“He is the Zeus. The Mount Olympus of television comedy.”
James Burrows, the director who defined comedy and pop culture for the last five decades, died at age 85.
That was Lisa Kudrow, in a conversation with me and her The Comeback co-star, Dan Bucatinsky, giving the most accurate description possible for Burrows’ influence and legacy.
To list his credits is to list not just the best TV series that have ever existed, but also the ones that, by virtue of his talent, formed my life, personality, and view of the world.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The Bob Newhart Show. Taxi. Cheers. Friends. Frasier. For me, most importantly, Will & Grace.
In the final season of HBO’s The Comeback, Lisa Kudrow’s desperate TV actress Valerie Cherish is cast in a new sitcom, and her instinct is right: We have to get Jimmy to direct the pilot. He’s the only choice.
In the lore of the 20-year-running series, Jimmy is a father figure to Valerie and also the bellwether of where the industry is, and how it’s changing.
In the series, Valerie is reeling from the fact that her new leading-lady role comes with the baggage of the sitcom being written by AI.
In one of his rare on-screen roles, Burrows plays himself, and his lasting message as his character, which he told Indiewire he definitively endorses, is one that’s particularly poignant. The AI is good. But that’s not the point.
“Good, but never gonna be great,” Jimmy says. “The machine is fast and cooperative, I’ll give it that. But I saw every one of those jokes coming, and so did you. Surprising only comes from a group of writers, huddled in a corner, beating themselves up to beat out a better joke. It’s the chubby guy who’s a secret alcoholic. It’s the gay guy who, despite all the work he’s done, still hates himself a little. Or the funny woman who’s been invisible for way too long. They turn all that pain into a joke. Val, those broken, beautiful souls are what make something great. And you didn’t see it coming.”
If that’s not a message for Hollywood to consider right now, I don’t know what is.
In an episode of Obsessed: The Podcast, I spoke with Kudrow and Bucatinsky about the weight that Burrows’ presence carried, and why he was so important to the industry.
They both had such incredible things to say about him, especially Kudrow, who had worked with him on Friends before The Comeback. If you’re interested in Hollywood lore, this is for you.
