Chuck Lorre is a sitcom legend, particularly with his Big Bang universe expanding, but none of that would have probably happened without his good friends James Burrows and Bob Broder. The director quickly became Lorre's go-to for handling pilots, and he helped the TBBT franchise get started with a bang. Meanwhile, Broder was both men's agent. Through their work, some of the biggest comedies in TV history were made. So, these were big losses for Lorre. Burrows’ recent death hit even harder because Broder died last year. The agent, lovingly nicknamed 'Darth Broder,' earned a reputation as a tough negotiator. So, within the last nine months, Lorre has lost two of his most important TV collaborators. When he sat with Deadline to remember Burrows, what he had to say made me very emotional:It’s a great loss. He was a great man, singular talent. I was blessed to work with him on Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly.While those are some of his biggest hits, Burrows was also known for Frasier (even coming back for a few episodes of the revival), Friends, Cheers, and the entirety of Will & Grace (including the revival). And I just learned that he directed the pilot for another one of my favorite sitcoms, Dharma & Greg. In fact, it was this comedy that Broder first put the two together. He was Burrows' agent, too, and the two friends paid tribute to him at his memorial last year. Both Lorre and Burrows had lovely things to say about their agent when they spoke at his funeral. I wasn't surprised when Lorre opened with his trademark comedy, stating: If Bob were alive, he would have gotten me out of this.He went on to say that Broder was his agent for 25 years, his business partner for 12, and his friend for, jokingly, "six, seven months." Meanwhile, Burrows described his friendship with Broder as "50 beautiful years." Clearly, these men were in each other's lives for a very long time and made big impacts. They also have left quite the impression on the world of television. After such losses, I can only imagine how Lorre is feeling right now. I'm sure that while he's working on his newest projects, such as The Big Bang Theory’s Stuart spin-off and Georgie & Mandy, he's missing his late friends. Burrows often spoke fondly of the TBBT franchise, having directed the Big Bang pilot that flopped and the redo. He described how the “rest was history” after they ditched the original concept and tried again. Despite the initial failure, this created a lasting memory for him and Lorre, who said working with the director was "a gift."There was no one like him. It was a gift to have gotten to work with him and to be friends with a man like Jimmy Burrows.Truer words have never been spoken. Multiple generations have grown up watching projects directed by Burrows, going back to his involvement in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi. However, his legendary status isn’t just for those of us who watched and continue to rewatch his comedies. He deeply impacted the casts of those shows, with various actors honoring his memory. I know it made me emotional when Jennifer Aniston paid the director tribute and the Will & Grace cast reunited in honor of him. His last project was the Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern, which teamed the always charming Matt Bomer with Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham, and the late Linda Lavin. Burrows was a legend for a reason, and so was Bob Broder. And their work individually and with Chuck Lorre will live on. So seeing Lorre remember his friends is a lovely reminder of how much they'll be missed.