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Jim Drake

Jim Drake

Director

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jim Drake is an American film and television director. Drake's career began in 1974, working as an associate director for the Norman Lear sitcoms All in the Family and Good Times, he made is solo directorial debut in the series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman which was executive produced by Lear. His other television works include Sanford, Gimme a Break!, We Got It Made, The Facts of Life, Newhart, Night Court, The Golden Girls, Dave's World, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck and among other series. His film credits include Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol and Speed Zone! starring John Candy. He is an alumnus of Columbia and Stanford University. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jim Drake (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 51 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 24% in 30 days

What are Jim Drake's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Self
33%
Society
17%
Ideas
10%
Power
4%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 2

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
5
Joyful
5
Warm
2
Romantic
2
Hopeful
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Fun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy6
  • Ambiguous1

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 Jim Drake's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jim Drake'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

51 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Suite Life on Deck(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Out of Jimmy's Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Suite Life of Zack & Cody(2005)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • The Jamie Foxx Show(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Malcolm & Eddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Harry Anderson: The Tricks of His Trade(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Crew (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Night Stand with Dick Dietrick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Star Struck(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Madman of the People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Based on an Untrue Story(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Dave's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 28 episodes · Director

  • The Sinbad Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Living Single(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Hangin' with Mr. Cooper(1992)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Scorch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Dad's A Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Speed Zone(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Coach(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Goddess of Love(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley(1988)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Second Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

  • Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Roomies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • All Is Forgiven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Hogan Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Golden Girls(1985)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • This Wife for Hire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • It's Your Move (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Who's the Boss?(1984)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • The Duck Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Double Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Domestic Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Night Court(1984)

    Show 63 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • We Got It Made (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Buffalo Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

  • Baby Makes Five (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Rome, Italian Style (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Newhart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • A Legacy for Leonette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • The Awakening of Cassie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Gimme a Break! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 14 episodes · Director

  • Sanford (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 26 episodes · Director

  • Joe's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Facts of Life(1979)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Fernwood 2 Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Alice(1976)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 167 episodes · Director

  • The Affair(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Texan(1958)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 50 titles from 1958 to 2008.

Biggest box office

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)

$28M worldwide

Highest rated

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987)

Midcredits 16th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 50: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting48 of 50: 48 only directing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score40thMusic1 of 50: 1 only music, 0 with another role

By decade

1950s1 · acting1970s6 · crew1980s26 · crew1990s14 · crew2000s3 · 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.

How do Jim Drake's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 17th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 20th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

20thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · director

Based on an Untrue Story (1993)

83rd percentile spread · 32% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Golden Girls (1985)

Midcredits 90th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 33/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Jim Drake work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jim Drake's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Economou shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors