In total, for his entire forty-year long creative career, Burroughs has been involved in the creation of more than one hundred comedy series, which brought him a colossal fortune of $ 2 billion. TV director and producer James Burroughs is a laureate of ten Emmy Awards, most of which have been nominated for Best Director.
Good start
Burroughs became famous in television circles thanks to the creation of sitcoms. He shot them since the 70s of the 20th century. The most successful project in this time period was the Chirs show, or The Merry Company, created by him. Sitcom consists of 11 seasons. The action of the comedy series predominantly unfolds in Massachusetts, in a Boston bar called Cheers. The regulars of the drinking establishment were local residents who regularly gathered together to relax, chat and have fun. The show has an IMDb rating of 7.80, 28 Emmy Awards and 117 award nominations. The series occupies a significant position in the history of American TV. The sitcom has a successful Frazier spin-off, which also consists of 11 seasons.
Successful career continuation
In 1978, director James Burroughs began work on the production of the more than successful Taxi project (IMDb: 7.70). The series was regularly aired from 1978 to 1982. Burroughs occupied the director's chair for all five seasons, taking a direct part in the creation of each of 114 episodes. The narrative famously spins around the employees of a fictional company that is successfully ahead of competitors in the New York passenger transportation market. Burroughs in this sitcom was lucky enough to work with real movie stars. In the creation of the series took part Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, Tony Danza and others. The series deservedly received 18 Emmy Awards. The show was praised and loved by critics. The project achieved the greatest success in the first two seasons, but after that the rating began to fall. Producers curtailed production. However, James Burroughs did not remain out of work.
Second most popular
The next significant milestone in the development of the director’s creative career is the Will and Grace sitcom. The comedy series is a multiple Emmy laureate and Golden Globe nominee. James Burroughs has been acting as a director for all nine seasons. The plot of the project acquaints the viewer with four main characters: a lawyer of non-traditional sexual orientation, his best friend-designer, her rich assistant - a secular lioness, as well as an ever-unemployed actor - their mutual friend. The show takes place in New York. The series after the premiere instantly wins spectator love and becomes the second most popular in the United States.
Success oriented
James Burroughs, whose eye is perfectly focused on success, seems to be the main component of the success of each TV project, to the creation of which the director had a hand. So in the sitcom, aired in 2010 and continuing to this day, he staged the vast majority of episodes. Surprisingly rational, Burroughs treats secondary heroes: those who do not cause much interest in the viewer disappear after several episodes, while bright and promising ones linger for a long time, growing up to regular participants. The comedy series has an IMDb rating of 6.40.
The show "Mike and Molly" tells the story of the relationship between a Chicago policeman Mike Biggs, who is overweight, and teacher Molly Flynn, who also does not differ in harmony. The girl adds to the problems with weight difficulties with a broken mother and forever stoned sister. The first season of the project highlights the ups and downs of meeting the main characters, the second - the features of their marriage, and the third - attempts to become parents. Burroughs, modestly silent about his merits, considers successful casting to be the reason for the success of the project. The sitcom “Mike and Molly” starred comedian Billy Gardell, for whom the image of Mike is the role of a lifetime, and the incomparable Melissa McCarthy, familiar to the viewer from “Cops in a Skirt” and “Hen Night in Vegas”.
All for the Director
It is not surprising that in one of the best comedy series in the history of US TV "Friends", James Burroughs also acted as a director. According to the confessions of the actors, he was for them a kind of guru, sometimes the best psychologist, helping not only during filming, but also in life. The director encouraged the performers to get to know each other, to maintain relationships outside the set. According to Burroughs, this has a beneficial effect on the play of the entire ensemble. Such a trusting relationship was established between the director and the participants of the show that the actors happily did everything James asked for. According to the majority of the cast members, the director gave them the best period of an acting career that will forever remain in their hearts. More recently, all the main participants in the cult sitcom gathered together for the first time in 14 years and took part in a special issue of the show, which was dedicated to the legendary television director James Burroughs.