James Burrows, the masterful television director who won 11 Emmy Awards and five DGA Awards, and whose unmatched influence helped define the modern sitcom, has died. His credits stretched across some of the most beloved comedy series in TV history, including Taxi, Cheers (which he also co-created), Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was 85.
“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family,” his family said in a statement to People on Friday. “For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history. As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world.”
After cutting his directing teeth on episodes of Mary Tyler Moore, The Bob Newhart Show and Laverne & Shirley, Burrows become the primary director for ABC’s Taxi and took home back-to-back Emmys in 1980 and ’81. They were the first of what would be an astounding 48 Emmy nominations over a 45-year period. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2006.
But if Taxi would be Burrows’ breakthrough, it was Cheers that cemented his legacy. As the show’s executive producer and primary director (some 236 episodes), it would generate nearly half of his total Emmy bids (23) and more than half of his triumphs (six) as well as 10 of his 23 DGA Awards nominations and half of his overall victories (five).
It is indeed NBC’s iconic barroom comedy with which Burrows is most identified, as he also is credited as its co-creator along with brothers Glen and Les Charles. He would also go on to win Emmys for his producing and directing Will and Grace and Frasier. He was also honored in 2015 with the DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Burrows also directed more than 50 TV series pilots over the course of his illustrious career, a gig for which he was consistently sought out. To have Burrows helming your show’s pilot was more than just a good-luck charm; it stood out as an imprint of quality. It was a job Burrows had on Will and Grace in 2006, and he stuck around to direct all 198 episodes of that NBC original series through 2006 as well as every installment of its later reboot.
Among the pilots Burrows directed were those for Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Taxi, Night Court, Wings, Two and a Half Men, Caroline in the City, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Mike and Molly. Indeed, his fingerprints could be found on virtually every era of modern American TV comedy.
Yet the impact Burrows had on television primetime can’t be measured solely by the abundant honors he accrued. He was also renowned for working with actors, in particular the inexperienced stars of shows like Friends. He was also credited with adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera sitcom setup, freeing up casts for greater movement and flexibility on-set. His skill in the multi-cam setup remains unmatched.
James Edward Burrows was born on Dec. 30, 1940, in Los Angeles, the son of acclaimed writer-director Abe Burrows, who wrote the book for such acclaimed Broadway shows as Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Can Can. His family soon relocated to New York City following James’ birth, and he grew up around the stage creative community. He eventually graduated from Yale University School of Drama and cut his teeth on some of his father’s Broadway shows before coming back out to L.A.
It was in fact James Burrows’ growing prowess as a director of theater that generated an offer to direct a Mary Tyler Moore episode, and James never looked back. It led to his directing more than 1,000 episodes of television all told, a milestone for which NBC honored him with the 2016 special “Must See TV: An All-Star Salute to James Burrows” which featured performers and co-workers whose careers he helped to launch and nurture.
The fact that a broadcast network would give over two hours of prime time to the work of a man no one ever saw spoke to Burrows’ unprecedented impact on the medium that made him rich and famous.
Burrows tended to be candid but modest and realistic about his own mega-prolific career. He told IndieWire in 2023, “The camera, I leave that to Spielberg and Scorsese. I understand characters. I understand what’s funny. I understand the essence of keeping it moving and keeping the energy going. It’s all theatrical.”
He earlier told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m not a martinet or a dictator. I don’t come in for the day of rehearsal knowing where my actors are going to be on the stage. I sit with my cast and I talk to them about their characters. And I try to get them to like one another, because if they do, that’s going to come across onscreen. So I’ll try to do lunch together. Sometimes, I’ll bring them here for a party, which I did with Mike & Molly. With the Friends kids, I took them to Vegas.”
That Friends cast bonding trip prior to the show’s premiere become renowned for Burrows’ prophetic warning to them: “Put your seatbelt on because this is your last shot at anonymity. Once the show comes on the air, you guys will never be able to go anywhere without being hounded.”
By being behind the scenes, however, Burrows managed to remain invisible throughout his life to everyone except the industry that rightfully revered him as television’s greatest director.
