#james burrows

Remembering James Burrows 1940-2026

Director James Burrows has died at 85. It is hard to imagine the history of television as we know it without shows he directed episodes for: Phyllis, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Laverne & Shirley, Rhoda, Taxi, Cheers (which he co-created), The Tortellis, Dear John, Frasier, Friends, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Caroline in the City, Will & Grace, The Big Bang Theory, and 2 Broke Girls just to name a few. It needs to be said that directors in television don't get the same recognition as film directors as TV shows are driven by the creator, hence they usually have guest directors each week. But Burrows had his hand on the pulse of what worked and didn't work for comedic timing. Just look at that resume!?! This is why he directed so many episodes of each show he did.

Burrows on right directing Sam and Diane on Cheers

Growing up in the Boston area, Cheers was always a big deal for me growing up. One could argue it was because I was in the Boston area they made references to on the show that took place there, but it was always consistently good in the ratings and was very funny! The idea of a neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name is something we all wanted and in a way Burrows made us feel like we were hanging out there most episodes.