The third season of Everybody Loves Raymond was produced by HBO Independent Productions, creator Philip Rosenthal's company Where's Lunch, and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants.

[6] Some content of the season made the airwaves despite disapproval from CBS, such as the use of the word "ass" in "Big Shots" and the entirety of "Halloween Candy.

[10] "The Sitter" received 363,000 male viewers who were 12 to 17 years old and was the highest-rated non-sports show in the demographic that week.

[11] Everybody Loves Raymond topped Entertainment Weekly's list of the best series of 1998: "This organic vision of family life as a chain reaction of comic agita is vividly rendered by a flawless ensemble," and the "comedy is rooted in characters as deeply drawn as those of TV’s best dramas.

"[12] In October 1998, an Omaha World-Herald critic included Everybody Loves Raymond as one of his "shows I would like to watch nearly every night of the week.

[14] Reviewing the fall 1998 television season, Chicago Tribune critic Steve Johnson wrote the show was a "deserved hit" for CBS.

And Brad Garrett established himself as the single funniest man on TV, displaying unexpected range as a physical comedian in two hilarious dance sequences at the beginning and the end of the season.

"[16] Upon the 1998–99 TV season's closure, The Tampa Tribune named Raymond "a contender for the best sitcom on television, appealing to young and old viewers.

"[17] The Star Tribune also praised the ensemble acting in the season,[18] and the Hartford Courant called it one of the few "signs of life" in a landscape of series focus on demographics and profits over quality.

[33] Madylin Sweeten was nominated for a Youth in Film award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actress[34] and a YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy TV Series.

[40] After the kids cause chaos at the supermarket, Ray and Debra hire a baby sitter, Lisa, much to Marie's shock and disappointment.