James Burrows

[phkrause]

Legendary TV sitcom director James Burrows died Friday at age 85. Called the “Steven Spielberg of Sitcoms,” Burrows directed more than 1,000 episodes of “Cheers,” “Friends,” and other hit TV shows. 

The Los Angeles native began directing episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in 1974. He then worked on “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Taxi,” and others before cocreating “Cheers” in 1982. Burrows directed nearly 90% of the episodes, including the 1993 series finale, which became the second-most-watched finale in television history after “M*A*S*H.” (Read a case for the show’s enduring legacy.)

Burrows went on to direct episodes of “Friends,” “Frasier,” “Will & Grace,” and “The Big Bang Theory,” among others. In all, he directed 75 pilot episodes that became series, winning 11 Emmy Awards. He was renowned for navigating multicamera situational comedies. Explore the enduring popularity of laugh tracks in sitcoms.