Television has lost one its biggest comedy names — James Burrows, the most decorated multi-camera director in the history of the medium, passed away in his sleep this morning, June 19, after a brief illness. The 11-time Emmy winner was 85.
His 50+-year career will remain unmatched — both in longevity and influence as he played a crucial role in some of television’s biggest hits, including Cheers, which he also co-created, Taxi, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.
“Jimmy was the greatest comedic television director in the history of the medium,” Burrows’ longtime agent Rick Rosen said. “He directed the most iconic, defining shows of generations. Always a gentleman, it was an absolute honor to represent him.”
Burrows ran a small theater in San Diego before switching to TV directing. He began his career with The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1974 and directed a slew of episodes of comedy shows such as The Bob Newhart Show and Laverne & Shirley early on.
He went on set the tone and help assemble the casts for some of the biggest sitcoms of the last five decades by directing the pilots for Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, Two Broke Girls, The Big Bang Theory and The Neighborhood.
Burrows directed 246 episodes of Will & Grace, 236 episode of Cheers, 75 episodes of Taxi, 49 episodes of Mike & Molly, 36 episodes of Frasier, 21 episode of Caroline In the City and 15 episodes of Friends. Burrows served as executive producer on Cheers, Will & Grace and Mike & Molly, among many others.
“Jimmy Burrows was the man behind the curtain,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement. “He knew how to make us laugh, what buttons to push and was the absolute master of getting the most out of every joke. His loss to the television comedy world is immeasurable. Every time you have a smile on your face watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Will & Grace, Friends and countless others, think of Jimmy and know he made all our lives funnier.”
The prolific director never slowed down. In 2015, Burrows marked his 1,000th episode as a director. He worked on both the Will & Grace and Frasier recent revivals and also executive produced and directed all 10 episodes of Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan’s 2025 Hulu comedy series Mid-Century Modern, which landed him his 28th Emmy directing nomination at age 84 last year and 47th overall.
Over his career, Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards, including five for directing and five for Outstanding Comedy Series (Cheers, Will & Grace). He also executive produced two Live in Front of a Studio Audience ABC specials, which recreated Norman Lear’s All in the Family and Good Times in 2019, and The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes in 2021, earning his final Emmy for the former in 2020. In 2006, Burrows was inducted into Television Academy’s Hall of Fame.
In what is believed to be his last public appearance, Burrows spoke at the November 2025 memorial of his agent of 50 years, Bob Broder. While he looked frail at the time, the director brought the house down with his signature wit and comedic timing.
In a poignant end to his career, Burrows most recently recurred on the third season of HBO’s Comeback this year, reuniting with Friends star Lisa Kudrow. Playing a fictional version of himself, Burrows directed the pilot for the first multi-camera sitcom written by AI before quitting the production with the message — AI can never deliver the emotion and tension needed to make great television.
