Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More

by James Burrows

Second Golden Age of Television. In 1971, Norman Lear’s All in the Family had premiered. It was the show that broke the mold. Before Norman, sitcoms were largely idealized and homogenized portrayals of how America was supposed to look. Rather than follow this formula, Norman created shows where the characters looked and sounded like most of the people who were watching them. They represented a cross section of America, including race, class, and gender. Norman almost single-handedly revolutionized the format. He turned the mirror around and showed America as it was, with all its differences, biases, and hopes. Norman’s sitcoms, including All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time, offered characters on American television that began an important ongoing dialogue around social and political issues. Like most people, I was becoming aware of the changes both in America and its reflection on television. As an up-and-coming director, I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat for that experience.