Warning: spoilers are ahead for the Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion on CBS.
Everybody Loves Raymond was a standout sitcom of the late ‘90s – early 2000s, and the cast came together with the creator for a reunion special in the 2025 TV schedule. Creator Phil Rosenthal has been trying to make a reunion happen for years, and finally had the chance when the timing was right for the 30th anniversary… if you round up from 29, anyway. As somebody who tuned in to the sitcom weekly as a kid but hasn’t watched reruns in decades, I was expecting a one-off blast to the past from the reunion special.
Instead, I fell back in love with it and immediately checked to see if the nine seasons were available online, because I need to start all over from the beginning.
The Everybody Loves Raymond 30th Anniversary Special
Co-hosted by Phil Rosenthal and Ray Romano, the special brought cast members Patty Heaton, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan, Madylin Sweeten, and Sullivan Sweetin, among others. It was a combination of interviews and clips that triggered memories of when I used to regularly watch with my family as a kid, including everything from the Fruit of the Month club to Ray and Debra fighting over the suitcase to Marie’s inappropriate sculpture. (I’m now officially old enough to get all the jokes about the inappropriate sculpture as well.)
I loved hearing the story of Patricia Heaton’s audition story, considering that she got the part of Debra by being the only actress who actually planted a kiss on Ray Romano during the audition. David Letterman’s role in discovering Romano as a comedian was news to me, and I had no idea the extent to which Romano and Phil Rosenthal’s families inspired the stories and characters of the Barone family.
Brad Garrett getting up and doing the iconic dance from his days as Robert was a great surprise. While I felt ancient seeing the actors who played Ally (Madylin Sweeten) and Michael (Sullivan Sweeten) all grown up, I did get a kick out of how they were recognizable as their characters even decades later. But perhaps most of all, I enjoyed the showcases of Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts, and Sawyer Sweeten, all of whom passed away prior to the special.
Of course, I expected tributes to Boyle and Roberts after how key they were to making Everybody Loves Raymond into the hit that it was, but I had no idea that the special would devote some time to siblings Madylin Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten discussing the death of their brother, Sawyer, complete with Madylin sharing that their family is “very passionate” about “suicide prevention.” She shared that they work with the “National Suicide Prevention [Lifeline]” and they “do t-shirts every year” in memory of their later brother, with all of the proceeds going to the Lifeline.
For as much as the casts of TV shows may claim that they feel like a family, it was easy to believe with the actors and creator who brought Everybody Loves Raymond. If you, like me, tuned in on CBS or just read this and flashed back, it’s not hard to go back to the past.
How To Watch The Original Series (And The Special)
After the original series and the reunion aired on CBS, it’s not especially surprising that Paramount+ is the streaming home of the sitcom. While other CBS originals like FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon ended up on different streaming services after they wrapped their runs, you can find all nine seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond streaming with a Paramount+ subscription. (The two FBI shows can be found with a Peacock subscription and The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon are available with an HBO Max subscription.)
With Ray Romano sharing just last year that he’s “protective of the series” and creator Phil Rosenthal debunking the idea of a scripted reboot ahead of the special, it wasn’t shocking to hear the co-hosts doubling down that it won’t happen, but there are more than 200 episodes to still get some laughs out of the cast. If you also watched as a kid, I can vouch that some of the jokes hit differently as an adult.
Check out one of the clips that convinced me it’s time to revisit the heyday of the sitcom, which aired as part of the Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Reunion special and – per Phil Rosenthal – was the scene that won Doris Roberts the role of Marie:
Watch On
Paramount+ is the place to be for the nine seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond as well as the 30th reunion special, and I’d recommend the reunion to anybody who was a fan back in the day and/or are in the market for a classic sitcom to go with any new releases in the 2026 TV schedule.