Michael Engler

Last updated
Michael Engler
Michael Engler, October 2019.jpg
Michael Engler in 2019
Occupation(s)Theater director,
television director,
television producer
Years active1989–present

Michael Engler is an American theater director, and a Directors Guild of America and Emmy nominated television director and producer.

Contents

Theater

His Broadway credits include Eastern Standard , [1] starring Dylan Baker, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Conroy, and Anne Meara, as well as Mastergate , [2] written by Larry Gelbart, and I Hate Hamlet , [3] written by Paul Rudnick and starring Evan Handler and Alan Arkin.

His direction of the 2003 off-Broadway production of the Alan Bennett play Talking Heads garnered him a nomination for the Outer Critics Circle Award. [4]

Film and television

1990s

Engler began his career in television with the TV movie Mastergate (1992) based on the play he directed by Larry Gelbart. [5] The following year he worked on the television series Bakersfield P.D. ,[ citation needed ] starring Ron Eldard, Giancarlo Esposito, and Brian Doyle Murray, as well as the series Sisters ,[ citation needed ] starring Swoosie Kurtz and Sela Ward.

In 1993 and 1994 Engler directed two episodes of the HBO series Dream On , created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and starring Brian Benben and Wendie Malick, as well as an episode of the Claire Danes starrer My So-Called Life ,[ citation needed ] and began directing what would become fifteen episodes of the series Party of Five , [6] on which he was also a producer. The series starred Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

In 1995 Engler worked on the Mary Tyler Moore series New York News [ citation needed ] and Under One Roof , [7] starring James Earl Jones, followed by the David E. Kelley series Chicago Hope [7] in 1996, as well as the TV series Profit , starring Adrian Pasdar in 1997. [7]

In 1998 Engler wrote and directed the short film The Victim. In the same year he worked on the short-lived series Significant Others , starring Jennifer Garner, and Cupid ,[ citation needed ] starring Jeremy Piven. Engler wrapped up the 1990s with Time of Your Life , [7] a spin-off of Party of Five . Engler served as a consulting producer on Cupid and a co-executive producer on Time of Your Life .

2000s

Engler began the decade with the series Once and Again , starring Sela Ward, Billy Campbell, Evan Rachel Wood, and Shane West, followed by the Aaron Sorkin drama The West Wing , the HBO series Six Feet Under , starring Peter Krause and Michael C. Hall, Hidden Hills , and the series My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star starring Oliver Hudson, two episodes of Watching Ellie and an episode of Do Over . [7]

In 2001 Engler began directing for the HBO series Sex and the City for which he would go on to earn one Emmy nomination [8] and two Directors Guild of American nominations. [9]

In 2004 Engler directed an episode of the series Keen Eddie , [7] starring Mark Valley and Sienna Miller, followed by an episode of the HBO series Deadwood , starring Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane. [10] This was followed by Life As We Know It , which he co-executive produced, and the TV movie Twenty Questions which he also executive produced, [7] and the series The PTA. [11] In 2006, Engler directed the pilot episode for the USA series Psych . [7]

In 2007 Engler directed for the series 12 Miles of Bad Road , starring Lily Tomlin, [6] followed by the TV movies Two Families [7] and Single with Parents, starring Beau Bridges, [12] and the series Privileged , for which Engler served as executive producer on the pilot episode. [13] Engler ended the decade with the TV movie Lost and Found, featuring Brian Cox. [14]

Beginning in 2007, Engler directed eleven episodes of the NBC series 30 Rock , for which he was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award [15] and an Emmy [16] for directing the episode Rosemary's Baby.

2010s

Engler began the decade by directing two episodes of the NBC series Parenthood [6] in 2010, and The Big C , starring Laura Linney, for which Engler was an executive producer. He followed with an episode of Go On , [13] starring Matthew Perry, and Nashville , starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, [13] both in 2012. In 2013 Engler directed the pilot episode for the series Welcome to the Family , starring Ricardo Chavira and Mike O'Malley. [7]

Director filmography

YearTitleNotes
1992 Mastergate TV movie
1992–1993 Sisters "The Best Seats In The House"
"Out of the Ashes"
"Sleepless in Winnetka"
1993 Bakersfield P.D. "A Bullet For Stiles"
1993–1994 Dream On "One Ball, Two Strikes"
"Blame it on Reo"
1994 My So-Called Life "Self-Esteem"
1994–1998 Party of Five Also executive producer
"Thanksgiving"
"Games People Play"
"It's Not Easy Being Green"
"Dearly Beloved"
"Unfair Advantage"
"Altered States"
"Going, Going, Gone"
"Personal Demons"
"Desperate Measures"
"I Declare"
"Point of No Return"
"You Win Some, You Lose Some"
"What a Drag"
"Positive Attitude"
"Fools Rush Out"
1995 New York News "Past Imperfect"
1995 Under One Roof "Ronnie's Got A Gun"
1996 Chicago Hope "Sweet Surrender"
1997 Profit "Security"
1998The VictimAlso writer
Short film
1998 Significant Others "The Next Big Thing"
"Matters of Gravity"
1998 Cupid Also consulting producer
"Heaven... He's In Heaven"
"Heart of the Matter"
1999 Time of Your Life Also co-executive producer
"The Time She Came To New York"
"The Time She Got Mobbed"
"The Time The Truth Was Told"
"The Time They Got E-Rotic"
"The Time They Cheated"
"The Time They Broke The Law"
2000–2001 Once And Again "Ozymandias 2.0"
"Love's Laborer's Lost"
"The Awful Truth"
"Acting Out"
2001 The West Wing "Ellie"
2001–2003 Six Feet Under "The Trip"
"In Place of Anger"
"I'll Take You"
"The Eye Inside"
2001–2004 Sex and the City "Time and Punishment"
"My Motherboard, Myself"
"The Big Journey"
"I Love a Charade"
"Lights, Camera, Relationship"
"Hop, Skip, and a Week"
"Catch-38"
"Out of the Frying Pan"
2002 My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star "Fame"
"The Road Gig"
"Pay to Play"
2002 Watching Ellie "Cheetos"
"Tango"
2002 Hidden Hills "The Mark of Manolo"
"Halloween"
2002 Do Over "Hot For Teacher"
2004 Keen Eddie "Inciting Incident"
2004 Deadwood "Bullock Returns to the Camp"
2004–2005 Life As We Know It Also co-executive producer

"Pilot"
"Pilot Junior"
"The Best Laid Plans"
"A Little Problem"

2006Twenty QuestionsAlso executive producer
TV movie
2006The PTA
2006 Psych "Pilot"
2007 12 Miles of Bad Road "Pilot"
2007Two FamiliesTV movie
2007–2012 30 Rock "The Baby Show"
"Up All Night"
"Jack Gets In The Game"
"Rosemary's Baby"
"Cougars"
"Secrets and Lies"
"Brooklyn Without Limits"
"Hey, Baby, What's Wrong? Part 1"
"Hey, Baby, What's Wrong? Part 2"
"What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?"
"Stride of Pride"
2008Single with ParentsTV movie
2008 Privileged Also executive producer (pilot only)
"Pilot"
"All About Honesty"
"All About Insecurities"
"All About Love, Actually"
2009Lost and FoundTV movie
2010 Parenthood "Wassup"
"The Situation"
2010–2013 The Big C Also executive producer
"Summertime"
"There's No C in Team"
"Everything That Rises Must Converge"
"Taking the Plunge"
"Losing Patients"
"Musical Chairs"
"Goldilocks and the Bears"
"The Last Thanksgiving"
"Crossing the Line"
"Thin Ice"
"What's Your Story?"
"Vaya Con Dios"
"Fly Away"
"Quality of Life"
"The Finale"
2012 Go On "Do You Believe in Ghosts ... Yes!"
2012 Nashville "Someday You'll Call My Name"
2013 Welcome to the Family "Pilot"
"Dad Finds Out"
"The Big RV Adventure"
"Lisette's Abuela Visits"
2014 Brooklyn Nine-Nine "The Party"
2014 Masters of Sex "Dirty Jobs"
2014–2016 Downton Abbey "Episode Eight"
"Episode Five"
"Episode Six"
"The Finale"
2015–2016 Empire "Out, Damned Spot"
"A Rose By Any Other Name"
2015–2017 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt "Kimmy Goes to School"
"Kimmy's Bad at Math!"
"Kimmy Finds Her Mom!"
"Kimmy Googles the Internet!"
2016 Notorious "Pilot"
"The Prep Talk"
"Tell Me a Secret"
2016 Pure Genius "A Bunker Hill Christmas"
2017 The Guest Book "Story Six"
"Story Eight"
2018 The Affair "408"
2018 Splitting Up Together "Asking For a Friend"
2018 The Chaperone Film
2019 Downton Abbey Film
2022 The Gilded Age 5 episodes; Also executive producer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wells (filmmaker)</span> American producer, writer and director (born 1956)

John Marcum Wells is an American producer, writer, and director. He is best known for his role as showrunner and executive producer of the television series ER, Third Watch, The West Wing, Southland, Shameless, Animal Kingdom, and American Woman, as well as the miniseries Maid and the upcoming series Rescue: HI-Surf. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California. Wells is also a labor leader, having served as president of the Writers Guild of America, West from 1999 to 2001 and from 2009 to 2011. Wells serves on the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors. In 2011, he developed the series Shameless on Showtime, which ran for eleven seasons ending in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Katims</span> American television writer, producer, and playwright

Jason Katims is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known as the creator of several television series, including Relativity (1996), Roswell (1999–2002), Friday Night Lights (2006–2011), Parenthood (2010–2015), About a Boy (2014–2015) and Rise (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Milch</span> American TV writer and producer (born 1945)

David Sanford Milch is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's NYPD Blue (1993–2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's Deadwood.

Timothy Van Patten is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and two Directors Guild of America Awards as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards.

James Edward Burrows, sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director. Burrows has received numerous accolades including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards. He was honored with the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and NBC special Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows in 2016.

Edward Bianchi is an American television director and producer. He is better known for his work on Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Yellowstone, and The Get Down.

Stephen A Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter and television producer.

Aaron Shure is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is known for his work on several comedy series, including The Office, Everybody Loves Raymond, Lucky Louie, George and Leo, and The New Adventures of Old Christine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris Barclay</span> American television director and producer

Paris K. C. Barclay is an American television director, producer, and writer. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and is among the busiest single-camera television directors, having directed nearly 200 episodes of television to date, for series such as NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House, Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment, Glee, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Watcher, and American Horror Story: NYC. He also serves as an executive producer on many of the shows he directs, and occasionally as a writer or co-creator as well. From 2013 to 2017, Barclay served two terms as the President of the Directors Guild of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Winter</span> American television and film writer

Terence Patrick Winter is an American writer and producer of television and film. He is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014). Before creating Boardwalk Empire, Winter was a writer and executive producer for the HBO television series The Sopranos, from the show's second to sixth and final season (2000–2007).

Mark Tinker is an American television producer and director.

Mark Mylod is an English director and executive producer of film and television. He began his career directing comedy shows such as Shooting Stars, The Fast Show, and The Royle Family, for which he received two BAFTA TV Awards.

Mel Tolkin was a television comedy writer best known as head writer of the live sketch comedy series Your Show of Shows during the Golden Age of Television. There he presided over a staff that at times included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Danny Simon. The writers' room inspired the film My Favorite Year (1982), produced by Brooks, and the Broadway play Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), written by Neil Simon.

<i>30 Rock</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007, and May 8, 2008, on NBC in the United States.

Ted Mann is a Canadian born television writer and producer. He has worked in both capacities on the series NYPD Blue, Deadwood and Crash. In 1995 he won the Emmy award for Best Drama Series for his work on the second season of NYPD Blue.

Gregg Fienberg is an American television producer and director. He worked on the Western drama Deadwood in both capacities and received a Directors Guild of America Award and two Emmy Award nominations for the series. He was an Emmy nominated producer for the mystery series Twin Peaks. He was also the executive producer and unit production manager for the HBO series True Blood.

Jody Worth is an American television writer and producer. He has worked in both capacities on Deadwood and has been nominated for an Emmy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on the series. He is the son of producer and screenwriter Marvin Worth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Manson (producer)</span> American film producer

David Manson is a Peabody Award-winning American film and television producer, screenwriter and director.

<i>Sex and the City</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television romantic comedy-drama Sex and the City aired in the United States on HBO. The show was created by Darren Star while Star, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, series lead actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Chupack, and Jenny Bicks served as executive producers. The series was produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Sarah Jessica Parker portrays the lead character Carrie Bradshaw, while Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon played her best friends Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes.

<i>Sex and the City</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth and final season of the American television romantic comedy-drama Sex and the City aired in the United States on HBO. The show was created by Darren Star while Star, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, series lead actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Chupack, and Jenny Bicks served as executive producers. The series was produced by Darren Star Productions, HBO Original Programming, and Warner Bros. Television. Sarah Jessica Parker portrays the lead character Carrie Bradshaw, while Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon played her best friends Samantha Jones, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes.

References

  1. Eastern Standard at Google Books
  2. New York Times: A Dream Come True: Growing Up to Direct Plays
  3. New York Times: Review/Theater; Williamson as Specter in 'I Hate Hamlet'
  4. Talking Heads at the Lortel Archives Archived 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
  5. TCM: Mastergate Overview
  6. 1 2 3 Parenthood Director Bio Michael Engler
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TV.com Michael Engler
  8. Sex and The City Emmy Nominations
  9. Sex and the City Directors Bare All
  10. Michael Engler (director); Jody Worth (writer) (2004-05-02). "Bullock Returns to the Camp". Deadwood. Season 1. Episode 7. HBO.
  11. The PTA at interestMIX Archived 2013-07-18 at archive.today
  12. ABC unveils five new shows for midseason
  13. 1 2 3 Subtitle Box: Filmography of Michael Engler
  14. Hollywood Reporter: Two For NBC's Lost and Found
  15. Variety: DGA announces TV nominations, 'Lost,' 'Sopranos,' '30 Rock' nab duo of nods
  16. 30 Rock Emmy Nominations