OctoberRust13 OP t1_j1krg6e wrote on December 25, 2022 at 4:04 AM

So in reading all these answers I have a better understanding of the WHY... I feel like knowing this now, it almost takes away from the importance of the Director or the idea that the director is responsible for the vibe and end product that the viewers receive. I get that for a movie the director is everything in that they direct the entire product whereas with TV that's not the case.

I will say that Mike White from White Lotus writes and directs every single episode...and it's overwhelmingly obvious in my opinion.

Cary Joji Fukunaga also wrote and directed every episode of the first season of True Detective .

Maninhartsford t1_j1kuc4o wrote on December 25, 2022 at 4:33 AM

As tv shifts towards shorter seasons that drop all at once or are in post production for months, it's getting easier to work around the production problems others have mentioned that stop a season from having a single director. One other thing I haven't seen anyone say yet is that the director of the pilot IS extremely important as, with very rare exceptions, they set the tone and look of the series that future directors imitate and build on.

RLB4ever t1_j1qolq4 wrote on December 26, 2022 at 5:13 PM

Agreed! So many shows go straight to series now, we forget how important a pilot still is for many.

TerraTF t1_j1kute9 wrote on December 25, 2022 at 4:38 AM

> I will say that Mike White from White Lotus writes and directs every single episode...and it's overwhelmingly obvious in my opinion. > > Cary Joji Fukunaga also wrote and directed every episode of the first season of True Detective .

You'll see a single director more often on prestige (think HBO, Starz, and Showtime) and streaming shows because those shows have either completed post-production or are nearly complete by the time the show airs.

When it comes to your basic cable shows on CBS, ABC, and NBC those shows start filming about 2-3 months before airing and can take about a week and a half to film an episode. You'll see a higher quantity of directors brought in since episodes sometimes won't be complete until days before airing.

im_thatoneguy t1_j1l362d wrote on December 25, 2022 at 6:15 AM

Well prestige shows are also usually much much shorter.

A typical NBC show can have 26 episodes in a season while White Lotus had 6 episodes in season 1.

In a network show it's not unusual for a director to handle 6 episodes in a season.

trueredtwo t1_j1llhvt wrote on December 25, 2022 at 10:53 AM

Fukunaga did not write any episode of True Detective. All of True Detective was written by Nic Pizzolatto.

To give a little more info, the directors who direct episodes aren’t “random people”. The show runner has directors that they trust. A high-caliber show that lasts several seasons usually has some consistent directors working on it. A specific episode might be assigned to a specific director because of the director working with a certain actor who has a big episode, or some other aspect that’s suited to them. And talented tv directors are in very high demand. Look at the IMDb for someone like Lesli Linka Glatter or Michael Uppendahl.

Also on the writing side just remember that even when it’s credited to one person there’s almost always a writers room. I don’t know specifically about the example of White Lotus, but for example every episode of Fargo season 1 is credited to be written by Noah Hawley even though a writers room was used.

mountainhighgoat t1_j1mt5ph wrote on December 25, 2022 at 6:19 PM

Because those shows are not network TV shows, which are just made to be running for a long time like NCIS. The shows you mentioned are usually created by the director and writers from the beginning and have fewer episodes per season or they’re like Stranger Things and the handful of directors are curated by the creators of the show.