A Friends Director Shares One Of The Secrets Behind The Show’s Success

Almost two decades after Friends aired its final episode, new behind-the-scenes tidbits about the beloved sitcom continue to surface, much to the delight of fans. The latest such morsel to grab their attention? An intriguing comment from James Burrows, a former director on the show.

Burrows, who directed 15 episodes of Friends (including the all-important pilot), told the Guardian that he set out to push the show’s cast to be the best they could be, which often required stroking the actors’ egos.

“I give confidence to them and say, ‘Let’s try to go as far as we can with this piece of business,’” he explained. “I’m a psychologist too, you know. If I want to put in something that’s funny, I will make it seem like it was an actor’s idea.”

Burrows’ tactics clearly had the desired effect. Friends, which ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, became one of the most successful sitcoms in U.S. television history, earning 62 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and making stars of its main cast: Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Courteney Cox.

Burrows, who’s also directed for the likes of Fraiser, Cheers, and Will & Grace, was previously credited with forging the Friends cast’s off-screen bond (a bond that, as fans witnessed in Max’s 2021 reunion special, appears just as strong all these years later).

“Burrows was instrumental in creating the atmosphere of Friends,” Christina Pickles, who played Monica and Ross’ mother, Judy Geller, told the Guardian in 2019. “He took the six leads to Vegas before they started working and they all had a good time together. That was probably very helpful in cementing a sweetness about them.”