By Rob Owen | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In the end, CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond" concluded last night with tears -- but they were tears that paved the way for laugh-out-loud gags. After 210 episodes and 12 Emmy Award wins, would you expect otherwise?

Robert (Brad Garrett) was jealous of the attention his brother Raymond (Ray Romano) received for having to get his adenoids removed, while mom Marie (Doris Roberts) babied her beloved, sickly first born son and insulted his wife Debra's (Patrica Heaton) cooking.

While waiting for Raymond to come out of surgery, the family got an unpleasant shock: A nurse said Raymond wasn't waking up. Suddenly, the bickering ceased and tears flowed -- but only for 30 seconds. A doctor quickly assured them Raymond was fine. Marie had gone to the bathroom, and Debra, who'd been a wreck moments earlier, issued a decree: No one tell Raymond or his mother that he'd been in mortal danger.

Naturally, the secret didn't last. Debra mooned over Ray, cranky Frank (Peter Boyle) was sweet to his wife and pretty soon the jig was up.

Marie rushed to Ray's bedroom and bounded into bed between him and Debra, who exclaimed, "I knew one day this would happen."

"Would somebody please tell me why my worst nightmare is coming true?" Ray asked before getting caught up in the drama of his possible demise.

It was classic "Raymond": Family squabbling with a touch of heart, followed by a joke to cut through anything that veered too close to the sentimental.

Ray asked his family what they were thinking for that crucial 30 seconds, and Robert was quick to reply, "I was thinking, with that nose, you're gonna need an open casket."

The half-hour finale ended with the entire clan crowded around the breakfast table, talking over one another as they so often did. The only hint that it was the end of an era came from the slow pan of the camera as it pulled away from a typical Barone family tableau for the last time.

Unlike so many long-running series, "Raymond" leaves the air at the top of its game creatively. Ratings-wise, it's no longer at its peak (that came in the 2000-01 TV season), but "Raymond" remains the top-rated sitcom on TV and the only one in the Top 10 in household ratings.

"Raymond" was no sure thing when it premiered in 1996, a ratings loser on Friday nights. Critical acclaim gave CBS the impetus to move the show to Mondays, where it has since flourished.

"Raymond" struck a chord with viewers with its frighteningly relatable plots, often culled from the lives of its writers. It was a traditional sitcom, but tackled subjects traditional sitcoms wouldn't dare touch: Ray and Debra exhibited their stubbornness and competitiveness, whether it was a test of wills over which one would carry a suitcase up the stairs or who could hold out for sex longer; Ray and Robert argued about which one loved their mother more; and one of the Barone children embarrassed the whole family when he told a story about them at school titled "The Angry Family."

Prior to the finale, CBS aired a one-hour "Raymond" retrospective, and it was better than most series finale remembrances as it chronicled the taping of the last episode and gave air time to the memories of both the cast and the show's writers/producers (the anonymous stars of any well-written TV series). It was an exceptional behind-the-scenes hour, one that deserves to be included in a future "Raymond" DVD boxed set.