TV Comedy Director James Burrows Has Died

One of TV’s most iconic sitcom directors, James Burrows, has died at the age of 85. Burrows passed away in his sleep this morning following a brief illness.

Winning eleven Emmys for his work, the most decorated comedic television director in history, his career spanned over fifty years and encompasses some of the most notable American sitcoms ever made starting with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Laverne & Shirley”.

Burrows helped set the tone and assemble the casts for some of the biggest sitcoms of the last five decades, helming the pilots and dozens, sometimes hundreds of episodes of “Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Friends,” “Frasier,” “Will & Grace,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Two Broke Girls,” “Mike & Molly” and “The Big Bang Theory”.

Burrows’ longtime agent Rick Rosen says in a statement: “Jimmy was the greatest comedic television director in the history of the medium. He directed the most iconic, defining shows of generations. Always a gentleman, it was an absolute honor to represent him.”

The numbers are astonishing. He helmed 246 episodes of “Will & Grace,” 236 episode of “Cheers,” 75 episodes of “Taxi,” 49 episodes of “Mike & Molly,” 36 episodes of “Frasier,” 21 episodes of “Caroline in the City,” and 15 episodes of “Friends”.

He hit the 1,000 episode mark in 2015 and didn’t stop there – keeping going for years after helming “Mid-Century Modern,” the “Will & Grace” and “Frasier” revivals,”

Burrows also served as executive producer on many of these shows. His last effort was on screen with a recurring role on the third season of HBO’s “The Comeback” earlier this year playing a fictional version of himself.

Source: Deadline

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