10 Directors Who's Best Work Are TV Shows
Many directors have done their best or most famous work on television, even though most of them have also done great, successful work on the big screen. When it comes to successful and great television shows, directing plays a huge part. Great directing captures the moments that make viewers fall in love with a show and make what the writers and showrunners envisioned for the story a reality. Even some hit television shows that might not have the strongest writing or enticing characters, can draw in viewers with great directing.
Some of the best directors in the industry have worked across film, television, and even music. While each episode of a television series might have a different director, there have been standouts among them that have stuck around and directed the entire season or directed a few key episodes in the series.
10 Ben Stiller
Severance (2022)
Ben Stiller has held just about every creative role in the entertainment industry from acting, writing, producing, and directing. He started working as a director in the late 80s and his directing career took off with The Cable Guy. He’s also directed hit movies from Tropic Thunder, Zoolander & Zoolander 2. While Stiller has some notable movie directing roles, his directing work has also shined in the Apple TV+ show, Severance. While the comedy movies he has worked on are known for being over-the-top and offbeat, his work on Severance is drastically different.
Severance is a psychological, sci-fi TV show about a group of office workers living double lives, and they can’t remember anything about their lives inside or outside of work. The second season premiered in January 2025 and is already a hit for Apple TV+. Stiller has directed six episodes of Severance, including the pilot and the first episode of season 2. Stiller's directing style includes meticulously crafting an authentic world and introspective camera work.
The show follows a minimalistic, stark style, and Stiller is able to capture the cold and introspectiveness incredibly well. While very different than his feature films, there are still layers of offbeat humor that audiences have seen in his work before.
9 Cary Joji Fukunaga
True Detective (2014)
Cary Joji Fukunaga has held directing roles in the industry since the early 2000s. He has directed the movies No Time to Die and Beasts of No Nation. He landed his first television directing role for the first season of True Detectivein 2014. True Detective follows two detectives tracking down a serial killer. True Detective is known as one of the best drama television shows of all time partially due to its incredible direction. Fukunaga described his directing style to Interview Magazine, saying he likes to put audiences at ease first and then surprise them.
On top of the stellar cast, Fukunaga's directorial take on the series and the incredible storytelling have made it one of HBO's most popular shows. Fukunaga directed the entire first season of True Detective. His directing style on the feature film side has been incorporated into his TV work since as he noted, he likes to subvert audiences' expectations, and he was able to accomplish that with True Detective.
He won the 2014 Emmy for Outstanding Directing For a Drama Series for True Detective, Season 1, Episode 4, Who Goes There. He has also directed four episodes of the TV mini-series, Masters of the Air, an Apple TV+ show about World War II.
8 Rian Johnson
Breaking Bad (2008)
Rian Johnson began his directing career in film and television in the 90s. He has directed huge blockbusters, including Looper, Star Wars Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Knives Out, and Glass Onion. The first TV series he directed was an episode of Terriers in 2010. While he has worked on numerous movies with a lot of action and drama and is among Hollywood's most prominent filmmakers, some of his best, most influential work comes from Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias," directed by Rian Johnson, is the only TV episode with a 10/10 score on IMDb.
Johnson's notable directorial television roles include directing three episodes of Breaking Bad from 2010-2013. He won a DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for Breaking Bad, season 5, episode 4, Fifty-One. Johnson has also directed three episodes of Peacock's TV show, Poker Face, released in 2023. Johnson is known for his attention to detail and modern take on his filmmaking, allowing his directing work to shine through his movies and television.
7 Mike Flanagan
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Mike Flanagan has been directing movies and television shows since the early 2000s. His directorial roles include working on some of the best horror movies, including, Oculus, Absentia, and Hush. He has dominated the horror space and has even been celebrated by Stephen King for his successes. While he has also directed movies based on Stephen King stories, including, Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game, his great directing work extends beyond big pictures.
Flanagan created the horror television shows The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher. He directed all episodes of The Haunting of Hills House and directed multiple episodes for his other TV shows. Flanagan's directorial work focuses on character-driven stories and intense narratives, and he incorporates a haunting atmosphere in each of his projects.
6 Ken Kwapis
The Office (2005)
Ken Kewapis has been an industry creative since the 80s and started his career in TV early on, directing TV shows and TV movies. He has directed huge television shows such as Freaks and Geeks, ER, Malcolm in The Middle, The Office, Santa Clarita Diet, and Space Force. He has been nominated for several Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for The Office, for the episode Gay Witch Hunt in 2006.
On top of his successful TV directing career, he has directed movies, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, He's Just Not That Into You, and License to Wed. Kwapis has worked in the comedy space for a long time and his work shines in television shows. His directing style includes bringing something new to the story and preserving the emotions in a scene. He further explains his directing style and career in his novel, But What I Really Want To Do Is Direct.
5 Jason Bateman
Ozark (2017)
Jason Bateman is also a multi-talented creative who is known for his acting roles in Arrested Development, Ozark, The Outsider, and he has starred in multiple rom-com movies. He began his TV directing career in the late 80s with the TV show Valerie. From there, he directed other TV shows, including an episode of Family Matters, Brothers Keeper, multiple episodes of For Your Love, and he even directed an episode of Arrested Development in 2004.
"Bateman also made history when he directed episodes of The Hogan Family in the 1980s at just 18 years old. At the time, he was the youngest member of the Directors Guild of America. Bateman directed three episodes of the show, and as an actor today, he often pulls double-duty as a director too."
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Bateman's career has been highlighted over the last couple of years with hit drama TV shows, and his directing style has been noted as personal since he incorporates his actor's POV into his directing style. He directed two episodes of The Outsider, including the pilot episode, and playing the role of Terry Maitland. He’s directed nine episodes over the four seasons of Ozark, and playing the role of Marty Byrde. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the fourth season of Ozark for the episode, A Hard Way To Go.
4 Johan Renck
Chernobyl (2019)
Johan Renck began his directing career with music videos starting in the 90s, working with huge artists such as Madonna, Beyonce, and Robbie Williams. He directed his first episode of television in 2010, directing an episode of The Walking Dead. He also directed episodes of Breaking Bad for seasons two, three, and four. Renck's directing style includes looking beyond a character's surface-level qualities, going deeper, and finding the darkness.
Renck's TV directing career took off with directing shows like Bates Motel, Vikings, and Bloodline. He has directed one of HBO's most popular original shows, Chernobyl, an intense drama TV show about the nuclear power plant disaster in Ukraine. He directed all five episodes of Chernobyl. His directing style shines in Chernobyl, where there's so much darkness and pain, and he's able to bring forth every single character's deeper emotions. He won an Emmy for the series for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie.
3 Jean-Marc Vallée
Sharp Objects (2018)
Jean-Marc Vallée was one of the best TV directors in the industry and, unfortunately, he passed away in 2021 but has left behind an amazing legacy. He started his directing career by directing music videos in the 80s. He began his TV directing work with the TV series, Strangers in 1996. He also directed incredible films like Dallas Buyers Club, Wild with Reese Witherspoon, and Demolition. Jake Gyllenhaal, who was in Demolition, commented on Vallée's directing style for MovieMaker, saying, "Everything is filmed in respect to emotional instinct.
Vallée's TV directing career took off with Big Little Lies, directing all the episodes from Season One. He directed the entire series of Sharp Objects, the hit TV show about a struggling reporter investigating the murders of two girls from her hometown. Vallée's directing style was known for its natural techniques, style, and authentic portrayal of his characters. Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects were loved by viewers because they were enticing, thrilling TV shows that Vallée brought to life with his creative directing approach.
2 Mark Mylod
Succession (2018)
Mark Mylod actually began his career directly in TV. He has been directing TV since the 90s and his TV career took off when he started directing Entourage, an early 2000s series about Vincent Chase, an actor navigating Hollywood life. Mylod started directing for the show in season three and directed 23 episodes of the show.
Mylod has also directed six episodes of Games of Thrones, 12 episodes of Shameless, and 16 episodes of Succession. On the feature film side, he directed the popular horror movie, The Menu, and the comedy movie, The Big White. His upcoming directing projects include the new Harry Potter TV series. His directing style includes bringing out and showcasing his characters' raw emotions and isn't afraid to use different visual styles for each of his projects.
1 Issa Lopez
True Detective
Issa Lopez has been directing since the 90s. Her feature film, Tigers Are Not Afraid, released in 2017, is a horror movie about a group of orphaned children who have to survive the streets in the middle of a drug war in Mexico. Before coming on as the director for True Detective: Night Country, she directed two episodes of Britannia. Although a newer director for TV, Lopez has proven she has her own unique directing voice.
Issa Lopez was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie. Lopez's directing style emphasizes the character's perspective. She's able to capture the tension beautifully and blend horror and fantasy. Her style has translated over to her TV work since True Detective: Night Country embodies the same elements and keeps the audience guessing if the show they are watching is more grounded in reality or a dark, supernatural tale.
Source: Interview Magazine, MovieMaker
