Best tv show directors

In television, it’s most often the actors on a TV show or, in some cases, the showrunner(s) that get all the accolades for the success of a television series, while in the feature film world, it’s most often a director who gets the blame or praise for a film’s achievements.

That’s not unfair: Television showrunners, like feature film directors, see through the production and development of the entire project. More often than not, TV directors are hired hands, brought in to do a few episodes of one TV series before moving on to another TV series.

That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve some recognition, and for f*ck’s sake: On the Internet, where everything is eventually reduced to a list, it’s about time TV directors were singled out for their accomplishments.

Unpacking the complexities of movies and television, the article unveils the artistry behind their storytelling mechanisms.

Below, I’ve ranked the ten best working TV directors. I’ve excluded showrunners who direct their own episodes (Weiner, Sutter, etc.), as well as Cary Fukunaga, who basically ran True Detective (and directed every episode).

Those guys get plenty of attention.

best show directors

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