The network liked Heaton enough to cast her as Ray Romano's wife in "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 1996 after she played the birth mother of Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt) on "Party of Five" earlier that year. Playing Debra Barone on "Everyone Loves Raymond" (CBS, 1996-2005) garnered the actress both popular acclaim and Emmy nominations (including back to back statues in 2000 and 2001). An atypical wife and mother part, Debra was the backbone of the family, but had her own neuroses and idiosyncrasies. Having fought to ensure her character was more than just a straight man or background player, Heaton was instrumental in creating the dynamic between Debra, Raymond and their extended family that helped make the show ring true with audiences and win so many fans. In 2002, Heaton's work on "Everybody Loves Raymond" was recognized once again with another Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in A Comedy Series" and she received another three subsequent nominations.

Although TV series employment was steady, Heaton continued to produce stage plays, some in tandem with her husband, actor David Hunt. Her occasional feature film appearances include small roles in "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and "Beethoven" (both 1992), "Space Jam" (1996) and Michael Tolkin's directorial debut "The New Age" (1994). She also appeared in telepics, including "Miracle in the Woods" (1997), "A Town Without Christmas" (2001) and in the lead opposite Jeff Daniels in the 2004 TV adaptation of Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl." She also appeared in a long-running series of TV and radio commercials for the grocery store chain Albertson's, as well as serving as a pitchwoman for other products.

Heaton also became known as an advocate of freshing with judicious plastic surgery--particularly to soften the physical effects of her four pregnancies--with her candid revelations in her 2002 book Motherhood and Hollywood : How to Get a Job Like Mine.