James Burrows

News and Quick Comments

Cheers for low-concept, high-quality comedies

(This is the “Raymond”/”Cheers” over view that was written previously. Now CBS has set a rerun of the “Everybody Loves Raymond” reunion for 9 p.m. Nov. 28.)
When Les Moonves took over CBS, he was in a hurry.
The network’s only top-15 show was “60 Minutes.” He needed something that would make a quick impact.
“I was told he wanted high-profile shows with big stars,” Phil Rosenthal recalled in his memoir. “What chance did we have?”
He had a semi-known star (Ray Romano), in a show that was mostly family members talking. But Moonves liked it and audiences gradually agreed. From 8-9:30 p.m. Monday (Nov. 24), CBS will celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Everybody Loves Raymond” (shwon here).
That same night, “TV We Love” (9-10 p.m. on CW) will celebrate “Cheers,” a show in a similar mode: It started with no stars (Sid Caesar and William Devane auditioned unsuccessfully) and an unflashy format; it scored big. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / November 19, 2025
Stories

Out of the gloom came a comedy golden age

(This is the 14th chapter of the book-in-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” To read at all (so far) in order, click “News and Quick Comments” and scroll to the headline that starts, “The Book.”)

At times, TV people decide that situation comedies are doomed. One such time came seven years before “Seinfeld” (shown here) would start a comedy comeback.
In the 1984-85 season, “Dallas” and “Dynasty” were at the top; two more soaps (“Knots Landing” and “Falcon Crest”) were in the top 10. Viewers watched light action (“A-Team,” “Magnum,” “Riptide”), but not comedies: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 7, 2025
Stories

Frasier’s back, bringing joyful pomposity

We expect streaming networks to deliver the odd and the obscure. Space men are good; dragons are better.
But Paramount+ also has one of the most familiar characters in TV history. Its “Frasier” sequel (shown here) starts its second season Thursday (Sept. 19).
Frasier Crane has already been in 481 TV episodes, dubbed into languages worldwide. “The guy who does the Spanish one is very good,” said Kelsey Grammer, who plays him.
And the reruns seem inescapable. “We go to England quite a bit,” Grammer told the Television Critics Association. There, “Frasier” has been a morning rerun “for 30 years, I guess. (My) kids are like, ‘Oh God, Dad’s on.’” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / September 18, 2024
Stories

An old master brings “Frasier” back

Life has a special place for the masters of the old arts.
There are the blacksmiths, the locksmiths, the whatever-smiths. There are the keepers of native tongues and the cousins who memorized grandma’s recipes. And there’s James Burrows.
At 82, he retains a special skill – directing situation comedies that are filmed before a studio audience. We’ll see that when the first two episodes of the “Frasier” revival (shown here) debut Thursday (Oct. 12) on Paramount+, then rerun at 9:15 p.m. Oct. 17 on CBS. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / October 7, 2023