‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ Turns 25

September 13, 1996 marked the debut of one of the best comedy series in television history.

Everybody Loves Raymond, from David Letterman’s World Wide Pants, was a CBS sitcom about a grown man, sportswriter Ray Barone, with his wife, Debra, their daughter and twin sons, and his other family—neighbors—consisting of policeman brother Robert, intrusive mother Marie, and blunt father Frank.

The series ran nine seasons, having ended in 2005, and it won 15 Emmys from 69 nominations. It won Outstanding Comedy Series for its seventh and ninth seasons, in 2003 and 2005; Lead Actor for Ray Romano, in 2002; Lead Actress for Patricia Heaton, in 2000 and 2001; Supporting Actor for Brad Garrett, in 2002, 2003, and 2005; and Supporting Actress for Doris Roberts, in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005. It also won for Writing for what I think is its best episode, “Baggage,” in 2003. (Costar Peter Boyle never won for the series. He did win the 1995–96 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the episode “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” also an Emmy winner for Writing, for Fox’s The X–Files.)

A summary of some standout episodes: 

• “I Love You” (Season 01 Episode 02; 09.20.1996)—Debra asks Ray why he doesn’t tend to speak those three important words. Ray makes the mistake of involving his parents.

• “Robert’s Date” (Season 03 Episode 15; 02.01.1999)—Robert joins his partner for a night out for dancing. Trying hard to fit in, Robert goes overboard.

• “Bad Moon Rising” (Season 04 Episode 22; 05.08.2000)—Debra suffers from PMS. Ray has no clue how to respond. (Patricia Heaton’s performance won her her first Emmy.)

•  “Baggage” (Season 07 Episode 22; 05.03.2003)—After returning from a vacation, one piece of luggage remains, unattended, as Ray and Debra battle each other.

• “The Finale” (Season 09 Episode 16; 05.16.2005)—Ray, with his adenoids needing to come out, goes in for routine surgery. There is a complication.

More recommended episodes (for a balance of three episodes per season; the provided links for each season lead to episode descriptions): 

Season #01 • “Pilot” (S01 E01; 09.13.1996) and “Turkey or Fish” (S01 E10; 11.22.1996) 

Season #02 • “High School” (S02 E10; 11.24.1997), “The Letter” (S02 E11; 12.08.1997), and “The Checkbook” (S02 E16; 02.02.1998) 

Season #03 • “The Toaster” (S03 E12; 12.14.1998) and “Frank’s Tribute” (S03 E16; 02.08.1999)

Season #04 • “The Sister” (S04 E06; 10.25.1999) and “Bully on the Bus” (S04 E13; 01.17.2000)

Season #05 • “Italy” (S05 E01 and S05 E02; 10.02.2000), “Wallpaper” (S05E03; 10.09.2000), and “The Canister” (S05 E19; 04.09.2001)

Season #06 • “Marie’s Sculpture” (S06 E05; 10.22.2001), “Lucky Suit” (S06 E16; 02.04.2002), and “The Breakup Tape” (S06 E18; 03.04.2002)

Season #07 • “Meeting the Parents” (S07 E17; 02.05.2003) and “Robert’s Wedding” (S07 E24; 05.19.2003)

Season #08 • “Fun with Debra” (S08 E01; 09.22.2003), “Thank You Notes” (S08 E02; 09.29.2003), and “Misery Loves Company” (S08 E04; 10.13.2003)

Season #09 • “The Power of No” (S09 E14; 05.02.2005) and “Pat’s Secret” (S09 E15; 05.09.2005)

I will close with video highlights from Everybody Loves Raymond. They are from the “standout episodes” but, fair warning, some content—especially when I tried to find video on YouTube for “The Finale”—was rather limiting.