Rememberances are pouring out for TV director James Burrows, who died on Friday at 85.
Tony Danza, who worked with Burrows on 75 episodes of the ABC comedy series “Taxi,” paid tribute to his longtime director on Friday afternoon. He wrote on X, “We have lost the greatest of all time. Jimmy Burrows. I know I wouldn’t be here without him. My thoughts are with Debbie and the kids.”
Josh Gad, who starred in the short-lived, Burrows-directed sitcom “Back To You” in 2007, shared his remembrance on Instagram. He wrote,” In 2005, I had the honor of being directed by the man who made me fall in love with sitcoms as a child, Jimmy Burrows. Whether it was ‘Taxi,’ ‘Cheers,’ ‘Frasier’ or ‘Friends.’ Working every day for one season on ‘Back to You’ opposite Jimmy was a masterclass in comedy. At 85, he was still far too young and still so full of life. My love and prayers go out to his entire family and to all of his friends. This is a seismic loss.”
NBC, which housed several of Burrows’ directorial efforts, said in a statement, “Jimmy Burrows was the man behind the curtain. He knew how to make us laugh, what buttons to push and was the absolute master of getting the most out of every joke. His loss to the television comedy world is immeasurable. Every time you have a smile on your face watching ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘Taxi, ‘Cheers,’ ‘Will & Grace,’ ‘Friends’ and countless others, think of Jimmy and know he made all our lives funnier.”
Burrows, who was nominated for a record 22 Directors Guild Awards, was best known for co-creating the beloved, early-’80s bar comedy “Cheers,” along with brothers Glen and Les Charles. The 11-time Emmy winner also had a 15-episode stint on “Friends” and directed every episode of “Will & Grace.”
Among his dozens of other TV directing credits are “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “The Betty White Show,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Lou Grant,” “The Tony Randall Show,” “The Associates,” “The Stockard Channing Show,” “The Hogan Family,” “Night Court,” “Dear John,” “Ladies Man,” “Wings,” “Frasier,” “NewsRadio,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Pearl,” “Dharma & Greg,” “Caroline in the City,” “George & Leo,” “The Class,” “Courting Alex,” “Back to You,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Hank,” “Up All Night,” “Better with You,” “$#*! My Dad Says,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Partners,” “Mike & Molly” and “The Millers.”
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