James Burrows, Prolific Sitcom Director of 'Friends' and 'Cheers,' Dies at 85

James Burrows, the most decorated director in American sitcom history, died on Friday at age 85. He was best known for helping shape some of television’s biggest and most enduring comedies, including "Friends," "Cheers," "The Big Bang Theory," "Will & Grace," "Frasier," "Taxi" and "Two and a Half Men." His longtime agent, Rick Rosen, said, "Jimmy was the greatest director of television comedy in the history of the medium," adding that he guided iconic shows across generations and was always a gentleman.

Burrows began his career after running a small movie theater in San Diego, California. He entered television directing in 1974 with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," then went on to direct many episodes of shows such as "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Laverne & Shirley." He later helped define the look and cast chemistry of major sitcoms from the 1970s through the 2000s by directing pilot episodes for "Friends," "Taxi," "Cheers," "Frasier," "Will & Grace," "The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men," "The Odd Couple" and "Mike & Molly."

His episode totals were extraordinary: 246 episodes of "Will & Grace," including the 2017 revival after an 11-year break, 236 of "Cheers," 75 of "Taxi," 49 of "Mike & Molly," 36 of "Frasier," including the sequel series, and 15 of "Friends." He also served as an executive producer on some of those series and on many other productions. In 2015, he marked the 1,000th television episode he had directed.

Burrows remained active late in life. He produced and directed the 2025 comedy "Mid-Century Modern," a gay version of "The Golden Girls" written by the creators of "Will & Grace." The show brought him his 28th Emmy directing nomination at age 84 and his 47th Emmy nomination overall. Across his career, he won 11 Emmy Awards, including for outstanding comedy series for "Cheers" and "Will & Grace." He was also recently seen in a recurring guest role on the third season of "The Comeback," reuniting with "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow as a fictional version of himself who directs a pilot for an AI-written sitcom and later says artificial intelligence can never provide the emotion and tension needed for great television.