friends reunion
Friends cast members with James Burrows NBC

The eagerly-awaited and much-talked about NBC Special — Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows — more famously known as the "Friends Reunion" airs this Sunday (21 February).

Cast members of several of the most iconic comedy series of all time will be participating in this NBC Special to honour acclaimed director James Burrows's accomplishments.

Who is James Burrows

Burrows is recognised as TV's most accomplished comedy director. He made his TV-sitcom directing debut with a 1974 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He is probably best known for his work on Taxi, Cheers, Frasier and Will & Grace, which collectively earned him 10 Emmy Awards and four DGA Awards.

He directed the pilots for all four series, as well as for other such long-running comedies as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and Mike & Molly. The NBC special will celebrate Burrows's 1,000th episode with his new NBC comedy Crowded, for which he also serves as an executive producer.

"There is nobody with better TV comedy instincts than Jimmy Burrows, and because of his guiding hand these remarkable shows will be forever celebrated and stand the test of time," said Paul Telegdy, president, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. "The caliber of talent joining us to celebrate Jimmy's accomplishments is a testament to his imprint in television history."

Scheduled to be in attendance will be the cast members of the following TV shows:

Cheers - Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Bebe Neuwirth, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt (Kirstie Alley, Woody Harrelson in pre-taped segments)

Friends - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer (Matthew Perry in pre-taped segment)

Frasier - Peri Gilpin, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce (Kelsey Grammer in pre-taped segment)

Will & Grace - Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally

Taxi - Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner, Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Christopher Lloyd

The Big Bang Theory - Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons

Wings - Tony Shalhoub, Steven Weber

Mike & Molly - Billy Gardell, Melissa McCarthy, Katy Mixon, Nyambi Nyambi, Reno Wilson

Two and a Half Men - Jon Cryer, Charlie Sheen

Crowded - Carlease Burke, Stacy Keach, Carrie Preston, Mia Serafino, Patrick Warburton

Other prominent personalities in attendance include J.B. Smoove, Jason Bateman, Valerie Bertinelli, Kate Flannery and Will Arnett. Bob Newhart will participate in a pre-taped segment.

Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows airs this Sunday (21 February) from 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET on NBC. You can click here to watch it live stream online.

More on the NBC Special featuring Friends cast
The Big Bang Theory