The CBS News special 'Rob Reiner — Scenes From a Life' attracted 6.2 million viewers on December 21, including 858,000 adults 25-54, amid the murders of the director, 78, and his wife Michele, 70. Building on tributes from stars like Kathy Bates and Mandy Patinkin—as covered previously—the 45-minute program featured career clips and reflections from Reiner's collaborators.
According to Nielsen, the Sunday night special averaged 6.2 million total viewers and 858,000 in the key adults 25-54 demo. It included new interviews with friends including Kathy Bates, Annette Bening, Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry O’Connell, and Mandy Patinkin, plus clips from CBS News appearances (like Reiner's recent '60 Minutes') and films such as 'The Princess Bride,' 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Misery,' 'This Is Spinal Tap,' 'The American President,' and 'Stand by Me,' alongside his 'All in the Family' role.
Now streaming on Paramount+ and YouTube, the special follows the December 14 discovery of Rob and Michele Reiner's bodies in their Los Angeles Brentwood home. Death certificates list sharp force injuries from a knife as the cause, inflicted minutes before death 'by another.' Son Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested that night, charged with two murder counts, facing life without parole or death; he entered no plea on December 17.
Married since 1989 after meeting on 'When Harry Met Sally,' they had children Nick, Romy, and Jake; Rob also adopted Tracy from his prior marriage to Penny Marshall. Romy found the bodies after a missed appointment. Siblings Jake and Romy stated: “Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain... They weren’t just our parents; they were our best friends,” thanking supporters and noting a future memorial.
Son of Carl Reiner, the director's hits included 'A Few Good Men' and 2025's 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues'; a related 'Spinal Tap' concert film is paused.
