Backstage, star Ray Romano called the win "bittersweet, thinking this is the last hurrah." He pointed out that the audience applause for "Housewives" when the show was called as a nominee was so loud that he even felt a little "guilty" for winning.

Phil Rosenthal, creator and executive producer of "Raymond," also expressed his shock backstage.

"My emotions, honestly? I'm stunned. Stunned. I thought we were finished," Rosenthal said of the show that wrapped its nine-season run in May. "We were very flattered and delighted to even be nominated. It's fantastic when you remember the elderly."

Backstage At the Emmys | CBS News

Ray Romano said he wanted to go out on top, and he did.

Backstage at the 57th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night, the star of the CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" told The Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman, "You could look at it and say, 'You did the right thing, you went when you're still on top,' or you can also look at it and say, 'You didn't do the right thing, 'cause you're still winning awards.' So you can't win."

"Wanna come back," Kauffman kidded Romano.

"Can I?" he kidded back.

Last season was the last for the long-running "Raymond."

Doris Roberts, who played Raymond's mother, won for the fourth time for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and she was dancing in the aisles.

"When people stop me on the street, they always say the same thing: 'I love you and thank you for the laughter you brought into my home.' What a great thing to hear," she observed to Kauffman.

Brad Garrett took a laidback approach to his third win as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

"You must be used to winning these: You put it on the floor. Everyone else is holding it close to the heart," Kauffman remarked.

Responded Garrett, "I'm not about the bling-bling. If I was in charge of the academy, I would make them out of wicker."

Backstage Quotes from the cast
By Simone Vollmer | Hollywood.com

How do you guys feel?
Ray Romano: It feels great. I am actually shocked to win. We thought Desperate Housewives would win. It is our swan song.

How was it working with the crew on the show for such a long time?
Ray Romano: If you have 100 people working together, somebody will always be an asshole. There was none. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was the asshole (laughs).

Were you emotional today?
Ray Romano: I am not kidding. We have all put every ounce of energy into this show and when it was all over you are first happy that you have time for other things like...Getting a perm but that wears off. I did not think I would miss it as much as I do. It is bittersweet that this is our last hooray.
Patricia Heaton: When we shot the final episodes, I cried and cried. It is bitter sweet to leave but we did not leave a stone unturned. It was complete. It is much easier to walk away if you know that you finished the job.

Where are you going to put your Emmy?
Brad Garrett: It will probably end up in the Barbie Dream Car. I don't know. I am just overwhelmed. If you have a five and six year old you never know. They might give it to the neighbor.
Ray Romano: I will give it to my mother.

Is a spin off totally dead?
Brad Garrett: There are talks.

The cast at the HBO Party

"Everybody Loves Raymond" actors held court around their reserved table. "We were all happy to be remembered," said Brad Garrett, who played Robert Barone. "It was awkward when they read our name. I try not to eat during the show, but Ellen DeGeneres gave me a piece of cheese, which I was just about to put in my mouth. Then they read the winner and my wife told me, 'Put the cheese down!' "

Costar Doris Roberts brought along her son and her two young grandsons as party dates. "I 100% thought 'Desperate Housewives' would win," she said, grinning, Harry Winston diamond earrings dangling from her lobes. "But this is wonderful. I did nine fabulous, wonderful years. I was working. I won four Emmys. I can't complain."

TV Guide Insider's Recap of Emmy night
By Daniel R. Coleridge | TV Guide

6:39 pm Everybody Loves Raymond's Doris Roberts struts in with a couple of sparkly chandeliers dangling from her earlobes. This brassy dame is an old hand at Emmy night. Holding up her trophy, she declares: "I have four other ones at home. I told them, 'Girls, make room. I'm bringing home another one!'

6:42 pm Asked about Emmy's snub of her on-screen hubby, Peter Boyle, Roberts lamented: "I'm so sorry he didn't win. Peter was the only one who hasn't won. I think with Brad [Garrett] nominated in the same category, one or the other had to be eliminated."

8:40 pm You just know zany wisecracks are in store when the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond hits the dais. Ray Romano gestures at Patricia Heaton's champagne glass and notes, "She's a little bit drunk, so this'll be interesting." A good sport, Heaton says in turn, "It's funny, on our last tape day, I was crying. Now I can't even remember any of these peoples' names. It could be this [champagne]."

8:41 pm "Even you guys thought Desperate Housewives was winning," Romano says by way of explaining their outstanding-comedy win really was a surprise. "It's bittersweet because it's over and we're going through withdrawal. This group of people is so great. You look around and think, somebody's gotta be an a-----e. It must be me!"

8:42 pm A reporter bluntly asks Peter Boyle how it feels to be the only Raymond costar with no Emmy on his mantel. Ouch. "I was crushed!" Boyle laughs. "And then this wonderful shock took place. We beat the Desperate Housewives! That made up for everything. We don't like them!" He's just kidding, folks. I think.

8:43 pm Where will Brad Garrett put his Emmy? "I think it's gonna end up in a Barbie dream car," he smiles. "That's what I promised my 5-year-old daughter." Then Raymond's creator, Phil Rosenthal, pipes up: "I have a safety announcement: Put it out of reach of the children. Emmys are very sharp!"

8:44 pm Are Garrett's hopes for a Raymond spin-off dead or alive? "No, it's not dead," he replies. "There are talks. There are some very important elements that have to come together, like writers." "And money, money, money! Cash in!" Romano wickedly interjects. "That's your story, Ray. I am coming from a very different place," Garrett sasses back. "It's a good possibility at this time. Who knows?"

Backstage notes from the Hollywood Reporter
by Tatiana Siegel and Kimberly Speight

For "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Doris Roberts, a win for supporting actress in a comedy series means she'll have some organizing to do back at the house.

"I have four other ones at home," she said. "I spoke to them this morning, and I said: 'Girls, move over. I'm bringing another one home tonight.'

"After beating out "all those gorgeous women" in the supporting actress category, Roberts still has room on her career to-do list, including winning an Oscar. And if she happens to be cast in "Desperate Grandmothers," she said she would like Sean Connery to play the sexy gardener.

As for lending a helping hand to victims of Hurricane Katrina, Roberts said she is on her way to Mississippi to do a benefit. "We all should do it," she said.