James Burrows at His Best: Eight Essential Television Episodes

James Burrows, who died on June 19th at age 85, was a sitcom savant. He directed more than 1,000 episodes of television, including such iconic series as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, and Friends. He also directed the pilots for The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, among scores of others that made it to series.

Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, he received 47 Emmy nominations and won 11. In 2014, he received the first Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award for television. It is a testament to his status in the industry that in 2016, NBC broadcast a prime time special, An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows.

What was the “Burrows touch”? In his 2022 memoir, Directed by James Burrows, he explained, “When I direct a television show, I try to reach that sweet spot where the best script meets the best performance and the best chemistry between performers.”

Here are eight must-see episodes that are representative of Burrows hitting that sweet spot:

The Mary Tyler Moore Show: “Mary’s Insomnia,” Season 7, Episode 11

Uploaded to YouTube by Classic Films & Serials Now!

Mary Richards, struggling with insomnia, finds herself becoming reliant on sleeping pills. Burrows deftly navigates the drama of the situation with farcical comedy that builds to one of the series’ funniest scenes as Mr. Grant (Ed Asner), fearing the worst when he can’t get ahold of Mary, breaks into her apartment only to find her in the bathtub. The laughs escalate as Murray (Gavin MacLeod) and Ted (Ted Knight) follow.

The Bob Newhart Show: “Over the River and Through the Woods,” Season 4, Episode 11

Uploaded to Dailymotion by The Bob Newhart Show

This is the “Moo Goo Gai Pan” episode in which Bob (Bob Newhart), Howard (Bill Daily), Jerry (Peter Bonerz) and Mr. Carlin (Jack Riley) get drunk watching football and attempt to order Chinese food. This sounds rather thin, but the seamless ensemble, great writing, and Burrows’ direction result in a Thanksgiving episode that TV Guide ranked among the top 10 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes of all Time.

Taxi: “Blind Date,” Season 1, Episode 3

Cab driver Alex (Judd Hirsch) has a blind date with Angela, with whom he has only talked to on the phone. She is overweight, emotionally fragile, and bitter, but Alex is compelled to reconnect with her and have “a normal moment.” There are funnier episodes (“High School Reunion,” “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey”) but this Humanitas Prize-winning episode blends heart, humor, and humanity, a Burrows hallmark.

Cheers: “Give Me a Ring Sometime,” Season 1, Episode 1

Uploaded to YouTube by Entertainment Stop

The perfect pilot, as “student of life” Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) meets bar owner and former baseball player Sam Malone (Ted Danson). They will become prime time’s most potent will-they-or-won’t-they couple until David and Maddie come along on Moonlighting. They had a palpable chemistry from the get-go that Burrows once described as “a gift from God.” And they are supported by a lightning-in-a-bottle supporting cast. Burrows knocks this one out of the park.

Frasier: “The Good Son,” Season 1, Episode 1

Uploaded to YouTube by Entertainment Stop

Burrows, who won an Emmy for this episode, had a genius for finding the grace notes that get what he called in his memoir “the best, smartest, character-driven laughs.” This pilot episode introduces David Hyde Pierce as Frasier Crane’s (Kelsey Grammer) supercilious and neurotic brother Niles. In his first scene, he and Frasier await a table at their favorite coffeehouse. Before they sit, Burrows directed Pierce to take out a handkerchief and wipe off his seat before offering it to his brother. It is a character-defining moment.

Friends: “The One with the Blackout,” Season 1, Episode 7

Uploaded to YouTube by Friends

Before Friends premiered, Burrows took his cast of unknowns to Las Vegas and gave them money for gambling. He told them to enjoy their anonymity because once the series aired, they would never again be able to go out in public without being hounded. He was nominated for an Emmy for this early gem that helped cement their stardom. It is an especially good episode for Matthew Perry’s Chandler Bing, who finds himself locked in an ATM vestibule with supermodel Jill Goodacre. Burrows directed only 15 episodes of Friends because of his full dance card. In his memoir, he wrote, “One of my few regrets in my career is that I didn’t stay with those six kids.”

Will & Grace: “Homo for the Holidays,” Season 2, Episode 7

Uploaded to YouTube by Yuri Andrei Rodriguez

Burrows directed every episode of this multi-Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series about a gay man (Eric McCormack) and his best friend, a straight woman (Debra Messing). In this Emmy-winning episode, Will’s friend Jack (Sean Hayes) wrestles with coming out to his mother. This groundbreaking series, Burrows wrote in his memoir, is a reminder that “television is one of the most important platforms for creating awareness and advancing understanding between people, race, gender, and culture.”

Mid-Century Modern: “Here’s to You, Mrs. Schneiderman,” Season 1, Episode 9

Uploaded to YouTube by Hulu

Critically acclaimed but cancelled after one season, this series from the creators of Will & Grace stars Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham, and Matt Bomer as three gay men — friends for decades — who move in together in the house Lane shares with his mother (Linda Lavin). Lavin died unexpectedly mid-season, and this Emmy-nominated episode gave her an emotional send-off. When you need to find the human comedy amid tragedy, James Burrows is the director you want at the helm.