Written by Romano and show creator Philip Rosenthal and directed by David Lee, it depicts Ray surviving a night of his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) going through premenstrual syndrome.

Debra is going through premenstrual syndrome (PMS); as a result, she has mood swings that make her more reactive to Ray's clumsiness and stubbornness when it comes to their house's cleanliness.

Then, in an instant, Debra switches to a positive mood when the phone rings and she has a chat with an off-screen Amy, one of her friends, about that evening's ladies day.

Writing-wise, "Bad Moon Rising" is the third collaboration between Ray Romano and Philip Rosenthal,[1] after "How They Met"[2] and the two-part "The Wedding.

"[7] Upon its initial airing, "Bad Moon Rising" was claimed by contemporaneous reviewers to be a "classic"[8][9] and worthy of Emmy Awards, particularly for Heaton's performance.

[10][8][11] Mark Lorando of The Times-Picayune gave it a four-out-of-four-star review, summarizing, "[The couple's] big, final, pre-menstrual battle royale is as funny as any sitcom scene you'll see all year.

[13][14] However, "Bad Moon Rising" has also received criticism from psychologists for its inaccurate portrayal of premenstrual syndrome, citing it as an example of a trend in comedy television series of PMS as a comedic tactic.