Family ties. Everybody Loves Raymond became a hilarious, all-too-familiar sitcom that offered a look at the lives of relatives who were perhaps too close, making it a staple in homes for nearly 10 years.
The CBS series ran for nine seasons — a total of 210 episodes — from September 1996 to May 2005. Ray Romano (Ray Barone), Patricia Heaton (Debra Barone), Brad Garrett (Robert Barone), Doris Roberts (Marie Barone), Peter Boyle (Frank Barone), Monica Horan (Amy MacDougall), Madylin Sweeten (Ally Barone), Sawyer Sweeten (Geoffrey Barone) and Sullivan Sweeten (Michael Barone) made up the main cast.
Heaton opened up exclusively to Us Weekly in November 2018 about the potential of a revival. “I don’t think it’s possible now with Peter and Doris gone,” the actress said of her late costars. “It just wouldn’t be the same show.”
However, the Middle alum noted that she would like to revisit her years on the show. “It would be nice to do a special retrospective … so maybe the 25th anniversary, CBS will do something,” she suggested. “That would be fun!”
Whether the cast gets the chance to formally reunite or not, Heaton still looks back on her role with fondness. “It’s kind of funny,” she explained. “I was on an airplane once, and they had Raymond on there, so I was watching, had my headphones on, and I was laughing out loud. You’re kind of not aware that you’re laughing out loud when you have headphones. And the steward came by and he said, ‘I just think it’s so cute you laugh at your own show.’”
Airplanes are not the only place she watches the series. “If I come across [the show] as I’m channel surfing, and I see [one I’m in], I hate to say it. I will watch it,” she noted. “I think I’m fabulous.”
Heaton is not above joking about her former TV husband either. “That’s how desperate I was for a job,” she quipped about kissing Romano. “[I was like], ‘I don’t know who that guy is in the corner, but if I have to kiss him, I’ll do it.’ I really didn’t know who it was.”
Romano, for his part, told Today in October 2020 that a revival “won’t happen” with the original cast. “We’re missing Peter, we’re missing Doris,” he said, echoing Heaton’s earlier statements. “We’re missing the crux of the show.”
Scroll down to find out what the stars of Everybody Loves Raymond have been up to since the show ended.
