James Burrows, ‘Cheers’ Co-Creator and Director of ‘Friends,’ ‘Will & Grace’ and More, Dead at 85
James Burrows, the most prolific and influential sitcom director in the history of American television, died Friday. He was 85.
His family confirmed his death in a statement: "We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James 'Jimmy' 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." No cause of death was provided.
The Man Behind the Laugh Track
Born Dec. 30, 1940, in Los Angeles and raised in New York, Burrows was the son of celebrated Broadway composer and playwright Abe Burrows. He earned a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master of fine arts from Yale before making his way into the theater world — and eventually into television, where he would spend the better part of six decades.
His first job on television was directing episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That connection opened further doors: Moore enlisted Burrows to direct episodes of The Bob Newhart Show and the Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoffs Rhoda and Phyllis. From there he moved to Taxi, where he won back-to-back Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1980 and 1981.
Co-Creating Cheers
In 1982, Burrows co-created Cheers with brothers Glen and Les Charles, who he had previously worked with on Taxi. He directed 240 of Cheers' 275 episodes. The show ran for 11 seasons on NBC and remains one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 1983. The series made household names of Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, and the rest of the ensemble — but Burrows's contribution behind the camera was just as defining.
The Pilot Whisperer
Perhaps no aspect of Burrows's career is more remarkable than his record with pilots. He directed the pilot episodes of some of the biggest sitcoms in television history, including Taxi, Frasier, Friends, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, and The Big Bang Theory. His ability to establish the tone, rhythm, and chemistry of a show in its very first episode was regarded as a singular gift in the industry.
His work on the Friends pilot was particularly notable. Burrows recognized immediately that the show had something special, and took the six young stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer — on a trip to Las Vegas before the pilot aired, telling them it would be their last opportunity for anonymity. He was right.
He played the director in "The One With the Butt," the 1994 episode of Friends in which Joey gets a job as Al Pacino's derriere double — one of several on-screen cameos he made in shows he directed over the years.
Will & Grace and 1,000 Episodes
Burrows helmed all 246 episodes of Will & Grace across its two runs, from its debut in 1998 through its revival finale in 2020. The show was groundbreaking in its portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in a mainstream network comedy, and Burrows's steady presence across every single episode was a major reason for its consistency and warmth.
In February 2016, NBC honored Burrows as he reached his 1,000th sitcom episode — a milestone he hit Nov. 24, 2015, while working on the NBC sitcom Crowded. The network devoted two hours of Sunday programming to "Must See TV: An All-Star Salute to James Burrows," with stars from across his decades of work gathering to celebrate him.
Burrows was last credited with directing four episodes of the Frasier reboot on Paramount+ and 10 episodes of the 2025 sitcom Mid-Century Modern.
His Legacy
Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards across his career and was nominated for 15 Directors Guild of America Awards, winning five. He was also credited with a technical innovation that changed how sitcoms looked and felt: adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera setup, which gave directors more flexibility in capturing live performances and helped make studio-audience comedies feel more dynamic.
Burrows told CBS Los Angeles in 2022 that the most important thing in his career had been to "deliver funny" to audiences. "The first thing you have to be is funny," he said.
He is survived by his wife, stylist Debbie Easton, his three daughters, and one stepdaughter.
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