Jay Sandrich, 89, a prolific sitcom director who won Emmy Awards for the two series he worked on most often, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Cosby Show,” died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Angeles.

Mr. Sandrich did not think of himself as funny, but he knew how to guide a cast of comic actors through half-hour episodes. He understood the mechanics of directing (move the cameras, not the actors), and he knew how to make scenes work, The New York Times said.

Mr. Sandrich also directed “Rhoda,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Phyllis” and “Lou Grant” — all under the banner of Ms. Moore’s company, MTM Enterprises. Mr. Sandrich worked with Michael Douglas,

Dustin Hoffman, Sophia Loren, Jack Nicholson, Diana Ross, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone.

He was one of a number of people who claimed credit for originating the slogan, “I Love New York.”

He also promoted his own birthplace, transforming John Behrendt’s true-crime book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994) into a tourism magnet for Savannah.