Phil Rosenthal has tried to sell CBS on an Everybody Loves Raymond reunion special in the past, but the network never bit — until this year.

“I thought we should do a 20-year reunion, but CBS didn’t want it. Twenty-five years? Nope,” Rosenthal told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday, a day after the network aired a 90-minute reunion special — featuring series creator Rosenthal and stars Ray Romano , Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan, Madylin Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten — marking the show’s (almost) 30th anniversary. He credits CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach with getting the special on the air: “Amy was not only supportive, she was really into it. It shows that it just takes one person to make a difference in these kinds of things.”

Phil Rosenthal has tried

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