Fans of Everybody Loves Raymond have praised the 30th Anniversary Reunion special for its 'beautiful' tribute to late stars Peter Boyle, Doris Roberts and Sawyer Sweeten. Boyle died in 2006 at age 71, Sweeten in 2015 at 19, and Roberts in 2016 at 90. Boyle and Roberts played the parents of Ray Romano's character, while Sweeten played one of Ray's twin sons, Geoffrey Barone.
The reunion special aired on CBS on Monday, reuniting Romano with showrunner Phil Rosenthal and cast members Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan, Sullivan Sweeten and Madylin Sweeten. The 90-minute special included an extended tribute featuring clips of Boyle and Roberts from the show, along with memories shared by the cast. Rosenthal noted that many people don't know Boyle trained to be a monk, or that the best man at his wedding was Beatles musician John Lennon.
On social media, fans expressed their appreciation. One wrote: 'It is so sad that Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, and Sawyer Sweeten can't be here to celebrate the 30th anniversary special of Everybody Loves Raymond. May their memories live on forever.' Another said: 'Doris Roberts was everyone's tv mom, she just had a charm to her. So sad that she's gone. Such a great actress. I still watch Everybody Loves Raymond, til this day. It still holds up in the year 2025.'
Romano confirmed at the start of the reunion that the show will never be rebooted because Boyle, Roberts and Sweeten are no longer around. Garrett echoed this in an earlier interview, telling People: 'There is no show without the parents. They were the catalyst, and to do anything that would resemble that wouldn’t be right to the audiences or to the loyal fan base.'
Everybody Loves Raymond ran from 1996 to 2005, following the life of sports journalist Raymond Barone and his family in Long Island, New York. Garrett, who played Romano's brother, said he feels 'very grateful' looking back, adding: 'I know the reboot won’t happen, but 30 years later, I got very lucky to get on that bus.'
