Yes, yes, it’s been a minute or two since the last newsletter, but I’m back with news to thrill and delight: First, I just posted a new video about the director of some of TV’s most iconic queer comedies. And second, I’ve gotten really good at propagating monstera plants, and now I have too many, so if you live in Seattle and would like one please let me know because they are crowding me out of my home. Really.
So! Let’s talk about James Burrows. You might not recognize his name, but you’ve probably read it hundreds of times: He directed some of the best episodes of the best sitcoms in modern history, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show through The Bob Newhart Show and Taxi and Cheers and Will & Grace. (And also, to be fair, the nigh-unwatchable attempted comedy Partners. Look, they can’t all be home runs.)
Jimmy, as most people called him, came from a fascinating theater background: His dad wrote the book for Guys & Dolls, and sent his kid to the Yale School of Drama to follow in his footsteps. He probably could not have anticipated that Jimmy would go on to such great success — nominated for around 80 industry awards, winner of a dozen Emmys, and known as “the 800-pound gorilla” for his influence in television.
But I think the most fascinating thing about him is that his specialty was gay comedy. Jimmy was straight, but he directed groundbreaking gay episodes of The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, Taxi, Cheers, and every single episode of Will & Grace. In fact, I think it’s likely that Will & Grace couldn’t have existed without him to defend the show’s vision at a time when television was still reeling from the Ellen coming-out.
So why was this straight man so GOOD at finding the laughs in queer storylines? We explore that question and more in the new video!
Stuff that’s new!
A new YouTube video about the master of gay sitcom episodes, Jimmy Burrows!
On some recent Sewers of Paris episodes, I chatted with Jack Shoulder about admiring butts in museums; with NastyPig CEO David Lauterstein, and with Iain Bell about how he went from being a personal trainer to composing operas.
Check out these recent Patreon bonus videos about the time Danny DeVito blew up ABC headquarters, and a sitcom masterpiece that was lost until recently.
Stuff that’s coming soon!
I’ll be at Ancient City Con in St. Augustine Florida from Sept 25 to Sept 27!
The folks at Theatre Puget Sound are doing a production of Much Ado About Nothing that’s set in a gay bar in 1970s Seattle! I cannot wait to see this.
October is Coming Out Month, and I’ll be doing a few talks about the history of characters coming out on TV. Stay tuned for more details! And if you have a queer group at your company or school and want to bring me in for a talk, get in touch!
Stuff I recommend
Thank you to newsletter reader Chris for sending me, many months ago, this video of marmosets enjoying grapes with sound effects.
Weirdly, both NBC and PBS had promotional campaigns called “Just Watch Us Now” only a few years apart. Here’s NBC’s and here’s PBS’s. Which is better? I think it’s PBS. The NBC version seems to pleading and desperate!
I recently stumbled across a mesmerizing YouTube clown called Puderschmude and I’m transfixed by the sheer strangeness. Here he is trying to make a cake from memory.
