10 Famous Filmmakers You Likely Didn't Know Directed TV Shows

Both visually and in terms of scale, television has become more cinematic in recent years, and the medium attracts big names who may have avoided appearing on television in previous eras. This is true of both actors and famous Hollywood directors, many of whom have lent their skills to the small screen.

Though prestige TV has changed the landscape considerably, the crossover between film directors and television didn't begin in the 2000s. David Lynch's work on "Twin Peaks" is one of the most famous examples of an auteur transmitting his vision via the TV airwaves. David Fincher brought his exacting eye to the beloved Netflix series "Mindhunter," and the Wachowski sisters used their galaxy brains to create and direct the canceled-too-soon "Sense8."

In addition to these heavy hitters, some Hollywood directors got their start directing episodes of television before getting the chance to make feature films. Others worked on TV shows that never became massive hits or have been overlooked in favor of the directors' more popular works. If you want to learn more about the big-screen-to-small-screen directing pipeline, you've come to the right place. Scroll down to read about 10 famous filmmakers you likely didn't know directed TV shows.

Steven Soderbergh is a man with broad taste, as evidenced by his eclectic filmography. Often credited with ushering in the independent film boom of the '90s with "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," Soderbergh went on to direct more mainstream films like the "Ocean's" trilogy, "Magic Mike," "Erin Brockovich" and "Contagion."

You may be surprised to learn that Soderbergh has directed over 50 episodes of television in his career. His first foray into the medium was in the mid 1990s, when he directed two episodes of "Fallen Angels," a neo-noir anthology series executive produced by legendary filmmaker Sydney Pollack. Other episodes were directed by filmmakers and actors like Peter Bogdanovich, Alfonso Cuarón, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks. In 2003, Soderbergh directed all 10 episodes of "K Street," an HBO series about DC lobbyists. His other TV directing credits include "Mosaic," "Command Z," and "Full Circle."

Soderbergh's most involved TV project to date is the unfortunately named series "The Knick." The Cinemax show stars Clive Owen as Dr. John Thackery, a surgeon working in 1900 New York. The series illustrates the sometimes-sadistic medical practices of the period, with Thackery and his colleagues, including Dr. Algernon C. Edwards (André Holland), working to revolutionize their field. Soderbergh's deft directorial hand forces the viewer to observe the horrors of the period while capturing its striking visual allure.

The Australian director Baz Luhrmann is known for taking big swings with his projects, from his modern-day epic "Romeo + Juliet" to the jukebox fever dream that is "Moulin Rouge!." In 2016, the music-loving filmmaker unleashed "The Get Down," a great Netflix show nobody talks about anymore. The series takes place in the Bronx in the 1970s and follows a group of teenagers as they pursue their music dreams in the up-and-coming genres of hip-hop and disco. Justice Smith plays Zeke, a poet who teams up with DJ Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore) to create a music group. Herizen F. Guardiola plays Mylene, Zeke's girlfriend and an aspiring disco singer. Luhrmann directed the first episode of "The Get Down," which was canceled after its promising first season.

During the pandemic, Luhrmann seized the chance to return to the serialized form with a revival of one of his films. The 2008 movie "Australia" stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as star-crossed lovers in an epic, WWII-era love story. Luhrmann turned the movie into a miniseries with "Faraway Downs," which features unused footage from the film alongside new footage. The series was poorly reviewed by critics. Luhrmann directed all six episodes of the miniseries, which premiered on Hulu in 2023.

Steven Spielberg is one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, having ushered in the era of the Hollywood blockbuster alongside fellow director George Lucas. Known for big-budget adventures, science fiction, and nostalgic family dramas, Spielberg's influence is seen all across Hollywood. He's no stranger to television, either. He's produced over 20 TV shows, including some truly great ones like "Band of Brothers" and "United States of Tara."

Though he's spent most of his time in television working as a producer, he's also dabbled in TV direction. In the 1980s, Spielberg created the anthology series "Amazing Stories." The show ran for two seasons, and each 30-minute episode was directed by an eclectic mix of filmmakers including Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and "The Incredibles" filmmaker Brad Bird. Spielberg directed two episodes of the show, both of which featured scores by longtime collaborator John Williams. Spielberg produced a five-episode revival of the series in 2020 but didn't direct any episodes.

Spielberg hasn't directed an episode of television since 1985, but he actually got his start on TV. In the early 1970s, prior to the release of "Jaws," Spielberg directed eight episodes of television, including an episode of "Marcus Welby, M.D." and the very first episode of "Columbo." Series star Peter Falk was so impressed with 24-year-old Spielberg's directorial prowess that it changed his perception of TV forever.

Rian Johnson has made a name for himself in Hollywood, breaking into the scene with his 2005 directorial debut "Brick" and more recently finding success with his series of "Knives Out" films. He also directed 2017's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." But did you know that Johnson has also served as a director on one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time?

If you've been following Johnson's career at all, you're probably aware of the Natasha Lyonne-starring Peacock series "Poker Face," which Johnson created. But he also worked as a director on the beloved AMC series "Breaking Bad," directing three impactful episodes. The first was the Season 3 episode "The Fly," the bottle episode wherein Walter (Bryan Cranston) shuts down meth production when he discovers a fly in the lab. Then came "Fifty-One" which takes place on Walter's 51st birthday. 

Johnson's final collaboration was "Ozymandias," often considered the greatest "Breaking Bad" episode of all time and one of the greatest TV episodes of any show. Speaking with IndieWire, Johnson described the process of directing "Breaking Bad" as "surreal," noting that it's like "stepping into a world that you know and that you're a fan of and you're deciding where to place the camera. It's pretty unbelievable."

Alex Garland is a writer and director of unique, incisive horror and sci-fi films. He wrote the groundbreaking zombie film "28 Days Later" as well as the Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation "Never Let Me Go." He made his feature film directorial debut with "Ex Machina" in 2014, followed by the eerie film "Annihilation" in 2018, and later ventured into political territory with "Civil War" and "Warfare" for A24.

His first and only foray into television is the underrated sci-fi series "Devs," written and directed entirely by Garland. It's difficult to describe "Devs" without spoilers, but it stars Garland's frequent collaborator Sonoya Mizuno as Lily Chan, a software engineer working for a company called Amaya. Nick Offerman plays Forest, the CEO Of Amaya. When Lily's boyfriend disappears after his first day of work at the company, Lily begins an investigation that uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy. The show features Garland's signature filmmaking style with haunting, icy visuals and a cerebral narrative that tests the patience of its viewers.

Danish director Lars von Trier is one of the most controversial filmmakers in recent years, though he remains a respected figure in many circles. He's known for depicting extreme or explicit content in his films, which include "Dogville," "Antichrist" and "Nymphomaniac." Speaking about the reaction to his serial killer film "The House That Jack Built," the director told The Irish Times, "I am disappointed that it was only 100 people that vomited. I would have liked 200 people to vomit." His works often tackles existential themes and the experiences of depression and despair, such as the Björk-led "Dancer in the Dark" and the apocalyptic film "Melancholia," which stars Kirsten Dunst.

The avant-garde filmmaker has crossed over to television with one series that has spanned several decades. Von Trier and Tómas Gislason co-created the Danish series "The Kingdom," which premiered in 1994. The series takes place in a neurosurgical ward of a Copenhagen hospital and depicts the off-putting and even supernatural events that occur there. Known for its mixing of genres and off-kilter sense of humor, "The Kingdom" spawned two additional seasons, "The Kingdom II," which premiered in 1997, and "The Kingdom: Exodus," which premiered in 2022. Several previous cast members returned for the third season, which also saw the addition of new actors like Alexander Skarsgård and Willem Dafoe. Von Trier, along with Morten Arnfred, directed 13 episodes of the series.

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro frolics in the realm of monsters and fables, constructing gothic fairy tales that animate as much as they terrify. Perhaps best known for his 2006 dark fantasy masterpiece "Pan's Labyrinth," del Toro has directed films such as "Hellboy," "The Shape of Water," "Pacific Rim," and most recently, the Oscar-nominated Netflix picture "Frankenstein."

Del Toro has explored his fascination with monsters and fairytales within television on a number of occasions. He created the Netflix horror miniseries "Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities," which premiered in 2022. He wrote two episodes of the anthology series, while each episode was directed by notable filmmakers including Jennifer Kent ("The Babadook") and Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight"). He also created and wrote the animated "Tales of Arcadia" trilogy, which includes "Trollhunters," "3Below," and "Wizards," directing a handful of episodes.

Del Toro turned to vampires with the FX series "The Strain," which he co-created with Chuck Hogan. Del Toro directed the first episode of the show, which he also co-wrote with Hogan.

Park Chan-wook is one of the most successful South Korean directors working today, having gained prominence on the global stage for his dark sense of humor and penchant for violence. He first gained widespread recognition for his "Vengeance Trilogy" especially his critically acclaimed 2003 film "Oldboy," which features an iconic single-shot fight scene. His most recent project is the 2025 film "No Other Choice."

Park ventured into the TV space with two critically acclaimed series. The first was "The Little Drummer Girl," which Park directed. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré, the show stars Florence Pugh as Charlie, a young actress roped into working as a spy for Mossad. Michael Shannon plays an Israeli intelligence officer, while Alexander Skarsgård plays a handsome stranger Charlie meets on vacation. A deft, stylish adaptation of the source material, it's one of the best shows on AMC.

More recently, Park was the co-creator and showrunner of "The Sympathizer" for HBO alongside Don McKellar. Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel of the same name, the HBO series follows The Captain (Hoa Xuande) a Vietnamese spy who immigrates to the United States after the Vietnam War and continues to spy for the new Vietnamese government. Robert Downey Jr., who was nominated for an Emmy for his performance, plays several different supporting roles. Park directed the first three episodes of "The Sympathizer," which flew under the radar despite Downey's nomination.

Ridley Scott knows his way around a film set, having directed some of the most popular movies of the last few decades. The British filmmaker made his mark on the film world with the 1979 classic "Alien," following it up with "Blade Runner" and numerous other hits such as "Thelma & Louise," "Gladiator," and "The Martian." His tastes run the gamut from sci-fi to historical fiction to whatever genre "House of Gucci" is.

Like a number of Hollywood directors, including his contemporary Steven Spielberg, Scott got his start directing television. His first directorial credit is the BBC police show "Z-Cars," which he worked on in 1965. He also directed three episodes of "Adam Adamant Lives!," which follows a Edwardian-era explorer brought back to life in the 1960s, and two episodes of the drama "The Informer."

Scott returned to television as a full-blown auteur in 2020 when he executive produced the HBO Max series "Raised by Wolves." A truly original science fiction show, it centers on two atheist androids, Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim), who are reprogrammed to raise a colony of human children free from religion on a distant planet. When a religious cult lands on their new home, trouble begins to brew. Scott directed the first two episodes of the show, while his son, Luke Scott, also directed a few. Sadly, the show was canceled after two seasons and subsequently removed from HBO Max in its entirety.

Michael Mann is the king of character-driven crime dramas, and his films often depict men who are obsessed with their jobs at the expense of everything else in their lives. His movies include "Thief," "Manhunter," the Al Pacino- and Robert De Niro-led "Heat," and "Collateral," which stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.

Following a one-off directorial stint on the 1970s series "Police Woman," Mann's TV career began in earnest in the 1980s, when he served as an executive producer for both "Crime Story" and "Miami Vice." "Crime Story" was a serialized show that depicted the battle between a Chicago detective and a mobster. Mann directed a single episode. "Miami Vice" was the more popular of the two shows, and was known for its music and hip cultural touchstones. Though Mann didn't officially direct any episodes, he did eventually direct a 2006 feature film of the same name.

In 2012, Mann served as an executive producer on the horse-racing series "Luck," which stars Dustin Hoffman. He directed the pilot episode, but the series was canceled after three horses died on set. Mann's most recent TV venture is the HBO Max series "Tokyo Vice," which has no connection to "Miami Vice" despite its similar name. The show stars Ansel Elgort as Jake Adelstein (based on his memoir), an American journalist who moves to Tokyo and begins investigating the yakuza at a local paper. Mann served as the executive producer and directed the pilot episode.