Donald Paul Bellisario (born August 8, 1935) is an American television producer and screenwriter who created and sometimes wrote episodes for the TV series Magnum, P.I., Airwolf, Quantum Leap, JAG, and NCIS. He has often included military veterans as characters.
Biography from TMDB.
- August 8, 1935 (91)
- Cokeburg, Pennsylvania, USA
- Writer, director, producer and actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
What are Donald P. Bellisario's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 1 · Serious 4 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet2
- 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 Donald P. Bellisario's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Roku Channel (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Donald P. Bellisario'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
19 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Quantum Leap(2022)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
Magnum P.I.(2018)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
NCIS(2003)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
First Monday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
JAG(1995)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Crowfoot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Tequila and Bonetti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
飞狼国语公映版 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Quantum Leap(1989)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows
Last Rites(1988)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Three on a Match(1987)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Airwolf(1984)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Airwolf(1984)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows
Tales of the Gold Monkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Magnum PI: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Magnum, P.I.(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Battlestar Galactica (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Kojak(1973)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Career shape
A full career of 19 titles from 1973 to 2022.
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.
How do Donald P. Bellisario's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 4; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 64, detractors 30. 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.
Who does Donald P. Bellisario work with?
People who share at least 2 of Donald P. Bellisario's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Deborah Pratt shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Glen A. LarsonShared titles: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Glen A. Larson
- Jim CarlsonShared titles: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Jim Carlson
- Ken PettusShared titles: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Ken Pettus
- Terrence McDonnellShared titles: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Terrence McDonnell
Actors
- Deborah PrattShared titles: Last Rites (1988), Three on a Match (1987), Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 4 shared titles with Deborah Pratt
- David HemmingsShared titles: Three on a Match (1987), Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 3 shared titles with David Hemmings
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Arthur W. ForneyShared titles: Three on a Match (1987), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Arthur W. Forney
- Ian Freebairn-SmithShared titles: Three on a Match (1987), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Ian Freebairn-Smith
- Jack WhitmanShared titles: Three on a Match (1987), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Whitman
- Bill LucianoShared titles: Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Luciano
Mixed roles
- Alan J. LeviShared titles: Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Alan J. Levi
