoulders of the great people that came before us."

When real-life siblings Madylin and Sullivan Sweeten appear in the following segment, they reflect on their late brother, Sawyer, who died by suicide in 2015; he was 19 years old.

"None of us really expected what happened," Sawyer's twin brother shares. "But I try to think about the good moments — and often times, that's here on the set."

Adds Madylin: "I just think it's so important that in any conversation that we're having about Sawyer— we're very passionate in our family about suicide prevention. It is the second leading cause of death between the ages of 18 to 25, but 90% of people who seek treatment are cured. And so many of the messages that we get are from people saying, 'I'm so grateful to have heard about your brother. He saved my life.'"

What Heaton asks if there is an organization they work with on behalf of Sawyer, where people could reach out for help, Madylin shares that they work with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (details below).

As the 90-minute reunion winds down, Rosenthal turns his attention back to the studio audience to acknowledge the people who made "Everybody Loves Raymond" possible.

"What you don't see are all the people who really made the show with us," Rosenthal says, before inviting dozens of former crew members and guest stars on stage. Among those we spotted: Fred Stoller, who played Cousin Gerard; Alex Meneses, best known as Robert's Italian girlfriend Stefania; Amy Aquino, who served as Ray's foil Peggy; and Andy Kindler, who recurred as Ray's friend Andy.

Rosenthal then offered one last message — a sentiment he says he repeated to Romano throughout the original nine-season run: "Thanks for the good life... and we wish the same to all of you."

The "Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion" special will be available to stream on Paramount+ Tuesday, following its Monday-night premiere on CBS. Grade it via the following poll, then leave a comment with your full review.

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