AllMovie

Fans of Everybody Loves Raymond will be fascinated by the slight cosmetic differences between this pilot episode and the series proper--not to mention the fact that the twin sons of Ray and Debra Barone are here named Matthew and Gregory, rather than Michael and Geoffrey. Beyond these minor discrepancies, the episode serves up the standard hilarious recipe, as Debra (Patricia Heaton) complains to her sportwriter husband Ray (Ray Romano) about his family's habit of dropping in at their home unannounced. To mollify his wife, Ray arranges things so that his dad Frank (Peter Boyle), his mom Marie (Doris Roberts), and his policeman brother Robert (Brad Garrett) will NOT be in attendance at Debra's birthday party.