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Josh Appelbaum

Josh Appelbaum

Producer and writer · Born August 24, 1983 (43) · USA

Primetime Emmy nominee · 1 other major award body

Born
August 24, 1983 (43)
From
USA
Works as
Producer and writer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 35% in 30 days

What are Josh Appelbaum's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
25%
Self
25%
Bonds
23%
Survival
12%
Society
9%
Ideas
7%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 6

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
6
Dread
3
Contemplative
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Josh Appelbaum's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Josh Appelbaum's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Heads of State(2025)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Citadel: Honey Bunny(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer · Original Series Creator

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • Citadel: Diana(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer · Original Series Creator

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • Citadel(2023)

    Show 13 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Story · Teleplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • From(2022)

    Show 40 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Cowboy Bebop(2021)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Without Remorse(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • High Fidelity(2020)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Limetown(2019)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Wonder Park(2019)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Origin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Everything Sucks!(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows(2016)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Zoo(2015)

    Show 39 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Project Almanac(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(2014)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol(2011)

    Co-Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Happy Town(2010)

    Show Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Samurai Girl(2008)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • October Road(2007)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Fastlane(2002)

    Show 22 episodes · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • She Spies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Producer · Writer

  • Alias(2001)

    Show 38 episodes · Co-Executive Producer · Supervising Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Kill Them All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Rainbow Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Scooby-Doo: Origins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Space Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 25 titles, 21 of them dated from 2001 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

$695M worldwide

Highest rated

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing15 of 25: 2 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score38thProducing23 of 25: 10 only producing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thOther crew2 of 25: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

25 titles, 13 with more than one role — producing and writing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

2000s4 · crew2010s9 · crew2020s8 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2009–2026.

  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Movie
  2. 2009
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · New Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Josh Appelbaum's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 36th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

97thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · producer

Samurai Girl (2008)

67th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 43/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Josh Appelbaum's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles12–67 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles15–49 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles28–57 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles8–38 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles19–58 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Josh Appelbaum work with?

People who share at least 2 of Josh Appelbaum's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; André Nemec shares the most, 13.

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers