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

by James Burrows

With all those different bents and permutations, it is always basically about a family. And over time, they become our family.

Along with stand-up, the sitcom is the best, most enduring, and most resilient form of comedy, because in its best incarnation it gets the audience to fall in love with characters, and the comedy gets delivered through the stories and character development. Sitcoms also bring a theatrical flair that you don’t normally get from television, because it is a staged performance being filmed, often in front of a live audience. The best sitcoms transcend the screen and reach out and grab the audience by the throat and by the heart.

For most people, a multi-camera sitcom, which essentially is a scripted play performed in front of a live audience (as opposed to a single-camera sitcom, which is filmed without an audience), is the closest they’ll ever come to live theater. For those of us in this business, there’s a privilege and a responsibility to deliver a certain level of performance to viewers. Before television, I grew up in the theater, learning and developing skill sets I never realized would give me a unique edge as a sitcom director. The highest form of comedy is where it’s combined with pathos, where at the moment you’re watching, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I got to come into that world at a time when audiences were not only comfortable with that mix, they expected it.

Positive energy in a cast and crew transmits across the screen and infects the audience.

To me, success is not about working less, it’s about working harder at jobs that I adore with brilliant, passionate people that I care about. I continue to work because I both love what I do and love and respect the people I work with.

I came to network television in 1974, during the 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.

You cannot describe to somebody who’s not in the process what that moment is like, when you know that the actor is not only right for the part but is often the only one who can play it. I was there when Christopher Lloyd came in to read for Reverend Jim. We had similar responses on Cheers, when Nicky Colasanto came in to play Coach; Dan Hedaya came in to read for Nick Tortelli, Carla’s husband; and Woody Harrelson read for Woody Boyd; and on Will & Grace, when Sean Hayes read for Jack McFarland. There’s an instant spark and you can’t imagine anyone else in the role.

Cheers was the first sitcom to create multi-episode story arcs, which are now a staple.

On M*A*S*H, Larry Gelbart’s philosophy was “Take your characters and put them in the last place they want to be.”

As Jennifer Aniston said, “Friends planted a flag that touches people’s hearts in a way that nothing else can. It premiered at a time where there was no Internet and no cellphones. People had conversations with one another. While we were so far away then from where we are now, young people are still tapping into the connection between six people who don’t have all the answers but are helping each other figure it out.”

I made a reservation for just the seven of us at Spago. I asked for the center table in the restaurant, where everyone could see us. I knew the show had a chance to really take off and told the kids, “This is your last shot at anonymity. Once the show airs, you guys will never be able to go anywhere without being hounded.” None of them believed me.

I’ve worked with the same crew for almost three decades, and no one gets flustered. After Taxi, I hired and took crews with me. Assistant directors Dale White, Caryn Shick, Doug Tobin, Richie Silva, and Ben Weiss; directors of photography Johnny Finger, Kenny Peach, Tony Askins, and Gary Baum; camera operators Lance Billitzer, Ed Fine, Travers Hill, and Glenn Shimada: They’ve been with me for more than twenty-five years. They all take copious notes during rehearsals, and they know where to look and when to get pickups while we are rolling. All these folks have been integral to my successes.

In recent years, I’ve had a “fun clause” provision, so to speak, on every sitcom I’ve worked on, an understanding with networks and producers that I can unilaterally walk away from a project if I’m not having fun.

At its worst, the sitcom process is tantamount to the biggest roller-coaster ride you’ve ever been on. But at its best, you get to work with the most talented artists and greatest people on both sides of the camera. Everyone watching at home is connected to the energy onstage and the energy that emanates from the studio audience. When it works, there is community and camaraderie for both the studio audience and the one at home. It is one of the most exciting and energizing forms of entertainment. And on show night, there are two hundred fifty people in the audience roaring together with laughter. I am often the person laughing the most and the loudest on a set.

The characters were named after philosophers in Martin Buber’s book I and Thou. Buber talks about the various types of relationships you have with people and with God. In order to have that relationship, you need the will to go after it and the grace to receive God. Philosophy major David thought these were complementary things.

To my knowledge, I’m the only director who’s directed every episode (246) of a long-running show. Cheers will always be my favorite because I was the co-creator, but Will & Grace is a close second. I wasn’t giving up that protective influence. I was having fun and cared a lot about the show and the team.

At the CBS Radford studios, where we shot the first eight seasons, there’s a plaque outside the stage that says: The Home of Will and Grace, the Love That Dared Speak Its Name. It’s a reference to the famous quote about same-sex relationships. The ultimate-taboo plaque is meant to commemorate how special it was to have a show that celebrated the ordinary in the lives of underrepresented people. It was a poignant celebration of what we all had worked so hard to achieve years earlier.

I introduced myself. “I’m Jim Burrows. I directed every episode of Will & Grace. And what you said about Will & Grace on Meet the Press, that our show was seminal in the gay-rights movement, meant everything in the world to my two partners and me.”