{"id":2536,"date":"2026-06-19T19:07:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2536"},"modified":"2026-06-19T19:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T19:07:22","slug":"james-burrows-tv-sitcom-director-who-co-created-cheers-worked-on-taxi-dies-at-85","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2536","title":{"rendered":"James Burrows, TV Sitcom Director Who Co-created \u2018Cheers,\u2019 Worked on \u2018Taxi,\u2019 Dies at 85"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television\u2019s preeminent sitcom helmer for more than 30 years, died on Friday. He was85.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more The TCA Awards Must Bring Back An In-Person Ceremony to Ensure Its Longevity<\/a><\/p>\n

Burrows\u2019 death was confirmed in a statement to People: \u201cWe celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James \u2018Jimmy\u2019 Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burrows won 10 Emmy Awards, starting with back-to-back comedy directing trophies in 1980 and 1981 for his work on ABC\u2019s \u201cTaxi.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was renowned for his skill in directing pilots and working with actors, particularly inexperienced thesps such as the stars of NBC\u2019s \u201cFriends.\u201d He was also credited for opening up the world of sitcoms by adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera setup.<\/p>\n

Burrows was co-creator of NBC\u2019s indelible barroom comedy \u201cCheers,\u201d with brothers Glen and Les Charles, and he directed all 188 episodes of NBC\u2019s \u201cWill & Grace,\u201d from 1998-2006.<\/p>\n

In February 2016 NBC honored the director and producer as he notched his 1,000th sitcom episode, an iron-man milestone he reached Nov. 24, 2015, while working on the NBC sitcom \u201cCrowded,\u201d starring Carrie Preston, Patrick Warburton and Stacy Keach. For the Feb. 21 special \u201cMust See TV: An All Star Salute to James Burrows, \u201d a\u00a0gaggle of stars from his shows over the years gathered at the Jan. 24 taping of the tribute in Hollywood to sing his praises. Who else but the helmer simply known as Jimmy could bring Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Melissa McCarthy, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen under one roof for a common goal: saluting the man who was crucial in launching or furthering their careers \u2014 and in many cases fattening their bank accounts with a steady stream of syndication payments.<\/p>\n

That NBC devoted two hours of Sunday real estate to saluting a director reinforces Burrows\u2019 unique status in the industry. His influence extends from the style he brought to his shows to the mentoring he\u2019s offered a generation of helmers.<\/p>\n

Burrows was the son of writer-director Abe Burrows, who wrote the book for such Broadway classics as \u201cGuys and Dolls,\u201d \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying\u201d and \u201cCan Can.\u201d James Burrows was born in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a writer for top radio comedies, but the family soon relocated to New York City. Burrows grew up immersed in the world of writers, actors, directors and other creative talent and was known as \u201cAbe\u2019s kid\u201d to family friends such as John Steinbeck, Edward Albee and Truman Capote.<\/p>\n

Burrows was born in Los Angeles but attended Gotham\u2019s High School of Music & Arts and later Oberlin College and Yale University School of Drama. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating and worked as a dialogue coach on a short-lived Burl Ives comedy series created by Abe Burrows, \u201cO.K. Crackerby!\u201d<\/p>\n

James Burrows returned to New York and worked as a stage manager on a Broadway run of \u201cBreakfast at Tiffany\u2019s,\u201d produced by his father and Albee. Burrows got his first experience directing during the production. He went on to direct the touring play \u201c40 Carats,\u201d followed by other touring productions of such plays as \u201cMr. Roberts\u201d and \u201cThe Odd Couple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Rosie O\u2019Donnell \u2018Would Be Up\u2019 to Guest Host on \u2018The View,\u2019 But \u2018They Haven\u2019t Asked Me\u2019: \u2018Mommy Knows How to Hold a Grudge\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

By 1974, Burrows\u2019 reputation as a theater director earned him an offer from James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to direct an episode of the pair\u2019s \u201cThe Mary Tyler Moore Show.\u201d From then on Burrows worked almost exclusively on the smallscreen. He directed more than episodes of more than 100 TV series and was nommed for a record 21 Directors Guild Awards, taking the plaque four times.<\/p>\n

Among the dozens of other shows he worked on were \u201cThe Bob Newhart Show,\u201d \u201cRhoda,\u201d \u201cThe Betty White Show,\u201d \u201cLaverne & Shirley,\u201d \u201cLou Grant,\u201d \u201cThe Tony Randall Show,\u201d \u201cThe Associates,\u201d \u201cThe Stockard Channing Show,\u201d \u201cThe Hogan Family,\u201d \u201cNight Court,\u201d \u201cDear John,\u201d \u201cLadies Man,\u201d \u201cWings,\u201d \u201cFrasier,\u201d \u201cNewsRadio,\u201d \u201cThird Rock from the Sun,\u201d \u201cPearl,\u201d \u201cDharma & Greg,\u201d \u201cCaroline in the City,\u201d \u201cGeorge & Leo,\u201d \u201cThe Class,\u201d \u201cCourting Alex,\u201d \u201cBack to You,\u201d \u201cTwo and a Half Men,\u201d \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d \u201cHank,\u201d \u201cUp All Night,\u201d \u201cBetter with You,\u201d \u201c$#*! My Dad Says,\u201d \u201c2 Broke Girls,\u201d \u201cPartners,\u201d \u201cMike & Molly\u201d and \u201cThe Millers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burrows\u2019 sole foray into movies was the 1982 flop \u201cPartners,\u201d a Paramount comedy starring Ryan O\u2019Neal as a cop goes undercover with a gay police clerk played by John Hurt to solve a series of murders.<\/p>\n

In a 2013 Q&A held as part of USC\u2019s Comedy@SCA festival, Burrows said he always felt it important for directors to be part of the creative process \u2014 even when they come into an existing operation for a one-off episodic job.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be a traffic cop, get in there and say what you wanna say,\u201d Burrows said of talking to scribes. \u201cIt\u2019ll only make things better.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the man who probably spent more time than anyone else calling the shots on network TV sitcoms was humble about what it takes to generate a hit show.<\/p>\n

In 2014 he was selected to receive a lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in television direction from the Directors Guild of America.<\/p>\n

Burrows was married to Linda Solomon from 1981-93.<\/p>\n

He is survived by second wife Debbie Easton, whom he married in 1997, and three children by Solomon.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Leviticus\u2019: How the Romantic Horror Movie Was Inspired by a \u2018Regression\u2019 of Gay Rights<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television\u2019s preeminent sitcom helmer for more than 30 years, has died. He was\u00a085.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[2157,2158,2159,2160],"class_list":["post-2536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-cheers","tag-james-burrows","tag-taxi-2","tag-will-grace"],"yoast_head":"\nJames Burrows, TV Sitcom Director Who Co-created \u2018Cheers,\u2019 Worked on \u2018Taxi,\u2019 Dies at 85 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2536\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"James Burrows, TV Sitcom Director Who Co-created \u2018Cheers,\u2019 Worked on \u2018Taxi,\u2019 Dies at 85 - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television\u2019s preeminent sitcom helmer for more than 30 years, has died. 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