Although Everybody Loves Raymond was overall a popular and funny show, having aired from 1996 to 2005 on CBS, not every episode was a winner. Having already looked at the best episodes of the sitcom according to IMDb, we’re looking at the lowest-rated episodes today. Every episode of Everybody Loves Raymond has been assigned a star rating on the popular entertainment website. This score has been based on the votes of registered users, on a scale of 1 to 10, and we’ll be using these ratings to see how every episode stacks up at the time of publication. It's also worth noting that because more than 10 episodes have a low rating, those with a 7.1-star score will only be making the list if they have a large number of user ratings.
With that said, here are the least-loved episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond using the stats at IMDb.
I Wish I Were Gus (7.1)
Episode 3 of Season 1 had Ray scheduled to deliver his Uncle Gus’s eulogy at his funeral. Though this shouldn’t be hard, it proves a challenge when Ray instead finds himself keeping things calm between his mother and aunt who wrap themselves up in an argument.
This Marie-centric episode was funny but also a bit scattered. Though it had its moments, it wasn't anything impressive.
Win, Lose or Draw (7.1)
This early episode of Everybody Loves Raymond saw Ray losing a giant sum of money to Frank in a poker game. Though Debra and Marie both pressure Frank to return the money to Ray, he refuses. The rest of the episode follows the family as they discuss the game’s outcome with Frank eventually deciding to return the money to Ray.
The plot of this episode was basic. That doesn’t make it bad, but it doesn’t make it memorable, either. There are always going to be those bland episodes in Season 1, though, when a series is first figuring out its voice.
You Bet (7.0)
This Season 4 episode saw Ray accidentally leaking insider sports information to Frank. This helps Frank win a bet, and he soon decides to hang around Ray more often because of this.
When Ray figures out what his father is doing, he decides to set Frank up to show him the consequences of cheating. “You Bet” didn’t contain any standout moments, hence the reason it ranks lower than many of the other episodes.
Odd Man Out (7.0)
“Odd Man Out” has Frank getting jealous of Marie and Marco’s friendship soon after he starts receiving piano lessons from her. This causes Frank to ask Marco to choose between him and Marie and Ray joining his dad's side of the argument.
Sandwiched between a bunch of strong episodes including the one in which Michael tells his story about an angry family and the one in which Marie makes a sculpture, this one faded into the background of an otherwise exciting Season 6.
The Getaway (7.0)
This Season 3 episode may have had a lot going on, yet it still ranks near the bottom of Everybody Loves Raymond episodes.
“The Getaway” had Raymond throwing a fit about the vacation plans and Debra telling him to just pick the place himself. Meanwhile, Debra becomes concerned that Ray is bored with her and Robert becomes jealous when Marie is asked to babysit instead of him. The place Ray picks for their trip ends up being awful which doesn’t help the tension in any way.
Working Girl (7.0)
Debra decides to go back to work by scoring a PR job in Manhattan. However, things don’t go as planned when Debra gets let go on her first day and Ray is actually glad about it, having had difficulty looking after their children. When he realizes how bummed out Debra is about her failure, though, he schemes to get her job back.
This Season 3 episode had a funny premise, yet viewers just didn’t gravitate to it as much as the writers had hoped.
Frank, the Writer (6.9)
After Frank gets a comedic article published in Reader’s Digest, he believes that he could have a future as a successful writer. He gives Ray more work for his son’s editor to look at, but when Ray finds out its awful, he’s forced to break the news to his father.
This Season 1 episode had a humorous plot, but its funny moments played out a bit uncomfortably as the series still tried to find its footing.
Captain Nemo (6.9)
This Season 1 episode had Ray and Robert getting wrapped into some brotherly tension after competing for a leadership role on the Nemo’s basketball team. Though Robert is at first named captain, the team later puts Raymond in charge after Robert gets too serious about winning. Ray ultimately steps down and quits the team deciding that his family is more important.
Also appearing in Season 1, “Captain Nemo” was entertaining but lackluster. However, it did help establish the competitive dynamic between Ray and Robert.
The Article (6.9)
This Season 3 episode saw Ray getting frustrated when an article Andy writes gets picked up by Sports Illustrated without the corrections he made to it.
The premise wasn’t particularly funny, which had “The Article” feeling a little meh. Additionally, Debra only made brief appearances because Patricia Heaton was pregnant at the time and concealing a baby proved to be a challenge. The couple’s usual banter wasn’t as prominent, and its absence was noticeable.
The Children’s Book (6.8)
The lowest-rated episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, which premiered in Season 2, had Debra and Ray competing to create the best kids book. Though the couple at first teams together to tell their children an original story, they soon realize that they (along with the rest of the family) have very different ideas as to what the plot should be.
Ray and Debra plan to read each of their stories to Ally in hopes that she’ll pick theirs as the better. Though the episode was funny and cute, it definitely wasn’t one of the series’ strongest.