Back in 1993, I became friends with the class jokester in the 3rd grade; let's call him Joe. Joe could be funny, friendly, and outgoing, but he also had a shy side. During one of his quieter moments, we realized we both loved wrestling, had a knack for drawing, and were both obsessed with Nickelodeon’s brand-new series of cartoons, most particularly Doug and Rocko’s Modern Life.
Joe and I became fast friends, hanging out after school hours most weekends. For a stretch there, we'd meet every first Friday of the month at the PAL (Police Athletic League) dances the middle school hosted for grades 3 through 7. We'd feel like big kids hanging out with the older grades, and sometimes we’d have sleepovers after the dance. We'd stay up late playing board games, sketching our own cartoon stories, and chatting about school drama.
We were together in class again in fourth grade and even played Little League together that year, but by fifth and sixth grade, we drifted apart. Different classes meant we didn’t see each other much anymore.
That’s just how younger friendships go, I think. Friendships are close until you’re not in the same classroom every day, and then you drift apart.
My one constant friend was Chris. We met in kindergarten when he stabbed me in the hand with a sharpened crayon, but even we had stretches of silence when class schedules kept us apart.
By the end of eighth grade, Joe and I reconnected through a mutual friend, Andrew, whose sister was dating my brother at the time. Pro wrestling was huge in 1997-98, at the peak of its pop culture heights, and our shared love for the squared circle brought us back together.
Joe tried out for hockey and played on the Freshman team, but by Junior Varsity, he bailed halfway through, sticking to baseball instead.
I continued on with hockey well into college, so we drifted apart again. No hard feelings, just different life paths.
About ten years ago, when I was back home visiting my parents, I bumped into Joe at a supermarket. That tall goofy kid I knew was now a muscular prison guard, but still the same great guy.
Why am I telling you about Joe?
He was obsessed with The Drew Carey Show. He was always after me to watch it, and I'd always laugh him off, saying it was too boring. The truth is, I had barely watched the show more than a handful of times, but had already decided it wasn't for me. I still remember that one day after hockey practice, we were in the locker room, untying our skates, and he begged me to go home and watch it when it was on later that night.
I finally agreed and went home and watched the show that night. I'll be honest, I still wasn't impressed. The theme song was catchy, but the show was just "ok."
Years later, in college, I caught reruns on the great local Long Island station WLNY, which aired numerous syndicated sitcoms and allowed me to fall in love with other shows I had missed, like Roseanne.
Slowly, the show’s quirky humor grew on me. When my brother turned me on to Craig Ferguson’s late-night talk show, I quickly realized Ferguson had been on The Drew Carey Show, and that made me even more interested in it.
After seeing the fantastic April Fool's episodes or when they tried the "live" episode, I was enthralled.
Two days ago, on September 13, 2025, The Drew Carey Show celebrated its 30th anniversary. It debuted on ABC on September 13, 1995, and ran for nine seasons, concluding with its finale on May 8, 2004.
For those keeping score, we also just passed the 21st anniversary of the final episode, as well.
The show starred Drew Carey as a fictionalized version of himself, an average Cleveland guy. A real-life adult Charlie Brown, Drew had a dead-end job, quirky friends, and rotten luck. His life at the Winfred-Louder department store, filled with workplace chaos and tight friendships, resonated with audiences at a time in America where many felt they were chasing something better.
With 233 episodes, the series captured the struggles and humor of middle-class life. It earned early praise but lost momentum in later seasons, with Nielsen ratings declining rapidly at the end.
Airing Wednesdays at 8:30 PM Eastern in its first season, it later moved to 9:00 PM in Season 2, boosted by lead-ins like Dharma & Greg. It competed directly against NBC’s Third Rock from the Sun and FOX’s Party of Five in that timeslot.
The show debuted at number 48 in Nielsen ratings with 10.1 million viewers, but climbed to number 18 in Season 2 (11.5 million viewers) before peaking at number 13 in Seasons 3 and 4, with approximately 12.1 million viewers. By Season 9, it had slipped to the 120th spot, averaging just 3.1 million, hit hard by the reality TV boom after 2000.
The show’s catchy theme songs and fun opening sequences were a big draw. The series began with the folksy “Moon Over Parma” in Season 1, but switched to The Vogues’ “Five O’Clock World” for Season 2. In Season 3, the iconic “Cleveland Rocks” (covered by The Presidents of the United States of America) became the theme song that lasted for the remainder of the series. All versions were choreographed to fun dance sequences.
Drew helped keep the production rolling, but as costs and crew size increased, he began stepping back creatively. The show evolved with its audience, starting out light and goofy, but it later began to weave in life lessons and more complex topics. These changes kept the show fresh, even if the ratings didn't follow suit.
Syndication for the season began in 1999, but music rights issues resulted in heavy editing or missing episodes.
In May 2025, the complete series was released on DVD and digital download for the first time. This was a huge deal for fans, who had been waiting for decades. It's also available on PLEX and Pluto, although not in syndication. Music rights were the cause of fans' headaches, like many DVD box sets, and The Drew Carey Show set (and streaming) episodes feature many generic songs swapped in for the originals.
The 30th anniversary DVD features uncut episodes, bonus content, and a YouTube channel for exclusive clips.
Born May 23, 1958, in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, Drew Carey was the youngest of three brothers. After losing his dad at the very young age of eight, he found comfort in music, playing trumpet in his school’s marching band. He attended Kent State University but was expelled twice for poor academic performance and left after three years. He subsequently joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a radio operator. He eventually rose to the rank of sergeant, which he later credits the Marine discipline for helping him handle the grueling schedule of writing, producing, and acting.
In 1985, encouraged by local DJ David Lawrence, whom he was writing jokes for, Carey tried stand-up comedy. He borrowed joke-writing books from the library and began attending open mic nights in the Cleveland area. After winning a local contest, he became emcee at the Cleveland Comedy Club, and his big break came in 1988 on Star Search with Ed McMahon.
Drew's First Appearance on The Tonight Show
In 1991, he made a stand-up appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which significantly boosted his career. After his set, Johnny invited him over to the guest couch, a rare nod of approval from the comedy legend. Following the appearance on The Tonight Show, Carey was in high demand, with several spots on Late Night with David Letterman boosting his profile. He landed minor roles in the movie Coneheads (1993) and NBC’s The Good Life (1994), where he developed his "hapless middle-class bachelor" character before getting hired as a writing consultant for Someone Like Me (1994).
Connections made at Someone Like Me helped him earn an opportunity to pitch The Drew Carey Show to ABC, which was greenlit after a brief fight for creative control. Carey's salary started at $60,000 per episode, rising to $300,000 by the midway point of the show's run. By the final season, Carey had signed a reported $750,000-per-episode deal.
In a 2025 Cleveland Magazine interview, he stated that he chose Cleveland to represent the Midwest’s grit and dry humor, thereby setting the show apart from the numerous Los Angeles- or New York-based sitcoms.
Kathy Kinney’s Mimi Bobeck, originally a one-off, became an instant fan favorite, evolving from a villain to a richly layered character who eventually married and had a son. After the show ended, Kathy launched MrsP.com in 2008, where she reads and provides children's books for kids. She wrote her memoir Queen of Your Own Life in 2010, voiced one of the penguins in the Madagascar cartoon franchise, and made appearances in American Housewife and Stumptown in 2020.
Ryan Stiles played deadpan Lewis Kiniski in all 233 episodes, using his Whose Line Is It Anyway? improv skills. It's been said that Stiles told Carey about the British version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? which led to the pair creating the 1998 U.S. version. After The Drew Carey Show, Ryan continued with Whose Line? and played Dr. Herb Melnick on Two and a Half Men. He founded the Upfront Theatre in Bellingham, Washington, to mentor young improv comics. He also currently stars in Netflix's Leanne (as of 2025).
Diedrich Bader’s lovable dimwit Oswald Lee Harvey shone in all 233 episodes with his physical comedy. Afterward, he provided the voice of Batman in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" from 2008 to 2011, and appeared in American Housewife, Veep, Better Things, and Harley Quinn. He also frequently makes uncredited comedic guest appearances in his friends' projects.
Christa Miller’s Kate O’Brien appeared in 184 episodes, but she left the show during Season 8 for family reasons. After the series ended, Christa starred in Scrubs and Cougar Town, and now appears on Apple TV's series Shrinking, where she also acts as music coordinator.
Cynthia Watros joined the cast as Kellie Newmark for the final 52 episodes, adding a new romantic arc as a former high school girlfriend. Watros, known for her work on the soap opera Guiding Light from 1994 to 1998, appeared on the hit series Lost after her role on The Drew Carey Show. Recently, she has returned to soaps, working on The Young and the Restless and General Hospital.
Craig Ferguson’s quirky boss Nigel Wick, introduced in Season 2, was in 74 episodes, drawing on his own sobriety story. After The Drew Carey Show ended, Ferguson went on to host CBS's The Late Late Show from 2005 to 2014, where he won a Peabody Award. After the talk show ended, he hosted The Celebrity Name Game from 2014 to 2017, during which he earned two Daytime Emmy Awards for his work. He now hosts the "JOY!" podcast on a weekly basis.
John Carroll Lynch played Drew’s cross-dressing brother Steve in 73 episodes, adding not just humor but social commentary. Lynch has remained busy since the series ended, appearing in a range of projects, from small independent films to large studio productions, including Zodiac (2007), Shutter Island (2010), and American Horror Story (2014–2019). He also appeared in the 2016 film The Founder about Ray Kroc and the story of McDonald's, and recently co-starred in the 2025 television series Ballard.
The series certainly evolved over the years. Season 1 delivered sharp workplace satire, mainly spent on Drew clashing with Mimi in the office and pining away for Kate. Season One's story arc was that of a more standard sitcom, playing it mostly safe to get through the first network renewal.
Seasons 2 through 7 were the "golden years," featuring sharp niche humor with deeper stories. Involvement with (and from) the show Whose Line? brought improv humor and the willingness to try different things, like the fan favorite April Fool's episodes. Nigel Wick (Ferguson) was introduced in Season Two for more office drama, and the later seasons humanized Mimi as she married Steve and had their son, Gus.
Seasons 8 and 9 felt more like contractual obligations, and the show was going through the motions. When Kate left at the beginning of Season 8, Kellie stepped in, but fans had grown attached to the Kate character. The show began mirroring cultural shifts, like online shopping and the "Neverending Store." Episodes began to air erratically in later years, as ABC dumped them in seemingly random summer slots. The finale, with Drew and Kellie expecting a baby, provided the series with a heartfelt conclusion, although it was pretty different from the show’s early vibe.
The Opening To A "What's Wrong With This Episode" Episode from 2000
Over the years, the show made bold moves, such as musical episodes, live broadcasts, and the April Fools' "spot the mistakes" episodes. Crossovers, like Tim Allen’s Home Improvement character, added fun moments throughout. Drew's in-show caffeinated homebrew, Buzz Beer, was a recurring gag tied to Drew’s entrepreneurial "get-rich-quick" dreams.
High production costs, at a reported $3 million per episode cost (including Carey's high salary), mixed with a rapid ratings decline, eventually led to the show's cancellation. Reality television shows like Survivor and American Idol, along with inconsistent timeslots (especially after Season 8's move to Mondays), contributed to declining ratings. Carey kept the set disciplined but stepped back creatively as costs grew.
In a 2025 interview in Parade magazine, Carey called the show's humor timeless, even if it derailed late in the run.
While starring in The Drew Carey Show, Carey also hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway? from 1998 to 2006, often joining in on the improv games at the end of the show. He hit Forbes' highest-paid entertainers list in 1998, earning $45.5 million that year. After sitcom life, Carey hosted Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show (2004–2005), a digital improv take on Whose Line that included audience participation and green screens. In 2007, he filmed a pilot for a new game show called Power of 10, but was asked to take over The Price Is Right following Bob Barker’s retirement.
Carey's first episode of The Price is Right was on October 15, 2007.
In 1999, Disney World opened an attraction featuring Drew Carey at Disney's Hollywood Studios (then known as Disney MGM Studios). Disney's Sounds Dangerous attraction was a 12-minute audio adventure that led guests to believe they were witnessing a test pilot for a show called Undercover Live. Guests wore headphones and spent the majority of the show in darkness, listening to special sound effects that evoked a "theater of the mind" and told the story. This show replaced the Monster Sound Show, which showed park guests how movie foley work was done. The Drew Carey version, Sounds Dangerous! ended in 2012.
In 2011, Drew launched Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza in Las Vegas, at the Hollywood Theater at the MGM Grand Casino. The show used several Whose Line talent and was hosted by Carey himself. The show ran for 8 weeks, totalling 40 sold-out shows that were later aired on the Game Show Network.
You may also remember Carey appearing in several A&W Restaurant commercials, mainly if you lived in Canada. That relationship came to an end in 1999, when an episode of The Drew Carey Show featured McDonald's. Several lawsuits ensued that were settled out of court.
Drew competes in the 2001 WWE Royal Rumble
In 2001, he entered WWE’s Royal Rumble and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
Starting around 2007, Carey hosted SiriusXM’s “Drew Carey’s Friday Night Dance Party” starting around 2007, turning it into “The Friday Night Freak Out” in 2018, airing weekly until 2024.
In 2018, he played a retired Marine sergeant in NCIS, using real photos from his time in the service. He competed on Dancing with the Stars Season 18, finishing in 8th place.
In 2022, he marked 15 years on The Price Is Right, and in 2023, he hosted a Bob Barker tribute special following Barker's death. He still hosts The Price is Right as of 2025.
Carey will occasionally photograph sporting events, most notably soccer games, under the pseudonym Brooks Parkenridge. His images sold via wire services around the world.
The Drew Carey Show personified the late ’90s with its relatable humor and Midwestern charm. Its workplace satire, evolving relationships, and bold experiments (like live episodes) kept it fresh through the years. Despite the music rights issues, its 2024 streaming release and 2025 DVD launch prove, as Carey said, that “good laughs never go out of style.”
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