James Burrows, Cheers co-creator and sitcom director, dies at 85

James Burrows, the prolific television director who helped define the modern sitcom through his work on “Cheers,” “Will & Grace,” “Frasier,” “Friends” and many other comedies, has died at 85.

His family confirmed his death in a statement to People, saying he “passed away peacefully today surrounded by his family,” NPR reported. Attorney Tom Hoberman also confirmed Burrows’ death “with great sadness,” according to CBS News. No cause or location of death was immediately provided.

Burrows spent decades behind the camera, directing more than 1,000 episodes of television. He co-created “Cheers” and directed 243 of its 273 episodes, and he directed all 246 episodes of the original “Will & Grace.” His credits also included “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Taxi,” “Friends,” “Frasier,” “Mike & Molly,” “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory.” He also directed episodes of the recent Paramount+ revival of “Frasier.”

Born James Edward Burrows on Dec. 30, 1940, in Los Angeles, he moved to New York at age 5. He spent five years in the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus, attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and later earned a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College. He also attended the Yale School of Drama, where he studied alongside classmates including actor-comedian Robert Klein, playwright John Guare and film director John Badham.

His father, Abe Burrows, was a writer, director and producer whose Broadway credits included “Guys and Dolls” and “Can-Can.” James Burrows spent much of his youth around theaters and studios, watching his father work. After early jobs in theater, road productions and television, he began directing for TV in 1974, when Grant Tinker invited him to Los Angeles to direct an episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” He later directed episodes of “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Laverne & Shirley.”

Burrows became known for his command of ensemble comedy and multi-camera sitcom production. NPR reported that he was credited with being one of the first sitcom directors to expand the typical multi-camera shoot from three cameras to four.

“When I direct a television show, I try to reach that sweet spot where the best script meets the best performance and the best chemistry between performers,” Burrows wrote in his 2022 memoir, “Directed by James Burrows.” “Hitting that exact moment, where these factors land in combination, results in the sweetest and most enduring laugh.”

His family said Burrows “understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter. It was about humanity, connection, and truth.” The family also said he would be remembered for his “kindness, generosity, and unwavering belief in the people around him.”

Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards and received dozens of Emmy nominations, including at least one every year from 1980 through 1996, according to CBS News. His most recent Emmy win came in 2020 for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). He was also nominated for 15 Directors Guild of America Awards and won five.

Though best known as a director, Burrows occasionally appeared on camera, including cameos in the first season of “Friends,” the “Will & Grace” revival and HBO’s “The Comeback.” In a 2022 interview with CBS Los Angeles, he said the key to his career was to “deliver funny” to viewers. “The first thing you have to be is funny,” he said.

Burrows is survived by his wife, stylist Debbie Easton; daughters Kat Schatzow, Ellie Gluck and Maggie Burrows; stepdaughter Paris; sister Laurie Burrows Grad; and seven grandchildren, according to NPR.