James Burrows, the director and co-creator whose fingerprints are on some of the most beloved comedies in American broadcasting history, died peacefully on Friday at the age of 85, surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife, Debbie Easton, and three children from his first marriage to Linda Solomon, People magazine reported. 

Family Issues Statement

In a statement, his family confirmed that the director has passed away “peacefully”. 

“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,” the statement read. 

It added, “As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world," the family said in a statement.”

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James Burrows Decades-Long Career

Few careers in television have matched his in either breadth or longevity. Burrows spent over thirty years at the centre of the sitcom world, accumulating 11 Emmy Awards along the way - including consecutive directing wins in 1980 and 1981 for the ABC comedy Taxi. He co-created Cheers alongside brothers Glen and Les Charles, and the NBC series went on to become one of the most celebrated shows in the medium's history.

His touch extended to virtually every major comedy of the modern era. He directed every episode of Will and Grace across both its original and revival runs, spanning more than two decades from 1998 to 2020. He was also instrumental in the early development of Friends, earning a reputation for coaxing strong performances out of young, untested casts. 

Technically, too, he left his mark. Burrows is credited with introducing a fourth camera to the standard three-camera sitcom format, subtly but meaningfully expanding the visual grammar of the genre.

In November 2015, while working on the comedy Crowded, he directed his 1,000th sitcom episode - a milestone NBC chose to celebrate with a primetime special, Must See TV: An All Star Salute to James Burrows, which drew together an extraordinary roll call of actors whose careers he had shaped, among them the casts of Cheers, Friends, Taxi, and The Big Bang Theory.

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Despite the scale of his achievements, Burrows carried his success lightly. At a 2013 event at USC, he summed up his directing philosophy with characteristic directness: rather than simply managing the room, he believed a director should wade in, say what needed to be said, and trust that the honesty would only make the work better.

The Directors Guild of America formally recognised his contribution to the medium in 2014, presenting him with its lifetime achievement award for television direction.

His sole venture into feature filmmaking was the 1982 Paramount comedy Partners. Television, it seems, was always where he truly belonged.