Even as his career takes him in different directions, the show that made him a star 30 years ago continues to resonate with fans of all ages.

When stand-up comic Ray Romano was offered his own prime-time sitcom in the summer of 1996, it was a big career step. Not only did he not feel like it was a sure thing—he was terrified.

Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal still remember taking the pilot for Everybody Loves Raymond to major TV markets, simply hoping it would connect.

Instead of merely igniting a spark, it became one of television’s most beloved comedies, winning 15 Emmys and running for nine seasons, from 1996 to 2005.

Nearly 30 years later, the show still airs in 148 countries, and it’s been 21 years since the finale.

“I’m still thinking it’s all going to be taken away from me; you never truly believe it,” Romano tells Orlando Family. “You just keep doing the work, and all of the success is a bit surreal. I would have never bet that this would be my life.”

The CBS hit, inspired by Romano’s real family—including meddling parents, an older brother and three kids—earned him three Emmy Awards (one for acting and two for producing) and a permanent place in sitcom history. Today, he says, hearing Raymond mentioned alongside classics like I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show is humbling.

“Initially, we weren’t as popular as Seinfeld or Friends at the time, as far as rating numbers go,” he says, “but we knew we had a strong fan base. I feel like we have developed new generations of fans over the years who are still laughing, and that the show has clearly stood the test of time.”

Romano well remembers the 12-hour days, being in 95% of every show, in what he calls a “bubble” of work on the set and in the writers’ room. The lull after the ending of the show was concerning, but there was much more to come.

Romano’s career has stretched far beyond his character of Ray Barone. In addition to pursuing his stand-up career, he’s appeared in movies, including The Big Sick and The Irishman, voiced Manny the woolly mammoth in the animated Ice Age franchise (for five movies), and starred in the TV series’ Parenthood and Get Shorty.

After Raymond ended, he helped create Men of a Certain Age, starring Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula, about three best friends in their late 40s dealing with the realities of middle age. The two-season series won a 2010 Peabody Award.

Last year, Romano led the Netflix dark comedy No Good Deed, alongside Lisa Kudrow. They play a couple trying to sell their old Hollywood, 1920s Spanish-style villa, where Paul grew up from the age of 8, amid a real estate frenzy. The series also stars Luke Wilson and Abbi Jacobson as prospective home buyers.

Romano recently headed to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre for All Out: A Comedy About Ambition. The show was written by Saturday Night Live’s Simon Rich and features brief sketches and vignettes about ego, envy and greed.

Still, Everybody Loves Raymond remains the heartbeat of his legacy. In late 2025, Romano reunited with Rosenthal, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett and the remaining cast and crew for two 30th anniversary TV specials honoring the show—and late co-stars Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, who played Romano’s TV parents.

“It felt like a family reunion. The most exciting part was getting to see the cast and the crew again,” Romano says. “We had 70 people coming out on stage, people we last worked with 20 years ago, and I think the audience got a kick out of seeing us reminiscing and showing clips of the show. There was a lot of laughter.”

Rosenthal says the series began with well-written characters and A-list actors, but part of the special sauce was using their own families as fodder.

Best known for his observational comedy style, Romano often draws from his family life and experiences. Similar to his character, Romano had an older brother, meddling parents and three young children—twin sons and a daughter. He and his wife of 39 years, Anna, also have a third son, all of whom spent time on the set while growing up.

Romano often jokes about his often-distant father growing up, that if he had hugged him once, “Instead of an actor and comic, I think I would be an accountant right now.”

Rosenthal says he has often heard from fans of the show that they felt the creators were “listening outside their house to gather material. But in fact, I was listening inside my house and inside Ray’s house. That’s why, no matter what culture, people could relate to it. Then you see the strength of these actors, and it all becomes very special.”

The anniversary special also honored the memory of Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, who portrayed Ray’s parents, Marie and Frank Barone, for the entire 210 episodes of the nine-season series. “We had a great little segment about them,” Romano says. “No matter who your favorite cast member was, there was something for everybody.”

With these two key actors gone, the creators say they do not want to consider a reboot, which is why they embraced the 30th anniversary special.

So, why has Everybody Loves Raymond’s popularity endured for three decades? “It’s the same reason that it initially resonated, it’s about everything that everybody goes through,” Romano says.

“People from different countries still approach me and tell me that their mother is like Marie, or their wife is like Debra, or they are like Robert or Ray,” he adds. “It’s amazing to me, but it’s also reassuring to know that underneath all our differences, when it comes to family and relationships, we are all really the same.”

He adds that at a time of chaos and fast-paced lives, another appeal is “the simplicity of this family, which everybody goes through. … People continue to get comfort from watching stories about people. It’s also very funny.”

Rosenthal, who was the creator and executive producer, also cast his actress-wife, Monica Horan, as Amy—Robert’s girlfriend and later his wife.

“The show was designed to be timeless,” he says. “There were no topical jokes. We felt like it was an opportunity to make a television show with lasting value. The goal was to keep it about relationship and family stories, so it would be more relatable.”

Rosenthal adds that the nostalgia factor is real. “I think when things are bad in the world, we get nostalgic for happier times. I can’t tell you how many people tell me now that they go to bed watching us instead of the news. This is a comfort show.”

Garrett says that, “Ray Romano is still the same kind, gracious and humble guy he was when we first met. He became a massive TV star, and it has not changed him one bit. He’s truly the same down-to-earth guy who is just about his craft, his family, and treating people the same way that he always did.”

Garrett adds, “We felt that this cohesiveness was working after the mid-season during the first year. We all came from very different parts of show business, and I didn’t even know Ray from the stand-up world; we had never met. Everything just started to click. We had a very unique chemistry.”

Romano returns the compliment, calling Garrett “a sweet and talented guy,” who he wishes he could see more often.

While they all have extremely busy schedules, Romano, Garrett and Rosenthal remain close pals. The three had a great reunion at the Fontainebleau Hotel during a Las Vegas episode of Rosenthal’s show, Somebody Feed Phil, where they played pool and shared a steak dinner, as well as tons of laughs. Season 9 of the popular reality travel show has been renewed and is expected to begin streaming in June.

Romano and Rosenthal’s families spend time together during Christmas vacation, a tradition that has been ongoing for many years. They are eager to share that their friendship has only become stronger after three decades.

Having a friend like Rosenthal has also kept Romano humble. With the success of the travel show, Rosenthal became famous as well.

“When I am in a restaurant with Phil, I am extremely humbled because fans go flying past me to get his photo,” Romano says with a laugh. “Sometimes, they give me their phone or camera to ask me to take their picture with Phil.”

A remarkable aspect of the hit sitcom is that people tell Romano that they grew up watching the show with their parents, and now they share it with their children or grandchildren. They tell him that “in this fast, chaotic world, familiarity has become a source of comfort.”

Another mark of the success of Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano believes, is that it all boils down to the love and strife that comes from family, which makes it extremely easy to identify with.

“It’s reassuring,” Romano said, “that people just want to laugh about family life. I never could have predicted any of this, and I am more than grateful for all of it.”