The Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion special was chock-full of laughs, but also had plenty of teary moments.

The reunited Barone bunch, including Ray Romano (Ray), Patricia Heaton (Debra), Brad Garrett (Robert), and Monica Horan (Amy), along with creator Phil Rosenthal, couldn’t let the night go by without recognizing a few cast members who were not there: Doris Roberts, who played Ray’s mom, Marie, died in 2016; Peter Boyle, who portrayed Ray’s father, Frank, died in 2006; and Sawyer Sweeten, who played Geoffrey, one of Ray and Debra’s twin sons, died in 2015.

After making it clear at the top of the 90-minute special that it was a reunion and not a “reboot,” because, as Romano said, they would “never try to do the show without them,” the Everybody Loves Raymond cast paid tribute to the late stars with a montage of funny onscreen moments and conversation.

Doris Roberts as Marie and Peter Boyle as Frank on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’.

CBS / Everett

Rosenthal noted that the loss of Roberts and Boyle was especially tough for him and Romano.

“For you and me,” Rosenthal said to Romano, “it’s very personal, because [the characters of Marie and Frank] were so based on our parents.”

“The mother was more you,” Romano noted, referencing how the character of Marie Barone was inspired by Rosenthal’s real-life mother. Meanwhile, Frank Barone was inspired by Romano’s dad: “I used to say, everything you saw Peter [Boyle] do, my father probably did in real life without pants on.”

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Romano recalled a touching moment from early on, when Boyle showed him kindness while they were filming the pilot episode for Everybody Loves Raymond.

“So now I’m a young guy who just got fired from NewsRadio, and here I am again, attempting a show and I’m nervous,” shared Romano. “And Peter is the great Peter Boyle, this iconic movie guy, and he’s an imposing figure. I didn’t know then how sweet he really was.”

Romano explained that Boyle, whom he’d never spoken to, seemed to understand the anxiety he was feeling.

“He could tell that I was a little nervous,” Romano said. “I remember the words, he goes, ‘It’s just like water. Just let it flow.’ And then he leaves… And at that time, I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ And even though as an actor, I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I do now. Just the gesture, the gesture of him reaching out to me.”

While speaking about Roberts, who played Ray’s meddling mother Marie to perfection, Rosenthal noted that they auditioned over 100 women for the role, but none of them came close to Doris Roberts.

“She was what was in my head and in my life and was so beyond,” praised Rosentha. “My real mother used to say, ‘You know it is a little exaggerated.’ But you never saw that with Doris because she was always spot on. She was always 100 percent believable.”

Horan, who played Amy, the wife of Garrett’s character, fondly remembered the late Georgia Engel, who had a recurring role as Amy’s mother, Pat. Horan cited a season 9 episode called “Pat’s Secret,” in which it’s revealed that Pat smokes cigarettes, as her favorite.

“She was just in heaven [working on Everybody Loves Raymond],” Horan said of the Mary Tyler Moore Show alum, “and she always talked to everyone about the writing on this show, about working with Phil, for years and years and years after.”

Engel died in 2019.

The special also featured photos of other recurring guest stars, including Fred Willard (Hank), who died in 2020; as well as Katherine Helmond (Lois), who died in 2019; and Robert Culp (Warren), who died in 2010.

“We’re so lucky to work with these comedy legends that we idolized,” Rosenthal said. “We stand on the shoulders of the great people that came before us.”

The Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion airs Monday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, and will be available to stream on demand on Paramount+ starting on Tuesday, Nov. 25.