James Burrows was interviewed by Jason Bateman at The Wallis on June 6. (photo by Rance Collins)

One of the most-honored directors in television history, James Burrows, sat down at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with actor Jason Bateman on June 6 to discuss his prolific career and his new memoir “Directed by James Burrows.” The event was part of the Writers Bloc series, co-hosted by The Wallis.

Burrows has been called the ‘Spielberg of TV,’ to which Bateman said Spielberg replied that he was the “James Burrows of movies.”

Nominated for an Emmy every year between 1980 and 2005, he has taken home the award 11 times. He is most known for his extensive work in multi-camera sitcoms, helming every episode of the series “Will & Grace,” nearly every episode of “Cheers” and “Taxi” and a number of episodes of various hit series dating to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” as well as “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Fraiser,” “Mike & Molly” and “B-Positive.” Recently, he has directed the “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” specials that recreate classic Norman Lear programs.

Bateman was chosen to interview Burrows for his long association with the director, which began in the 1980s with episodes of series like “Valerie,” which was later renamed “The Hogan Family,” in which Bateman was a child actor.

“Your ability to recognize humanity and [an actor’s] ability to communicate that humanity and vulnerability, which I happen to think is one of the keys of humor, I think uniquely sets you as a great guider of humor, the way to recognize it, the way to encourage somebody to be vulnerable… you just set a great example,” Bateman said.

Burrows recounted stories throughout his career to the audience, bantering with Bateman during the evening.

“Can you remember a moment where [an actor was] rightfully cast, but … once they got on the set, you saw that [they] could be a corrosive element?” Bateman asked.

“You mean, other than you?” Burrows quipped.

He also gave the audience moments of heart and sage advice for aspiring comedic directors, actors and writers.

“The formula for how to make something funny has always been the same from back in the days when cavemen were doing pantomime,” Burrows said. “You gotta know what’s funny. You can’t learn what’s funny.”

Burrows is a directing prodigy, describing it as a family business. His father, Abe, had a career as a writer, director and humorist across radio, television and Broadway, and was also known for his appearances as a panelist on game shows like “Match Game 77.”

Burrows first established himself in the theatrical world, working in various capacities, including on a production that starred Mary Tyler Moore.

Several years later, in 1974, Burrows sent a letter to Moore, saying that he thought he was ready to take on the world of television.

“I spent the past year directing extensively for stock and dinner theater,” Burrows wrote. “In fact, I have three shows currently playing in and around Boston, so one night you might want to drive up there. I’ll pay for the gas. I think it’s time for me to attempt a move. Take a giant step. Change keys. Or, to put it delicately, put my ass in gear and involve myself in television. So, I thought I would go right to the top, to the best, and to ask if there was any opening small or smaller that I could fill. I think my training in theatre will be valuable to me in TV, however, nothing right now could be as valuable as being where the action is, and as far as I’m concerned, the action is where you are.”

Moore took Burrows up on his offer, and it wasn’t long before he was directing episodes across the MTM Productions slate, including the “Mary Tyler Moore” spin-offs “Rhoda,” “Phyllis” and “Lou Grant.”

While he made some films, both for television and the big screen, and has occasionally dabbled in single-camera production, Burrows prefers the theater-adjacent quality of studio audience-based series.

“I can’t wait two years for the reaction. It’s tough for me to shoot a scene five times and get the same performance each time. I just don’t function that way. So, I tried doing a movie. Eh … didn’t work out. I went back to what I enjoy doing. I never thought that I would be where I am. Like Lou Gehrig, I feel like I’m the luckiest man on the face of the Earth,” Burrows said.

Burrows discussed the importance of having a friendly set for a series to be successful.

“If it isn’t a harmonious set, you’re going to waste a lot of time [massaging] a lot of egos, which is not making a show funnier, it’s trying to make the working situation better,” Burrows said.

Several actors who have worked with Burrows over the years, including “Cheers”-alum Jackie Swanson and Emmy-winning “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes, were in attendance at The Wallis.

“Funniest man on Rimpau,” Burrows said sarcastically about Hayes, referencing the Los Angeles street Rimpau Avenue. “I love that man … he’s a genius.”

“Will & Grace” is one of only four series in which all primary cast members have won an Emmy, the others being “The Golden Girls,” “All in the Family” and “Schitt’s Creek.” In 2012, when then-Vice President Joe Biden announced his support for marriage equality on “Meet the Press,” he praised “Will & Grace” and its depiction of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I think ‘Will & Grace’ probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody’s ever done so far,” Biden said.

“I use to drive carpool for [my daughter] Maggie Burrows, and she was in seventh grade or something like that, and it was on a Thursday … and we picked up three other kids, and we would be sitting in the car. And on the way to school, they would invariably ask me what’s going to happen on ‘Will & Grace.’ So I knew that 13-year-olds were now comfortable with these characters and these people, so I had a sense that there was a groundswell.”

For information about Writers Bloc events visit writersblocpresents.com. For information about upcoming programs at The Wallis visit thewallis.org.