Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More
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- Author：James Burrows
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Summary
From the director of The Mary Tyler Moore Show， Taxi， Cheers， Frasier， Friends， and Will & Grace comes an insightful and nostalgic memoir that offers a bounty of behind-the-scenes moments from our favorite shows， peeling away the layers behind how a successful sitcom comes together--and stays that way。
Legendary sitcom director James Burrows has spent five decades making America laugh。 Here readers will find never-revealed stories behind the casting of the dozens of great sitcoms he directed， as well as details as to how these memorable shows were created， how they got on the air， and how the cast and crew continued to develop and grow。 Burrows also examines his own challenges， career victories， and defeats， and provides advice for aspiring directors， writers， and actors。 All this from the man who helped launch the careers of Ted Danson， Kelsey Grammer， Woody Harrelson， Jennifer Aniston， Debra Messing， and Melissa McCarthy， to name a few。
Burrows talks fondly about the inspiration he found during his childhood and young adult years， including his father， legendary playwright and Broadway director Abe Burrows。 From there he goes on to explain his rigorous work ethic， forged in his early years in theater， where he did everything from stage managing to building sets to， finally， directing。 Transitioning to television， Burrows locked into a coveted job with The Mary Tyler Moore Show， where he first observed and then started to apply his craft。 Directing most of the episodes of Taxi came next， where he worked closely with writers/producers Glen and Les Charles。 The three formed a remarkable creative partnership that helped Burrows achieve his much sought-after goal of ownership and agency over a project， which came with the creating and directing of the seminal and beloved hit Cheers。 Burrows has directed more than seventy-five pilots that have gone to series and over a thousand episodes， more than any other director in history。
Directed by James Burrows is a heart-and-soul master class in sitcom， revealing what it truly takes to get a laugh。
Legendary sitcom director James Burrows has spent five decades making America laugh。 Here readers will find never-revealed stories behind the casting of the dozens of great sitcoms he directed， as well as details as to how these memorable shows were created， how they got on the air， and how the cast and crew continued to develop and grow。 Burrows also examines his own challenges， career victories， and defeats， and provides advice for aspiring directors， writers， and actors。 All this from the man who helped launch the careers of Ted Danson， Kelsey Grammer， Woody Harrelson， Jennifer Aniston， Debra Messing， and Melissa McCarthy， to name a few。
Burrows talks fondly about the inspiration he found during his childhood and young adult years， including his father， legendary playwright and Broadway director Abe Burrows。 From there he goes on to explain his rigorous work ethic， forged in his early years in theater， where he did everything from stage managing to building sets to， finally， directing。 Transitioning to television， Burrows locked into a coveted job with The Mary Tyler Moore Show， where he first observed and then started to apply his craft。 Directing most of the episodes of Taxi came next， where he worked closely with writers/producers Glen and Les Charles。 The three formed a remarkable creative partnership that helped Burrows achieve his much sought-after goal of ownership and agency over a project， which came with the creating and directing of the seminal and beloved hit Cheers。 Burrows has directed more than seventy-five pilots that have gone to series and over a thousand episodes， more than any other director in history。
Directed by James Burrows is a heart-and-soul master class in sitcom， revealing what it truly takes to get a laugh。
Reviews
Suzanne
，
Such an enjoyable book。 I remember and loved all of these sitcoms and could see them in my mind as he talked about them。 While I enjoyed hearing anecdotes about the sitcoms I learned more about a tv show comes together， especially the camera work。 He explained the use of cameras and how you can us them for different shots and making the room and characters appear differently just by the angles and he talked about some of his tricks。 The book starts out with him talking about his Dad， who was a d Such an enjoyable book。 I remember and loved all of these sitcoms and could see them in my mind as he talked about them。 While I enjoyed hearing anecdotes about the sitcoms I learned more about a tv show comes together， especially the camera work。 He explained the use of cameras and how you can us them for different shots and making the room and characters appear differently just by the angles and he talked about some of his tricks。 The book starts out with him talking about his Dad， who was a director on Broadway， and some of the things he learned from him。 It certainly sounds like James Burrows had enjoyed his life， so far。 。。。more
Michelle
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Very entertaining！
Jill Reads
，
This is a trip down TV memory lane。
Michael
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Burrows is an accomplished director， to be sure， but this reads like the longest Emmy Award acceptance speech ever。
Dale Wyant
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Interesting look at a man who perfected the art of directing the sitcom。 If you are looking for behind the scenes gossip， he is too professional to give up very much。 This book takes you through his career journey with some great advice and maybe too much technicality， but still an insightful read。
Ian Dawson
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As soon as I saw this book was out， I had to buy it。 James Burrows is an icon of American sitcom directing， having made his mark on shows since the 1970s。 From The Mary Tyler Moore Show， Cheers， Frasier， Will & Grace， Mike & Molly and dozens more， Burrows has brought his exceptional skills and comedy to each series he’s worked on。If you are a sitcom fan， a fan of any of the shows Burrow’s has directed， or are just interested in sitcom production。 I highly， highly recommend this autobiography。If As soon as I saw this book was out， I had to buy it。 James Burrows is an icon of American sitcom directing， having made his mark on shows since the 1970s。 From The Mary Tyler Moore Show， Cheers， Frasier， Will & Grace， Mike & Molly and dozens more， Burrows has brought his exceptional skills and comedy to each series he’s worked on。If you are a sitcom fan， a fan of any of the shows Burrow’s has directed， or are just interested in sitcom production。 I highly， highly recommend this autobiography。If I could give it 10 stars， I would！ 。。。more
JDK1962
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I don't spend that much time watching TV anymore， but I do have fond memories of Cheers and Frasier （a few of Taxi as well）。 That's why I picked this up， and the details on his life， and on directing sitcoms， was very engaging。 I don't spend that much time watching TV anymore， but I do have fond memories of Cheers and Frasier （a few of Taxi as well）。 That's why I picked this up， and the details on his life， and on directing sitcoms， was very engaging。 。。。more
MookNana
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This is really interesting， enjoyable reading！ Not only is it an absolutely fascinating history of television and some of the finest ensemble casts ever， but it's also a close-up look at the work of a person who is a master at their craft。 Moreover， he's also a very talented writer。 This goes down so easy--it's like a really good conversation you'd have over a couple of beers。 This would be great for anyone with an interest in television， directing， and Hollywood history， but would also be a wor This is really interesting， enjoyable reading！ Not only is it an absolutely fascinating history of television and some of the finest ensemble casts ever， but it's also a close-up look at the work of a person who is a master at their craft。 Moreover， he's also a very talented writer。 This goes down so easy--it's like a really good conversation you'd have over a couple of beers。 This would be great for anyone with an interest in television， directing， and Hollywood history， but would also be a worthwhile pick for anyone who just likes a well-written memoir from an accomplished person with stories to tell！Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！ 。。。more
Kevin
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James Burrows， one of the most prolific and successful TV sitcom directors ever， presents a side-splittingly hilarious tell-all that is part memoir and part master class on working in television。 His impressive résumé includes directing THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW （four episodes）， THE BOB NEWHART SHOW （11 episodes）， TAXI （75 episodes）， CHEERS （243 episodes）， FRASIER （32 episodes）， FRIENDS （15 episodes）， MIKE & MOLLY （49 episodes） and all 246 episodes of WILL & GRACE。 "The hours of laughter that I James Burrows， one of the most prolific and successful TV sitcom directors ever， presents a side-splittingly hilarious tell-all that is part memoir and part master class on working in television。 His impressive résumé includes directing THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW （four episodes）， THE BOB NEWHART SHOW （11 episodes）， TAXI （75 episodes）， CHEERS （243 episodes）， FRASIER （32 episodes）， FRIENDS （15 episodes）， MIKE & MOLLY （49 episodes） and all 246 episodes of WILL & GRACE。 "The hours of laughter that I got on WILL & GRACE added years to my life，" he writes。 He is also the go-to director for TV pilots， having directed more than 75 that were picked up as series。Packed with hilarious dialogue and jokes from classic sitcoms， DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS is also brimming with sound advice for actors， directors and writers hoping to work in television。 Burrows also fills the book with entertaining behind-the-scenes anecdotes。 He succinctly explains why on The MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW spinoff， PHYLISS， Cloris Leachman's narcissistic and self-absorbed character didn't work as a lead role， while the writers of Cheers were able to rewrite and spin off FRASIER with a lead character possessing the same traits。 After directing eight episodes， he turned down the role of primary director for LAVERNE & SHIRLEY， because he didn't like the tension and turmoil on the set。 TAXI fans will delight in discovering that Danny DeVito took bribes from coworkers to announce the names of friends and family when dispatching cabs。DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS is a treasure trove of brilliant advice， stories and uproarious routines from classic TV shows。 。。。more
Maine Colonial
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I read a free digital review copy provided by the publisher， via Netgalley。 The Mary Tyler Moore Show， Taxi， Cheers， Friends， Will & Grace; these were staples of my young-adult TV viewing。 I like behind-the-scenes books about TV and movies—for example， I thoroughly enjoyed Mel Brooks’s All About Me—so I was looking forward to reading Burrows’s reflections on those classic sitcoms。Like Brooks， Burrows starts out with memories of growing up in New York City。 Burrows is the son of the legendary rad I read a free digital review copy provided by the publisher， via Netgalley。 The Mary Tyler Moore Show， Taxi， Cheers， Friends， Will & Grace; these were staples of my young-adult TV viewing。 I like behind-the-scenes books about TV and movies—for example， I thoroughly enjoyed Mel Brooks’s All About Me—so I was looking forward to reading Burrows’s reflections on those classic sitcoms。Like Brooks， Burrows starts out with memories of growing up in New York City。 Burrows is the son of the legendary radio and stage writer and director Abe Burrows， so his youth had a lot more celebrity acquaintances in it。 While Burrows’s recollections overall aren’t as entertaining as Brooks’s， this is a solid enjoyable read for fans of those TV shows。 I would say， though， that Burrows’s views on directing and the world of sitcom production can be slow going。 He goes on at length about these topics at the end of Chapter 12， and it would have been better if he’d sprinkled these observations in smaller chunks throughout the book。 。。。more
Jean
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Taxi was the first tv show I saw being taped and， consequently， it became one of my favorite shows so when I saw the title of this book it brought back so many memories and all of the tv series I have watched which were directed by James Burrows。 His writing does not disappoint; his love of his craft bounces off the page。 It is like reading an exciting bibliography of the stars of the sit-com industry from the actors through the production crews。 This is definitely a must read for tv fans but， e Taxi was the first tv show I saw being taped and， consequently， it became one of my favorite shows so when I saw the title of this book it brought back so many memories and all of the tv series I have watched which were directed by James Burrows。 His writing does not disappoint; his love of his craft bounces off the page。 It is like reading an exciting bibliography of the stars of the sit-com industry from the actors through the production crews。 This is definitely a must read for tv fans but， even more， for the student of the industry。 Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an Advance Review Copy and this is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Drea
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This book is a delight - a gift - a hug。 Growing up watching Burrows’ tv shows， I loved reading the inside scoop and dialogue snippets。 I loved reading about arguably the best shows ever made - Taxi and Cheers and Mary Tyler Moore and Friends and Frazier - and so many more！ These are icons on the TV world and I remembered so many of the story lines and dialogue shared in this wonderful book。 Buying for everyone - loved it。 Thanks to Ballantine for the advanced copy。 What a gift！
AnnieM
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This memoir by James Burrows is an absolute joy to read！ We hear about his childhood and I was so moved by how much he loved and admired his father and it is clear the "apple does not fall far from the tree。" -- His father was a talented director in his own right （in theater） so in the early days， Jim worked on Broadway and has some great stories from those experiences。 Ultimately he decided he did not want to be in the shadow of his father and carved out his own path as a director in television This memoir by James Burrows is an absolute joy to read！ We hear about his childhood and I was so moved by how much he loved and admired his father and it is clear the "apple does not fall far from the tree。" -- His father was a talented director in his own right （in theater） so in the early days， Jim worked on Broadway and has some great stories from those experiences。 Ultimately he decided he did not want to be in the shadow of his father and carved out his own path as a director in television。 And did he ever！ He directed many of the classic TV shows for multiple generations - Mary Tyler Moore show， Bob Newhart Show， Taxi， Cheers， Frasier， Friends， Will and Grace， etc。 He also gives credit to Jay Sandrich for mentoring him。 Jim's philosophy as a director is to find good writers and good actors and create an atmosphere where they can do their best work。 Throughout the book it is clear that Jim is self-aware - he knows his strengths and knows what he is not good at。 He comes across as a great leader who is able to bring out the best of those around him and create a culture of family on the sets。 At the end of the book， he mentions what a great pleasure it was to write this book and I want to say it was a great pleasure reading it！ I am off to watch some classic TV shows！Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Gail O'Connor
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Very interesting stories of his life directing etc。 His chapters on various actors lent an additional element to the book。You cannot help but enjoy this book
Steven Schend
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While sparse on personal details and true biography forms， this is a great book for anyone either nostalgic for great sitcoms of the past or interested in learning how a master director approached his craft。
H Paige
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RTC。
Martin Maenza
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Coming out on June 7 of 2022， I was given the opportunity to read an early galley of Directed by James Burrows from the publisher Random House in exchange for an honest review。The cover of this book immediately connects with me as those words and that image calls forth some of the very sitcoms that were the foundation of my pop culture world from the 1970's， 1980's and 1990's。 In this book， Burrows not only tells his own story as a director but also tells the story of American situation comedies Coming out on June 7 of 2022， I was given the opportunity to read an early galley of Directed by James Burrows from the publisher Random House in exchange for an honest review。The cover of this book immediately connects with me as those words and that image calls forth some of the very sitcoms that were the foundation of my pop culture world from the 1970's， 1980's and 1990's。 In this book， Burrows not only tells his own story as a director but also tells the story of American situation comedies。 The actors with whom he has worked over the decades reads like a who's who of sitcom superstars。I enjoyed the stories - many of which evoked classic episodes from classic shows。 I also appreciated how he takes the time to educate the reader on the process behind the shows。 From this book， I feel I have a better understanding of the world behind the lens， picking up on the terminology of the medium。If one is looking to this book to find out some hidden details or salacious set stories， that is not what you'll find。 Burrows genuinely has nothing but good things to say about everyone with whom he worked over five decades。 While some might consider that a weak point， I would disagree。 This book is more a fond trip down memory lane by a seasoned industry veteran。 It would be the type of stories you'd hear if you were sitting with Burrows in Sam Malone's bar having drinks until closing time。 Sometimes no-drama is just what we need。 Me， I'll take the fond smiles any day。For anyone who is a huge television fanatic like me， this is a must-read。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a advanced copy of this entertainment history and memoir。In Hollywood the saying success has many parents， failure has only one is very true。 Credits are fought over in arbitration， notes are given by everyone， and ignored also by everyone， actors don't feel "It" whatever it is， writers are ignored， if even that lucky。 Sometimes this style works， many times the word disaster is attached to the project。 W My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a advanced copy of this entertainment history and memoir。In Hollywood the saying success has many parents， failure has only one is very true。 Credits are fought over in arbitration， notes are given by everyone， and ignored also by everyone， actors don't feel "It" whatever it is， writers are ignored， if even that lucky。 Sometimes this style works， many times the word disaster is attached to the project。 Works that seem to， well work， are those that are collaborative。 Writers， actors， executives， crew， and directors working in tandem， sharing ideas and letting the art go where it needs to。 Well maybe the director has a lot more to do with this。 James Burrows， famed director over one thousand hours of television， from shows like Friends， Wings， Best of the West， and more， one of the most in demand director for new pilots shows has written， with Eddy Friedfeld， a memoir of himself and his shows he helped create and shepherd。 Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi， Cheers， Frasier， Friends， Will & Grace， and More is about life in front of and even more behind it。 James Burrows was born in New York， the son of Abe Burrows popular gag and Broadway writer and telvision personality Abe Burrows。 Growing up Burrows was pretty aimless about his future， though his path crossed many famous names， and soon to be famous names。 We started directing theater， but found his father was too much of a shadow， and he struck of to that growing medium television。 At the age of 35 he began to direct shows， growing in talent and in reputation as a guy who can good from poor material。 Soon a partnership with 2 writes began and a career was formed， helping to create many of the famous shows that still are discussed today。 Besides behind the scene stories， there are many creative hints， ideas， and inspiration for other burgeoning creatives to follow。 The book is written well， with again many behind the scenes stories， and discussions about shows and their cast。 Famous episodes are discussed， not technically but more how things came about。 James Burrows seems like a very nice guy， and great to work with。 There is a lot of humor， and a lot of insight in how he looks at something and how he knows it should look。 There is also alot of discussion on things that he was wrong about， not getting behind Seinfeld， or Designing Women， casting decisions what he got right， and what he got even wronger。 Definitely a book for fans of television。 Not gossipy， and again not technical， but informative none the less。 Recommended for fans of television， the entertainment industry and for creative types who need to know that there are people who find collaboration necessary for art。 Burrows discussions about being told no， will make many a young creative type feel better。 。。。more
Andrea A
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My thanks to Net Galley and Random House foe allowing me to read this thoroughly enjoyable book。Iconic and award winning director James Burrows tells how he got started as a director and the behind the scenes stories of some of the most beloved comedies such as Taxi Cheers， Friends， Will and Grace， and Frasier。 This book brought back a lot of good memories。 Highly recommend。
Margie Bunting
，
I really enjoy books that give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of show business， and veteran director James Burrows has written a truly extraordinary one。 Burrows had a famous father， legendary Broadway theatre writer and TV panelist/personality Abe Burrows。 And although James got the show biz bug from his dad early on， Abe "cast such a long shadow in theater" that his son decided to pursue a career directing TV sitcoms instead。 Now a veteran of more than 1，000 hours directing sitcoms， James was not I really enjoy books that give a behind-the-scenes glimpse of show business， and veteran director James Burrows has written a truly extraordinary one。 Burrows had a famous father， legendary Broadway theatre writer and TV panelist/personality Abe Burrows。 And although James got the show biz bug from his dad early on， Abe "cast such a long shadow in theater" that his son decided to pursue a career directing TV sitcoms instead。 Now a veteran of more than 1，000 hours directing sitcoms， James was not only a co-creator of "Cheers" （with writers Glen and Les Charles） but directed every episode （200+） of "Will and Grace，" not to mention directing 75 pilots that became series （including "The Big Bang Theory"）。 The list of multi-camera comedies to which he has significantly contributed includes "Friends，" "Taxi，" "Newhart，" "Frasier，" and many more。 And almost five decades after he started his directing career， he was tapped in 2019 to direct the live tribute episodes of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons。" What makes this memoir special is an inside look at how to be a successful director of sitcoms--lots of guidance for those who are starting their careers。 Burrows is known for creating an atmosphere where actors and writers are respected， and cooperative collaboration is key。 There are lots of snippets of dialogue from his most famous shows--hilarious， poignant， and surprising。 Also scattered throughout the book are paragraphs about the now-famous actors who brought the shows' iconic characters to life--their strengths and personal touches and what made them memorable。 If you have ever watched one of these classic shows and wondered "how did they do that，" treat yourself to this lovely， entertaining book--you won't regret it。 My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book。 。。。more
Richard Propes
，
There's no denying that 81-year-old James Burrows is a television icon。 Director of over 50 TV pilots， over 1，000 television episodes， and winner of ten Emmy awards and four Directors Guild of America awards， Burrows co-created the television "Cheers" and is known for his work on such series as "Taxi，" "Frasier，" "Friends，" "Will & Grace，" and quite a few more。 Quite simply， it's almost impossible to think about sitcom television and not think about Burrows。 "Directed by James Burrows: Five Deca There's no denying that 81-year-old James Burrows is a television icon。 Director of over 50 TV pilots， over 1，000 television episodes， and winner of ten Emmy awards and four Directors Guild of America awards， Burrows co-created the television "Cheers" and is known for his work on such series as "Taxi，" "Frasier，" "Friends，" "Will & Grace，" and quite a few more。 Quite simply， it's almost impossible to think about sitcom television and not think about Burrows。 "Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories From the Legendary Director of Taxi， Cheers， Frasier， Friends， Will & Grace， and More" is a journey through his professional history with a brief foray into his early years as the son of well-known composer/director/writer Abe Burrows and his time at Oberlin College。 "Directed by James Burrows" is not， however， an autobiography in any serious sense of the term。 Instead， it is truly a journey through Burrows' history as a director with most chapters dedicated to his experiences on a particular series and nearly every chapter weaving together episodic stories about his experiences with cast members， a show's history， and occasional little tidbits about many of television's most beloved shows。 Burrows' directing history started in 1974 with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and included such classic favorites as "The Bob Newhart Show，" "Laverne & Shirley，" "The Betty White Show，" "Rhoda，" "Lou Grant，" and others。 It was with "Taxi" in 1978 that Burrows would truly become a household name and he would end up directing 75 episodes of the series。 In 1982， Burrows co-created "Cheers" and over the course of the show's run would direct 237 episodes。 While certainly not every show that Burrows directed would become a classic， the truth is there's likely no other name associated with so many television hits。 Burrows was nominated for an Emmy Award in every year from 1980-2005 with the exception of 1997。 Astounding。While true fans of Burrows and these shows will likely enjoy "Directed by James Burrows，" the book struggles to find its literary voice as it neither really tells us that much about Burrows nor does it really delve more deeply into these television shows than most true fans have already explored。 It's hard to imagine too many television fans truly learning that much from "Directed by James Burrows，" though it's still enjoyable when Burrows shares his own thoughts， opinions， and experiences and occasionally does offer insider info about other actors/actresses who were considered for roles and glimpses into the people behind the characters。 As a fan of several of these series， however， I frequently found myself wanting more than Burrows was offering here。 For a book stretched out to nearly 400 pages， I often felt like the material was being stretched as there are many occasions when Burrows will use an episode's dialogue to illustrate a point。 These little clips of dialogue can be anything from a few lines to multiple pages， occasionally nostalgic in their presentation but also at times feeling unnecessary。 I wanted to learn more about Burrows himself and his television relationships over the years。 While "Directed by James Burrows" offers glimpses， it seldom really offers enough depth that we feel like we can bond with Burrows and really understand how he became such an iconic director。 Why was he different？ While it's arguable that his heyday ended around 2005， he's continued directing up to 2000 and even post-2005 has served up memorable work on "Mike & Molly" and "The Millers" along with other shows。 "Directed by James Burrows" is certainly a decent enough read。 I suppose I was just hoping for something as awesome and iconic as Burrows himself。 Those who are less familiar with his shows will likely be more engaged here and Burrows himself certainly comes off as a likable， friendly host for all of these literary conversations。 If I could， I'd likely go for a 3。5 star but I just can't quite justify a 4。0。 Suffice it to say that I appreciated my time with "Directed by James Burrows，" but by the time the final pages arrived just like many television series I couldn't help but feel like perhaps it had overstayed its welcome。 。。。more
Andrew
，
Fabulous behind the scenes stories of the making of some of the greatest sitcoms ever-Cheers，Friends， Will And Grace， and Taxi to name some of the best。 Burrows has directed episodes of all of these and the stories of the actors， the writing， the directing and creating are fascinating。 Burrows writes in a smooth conversational style which makes this book a joy to read。 If you have any interest in TV， comedy， and the creative process this is for you。
C。G。 Twiles
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This is more like a 3。5I'd so been looking forward to this and was thrilled when I was accepted for an ARC， but ultimately came away somewhat disappointed。 I'm an enormous Cheers fan and Burrows directed almost all of the episodes。 But even a cursory reading of Cheers articles meant I knew everything that Burrows said about the show。 There were no surprises。 In fact， the entire book read as if it was ghostwritten by someone who interviewed Burrows maybe once or twice but otherwise used Google an This is more like a 3。5I'd so been looking forward to this and was thrilled when I was accepted for an ARC， but ultimately came away somewhat disappointed。 I'm an enormous Cheers fan and Burrows directed almost all of the episodes。 But even a cursory reading of Cheers articles meant I knew everything that Burrows said about the show。 There were no surprises。 In fact， the entire book read as if it was ghostwritten by someone who interviewed Burrows maybe once or twice but otherwise used Google and handed in a long book report。 That doesn't mean the book isn't interesting if you are into directing， TV， or the specific shows - Taxi， Cheers， Friends， Frasier， etc - that Burrows had a hand in， I was just hoping for more。 Thank you #NetGalley #JamesBurrows and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nadia
，
I wanted to read this book since I thought he might have behind the scenes secrets from shows like Cheers and Friends。 While he did mentioned his experience as a director， co creator and producer I felt that it was a tad bit boring for me。 Too much information on camera angles， writers， camera key grips， and other really boring information that I truly believe any one in the theater or film industry would enjoy。 It just wasn’t meant for me。 I did enjoy his take on his ideas on being a director a I wanted to read this book since I thought he might have behind the scenes secrets from shows like Cheers and Friends。 While he did mentioned his experience as a director， co creator and producer I felt that it was a tad bit boring for me。 Too much information on camera angles， writers， camera key grips， and other really boring information that I truly believe any one in the theater or film industry would enjoy。 It just wasn’t meant for me。 I did enjoy his take on his ideas on being a director and how he treated each cast and crew like family。 I owe a lot of great tv watching to him and I thank him for shows like Cheers， Wings， Friends， and Taxi。 Overall， anyone interested in the book should read it。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review。 。。。more
Tracy
，