James Burrows, prolific innovator in US TV comedies, dead at 85

AFP

20 Jun, 2026 01:30 AM2 mins to read

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James Burrows, sitcom pioneer behind Friends and Cheers, has died, aged 85. Photo / Getty Images

US director and television creator James Burrows, who worked behind the scenes on Friends, Cheers, Taxi, and many other beloved comedies, has died, People magazine reported on Friday. He was 85.

“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by
his loving family,” his family said. The time and place of his death were not disclosed.

Burrows won 11 Emmy awards for excellence in television and helmed more than 1000 episodes of hit programmes, working as a director, producer and writer.

Burrows was among the early innovators of the multi-camera sitcom – short for situation comedy – when his prolific career began in the 1970s, directing episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley and The Bob Newhart Show.

His first Emmy came for directing Taxi, a groundbreaking comedy starring Danny DeVito, Andy Kaufman and Tony Danza, about the rough and tumble staff of a New York City taxicab company.