10 TV Shows Created by Film Directors

The following TV shows were created by famous movie directors, and they are as fascinating as the movies that the filmmakers are known for.

Ordinarily, the best filmmakers prefer to stick to the big screen as it’s less strenuous to come up with 120 minutes (or slightly more) worth of great footage than 400 minutes (which is the average running time of most TV seasons nowadays). With blockbusters, the best talents are also guaranteed huge compensations, so such individuals cannot be faulted for focusing on an industry where there are huge payoffs.

However, there have been a few notable occasions when famous directors chose to trust networks or streaming services with their ideas. After coming up with the small-screen creations, these filmmakers either directed select episodes or were hands-on throughout the projects. Others simply served as showrunners. But no matter the extent of their involvement, fans will forever be thankful to them for coming up with these masterpieces.

Great showrunners know how to hook viewers instantly, and in The Strain, the duo of Chuck Hogan and Oscar-winner Guillermo Del Toro sets up its vampire tale beautifully by presenting a scenario where everyone on board a landed plane appears to have contracted a strange virus. It turns out that this particular strain is the same one that led to the emergence of vampirism centuries ago.

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It’s no surprise that the chaos all begins on a plane. After all, Chuck Hogan made Lost, which revolved around crash survivors of the fictional Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. The Strain might borrow a thing or two from the ABC hit series, but it remains Guillermo Del Toro’s baby, and most of his horror trademarks can be spotted all over it, notably the critique of war and fascism. No matter the kind of project the filmmaker makes, there is always a nod to political conflict. Here, there is even a vampire that used to be a Nazi commander at an extermination camp. Besides that, crisp dialogue and strong performances from David Bradley and Corey Stoll, make the show worth its four-season run.

Vinyl is Martin Scorsese’s creation, with Terrence Winter and the Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, serving as executive producers. The HBO series centers around Richie Finestra — a record company’s president that’s trying to reacquire his Midas touch in a ‘70s musical landscape that’s beginning to lean towards punk and Hip Hop. Since he has plenty of personal demons to deal with, the redemption journey becomes more complicated with each new episode.

Like the majority of Martin Scorsese’s greatest hits, Vinyl has a highly flawed protagonist, who just so happens to be modeled after some of the director’s notable characters. Richie’s hedonism and strange business practices remind fans of Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street whereas his marital woes mirror those of Sam "Ace" Rothstein in Casino. Throughout the series, the character equally wows and baffles with his outrageous remarks. Wallowing in his own delusion, Richie blurts out statements such as “I built this company when I was on drugs, it’s when I got sober that it went south,” and “It must have been the girls,” (when he lies to his colleague about lost company money after gambling it all away). Thanks to Mick Jagger’s involvement, the musical choices are perfect too, resulting in an all-around enjoyable show.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have worked together a lot, and they definitely should continue doing so, given the kind of magic they produce. Following up on the success of Saving Private Ryan, the two created the miniseries, Band of Brothers, which received 20 Emmy nominations and is now regarded as the greatest World War II TV show of all time. The series — based on Stephen E. Ambrose's non-fiction book of the same name — follows the adventures of the 101st Airborne Division’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment from its boot camp days to the end of the way.

All elements considered; Band of Brothers works because Spielberg sticks to a known formula. At times, it’s hard to differentiate it from Saving Private Ryan because it uses pretty the same format and themes. It relies on an ensemble, rather than a single hero, and all the protagonists are shown to have a strong sense of family. What’s more remarkable is the fact that Spielberg worked with nine different directors, yet they all conform to his tone and vision. It’s a flawless show and the kind that the director should definitely make again in the future.

A production by the Wachowskis can always be expected to feature skilled protagonist (s) that’s fighting against a wicked system or organization. The Matrix and V for Vendetta adhere to such a narrative structure, and so does Sense8, which follows different individuals around the world that not only have an emotional and mental connection but can also communicate with each other. Since the antagonistic Biologic Preservation Organization (BPO) is working hard to hunt them down, they all work together to find ways to survive.

Part of the reason Sense 8 is good is that no coin was spared in production. The series was shot in 20 different cities around the world — a necessary move since the protagonists all hail from different backgrounds. The cinematography is breathtaking and so are the action sequences (an area that the director duo has never disappointed in). The only sad thing about the show is that it ends after only two seasons.

James Gunn is arguably the only good thing about the doomed DCEU, hence it's not a surprise that he was given the keys to the entire kingdom. After making better use of the famed DC Suicide Squad team in a feature film, he went on to make a series based on one of the members: the nationalistic killer Christopher Smith (John Cena). It’s the only series that’s canon to the franchise so far, and it hugely benefits from gore and Gunn’s excessive use of explicit dialogue.

Few would have expected Aquaman to engage in any kind of dirty talk, but that’s what happens in the Season 1 finale of Peacemaker. Additionally, the storyline itself is quite intriguing as it revolves around extraterrestrial butterfly creatures that are posing as humans and only feed on amber fluid produced by a giant being known as “The Cow.” However, Gunn isn’t the only one deserving of credit. The series features one of John Cena’s best performances and has an overall strong cast that includes Gunn-favorite Chukwudi Iwuji, who also played the villain in Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol 3).

Twin Peaks evolved greatly with each new season, but it started out a story about the FBI’s Agent Dale Cooper, who goes to a small town to investigate a murder, only to make shocking discoveries. Though it’s primarily a detective fiction show, it heavily uses occultism and surrealism elements while also incorporating offbeat humor and soap opera tropes. The series is one of three shows to be created by the Oscar-nominated director, David Lynch, though the other two (On the Air and Hotel Room), didn’t perform so well.

At the time of its release, Twin Peaks stood out from shows of its kind by being able to psychologically challenge the viewer. What initially felt like a straightforward murder mystery ended up getting complicated with each new episode. Its legacy can also not be understated as it went on to spawn several tie-in books as well as a spin-off prequel film, directed by Lynch himself. In addition to that, it was quite the Emmy magnet, garnering 14 nominations in just its first season alone.

The Walking Dead might have gone off the rails in later seasons and part of that has to do with the fact that Frank Darabont never got the chase to see his vision through to the very end. The director known for — The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist — was responsible for adapting the comics into the TV show. Regrettably, disagreements with AMC executives would force him to leave his role as showrunner.

As someone who had a great track record in adapting popular works into movies, Darabont was always the right person for the zombie flick. Season 1 has endless gore and strong character development. Most importantly, the zombies are the main threat, compared to other seasons where the villains are mostly other groups of survivors. Besides that, the episodes had higher budgets too during Darabont’s time and that is evident through the location choices and the cinematography.

Alfred Hitchcock’s widespread recognition as one of the greatest directors of all time has never been questioned because he was not only a suspense maestro, but he was also very prolific. Apart from directing a movie almost every year, Hitchcock oversaw the production of the TV show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which has most of the same themes and plot formulas seen in his big-screen work.

Each episode begins with a monologue by Hitchcock, who introduces the story before allowing viewers to enjoy it. He then appears again, in the end, to tie up a couple of loose ends or simply explain complex plots. There is something for everyone in it since the show covers nearly every genre while still incorporating endless twists and turns to suit the director’s style. Today, there is no show like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, which makes it even more iconic.

Rarely do directors remake their own films into TV shows, but Spike Lee did so with She’s Gotta Have It. It’s a move that’s presumably driven by the desire to expand on a story that’s dear to him. Luckily, it works. Based on his 1986 movie of the same name, the series follows a Brooklyn artist named Nola Darling, who is the ultimate embodiment of modern-day sexual liberation. She maintains open relationships with three men, but they all struggle to see things her way so a number of conflicts emerge.

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Rather than over-sexualize the main character, the series treats her with respect. Nola gets to determine the trajectory of both her career and her relationships while exhibiting plenty of confidence. In one memorable scene, she even goes on a date with all three men. On top of that, Lee does his best to ensure the show fits in the modern era. Each episode’s title even has a hashtag on it, and social media remains a recurring top throughout the series.

In Top of the Lake, Jane Campion sheds light on some of the injustices that young girls get subjected to in different regions of the globe. Season 1 of the BBC series revolves around a pregnant 12-year-old girl that ends up disappearing while Season 2 revolves around the mysterious death of an Asian girl in Sydney. Detective Robin Griffin is the common face in both stores, and she is played magnificently by the ever-reliable Elizabeth Moss.

There is nothing to smile about in Top of the Lake, but it is visually exciting. Campion directs each episode in collaboration with Garth Davis, and she makes sure to showcase the mountain vistas as well as the lakes of Glenorchy and Queenstown, Australia. And given how specific the stories are, the director makes an effort to include a variety of villains to make everything less predictable. Most importantly, each of the two seasons has a satisfactory conclusion that makes Detective Griffin’s sacrifices worth it.

Philip Etemesi is an author, screenwriter, and film critic. As a child, he was notorious for watching mature movies like Goodfellas and North By Northwest instead of Home Alone and Kindergarten Cop. His ex-girlfriend once asked him to choose between her and the TV. You can bet what he chose. A wildlife lover, Philip once saved for months to buy an orphaned giraffe named Refu. He then let her stay with her own kind at the sanctuary, but he always visits every weekend and sends the animal version of child support. Cool dude!