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George McCowan

George McCowan

Director · Died November 1, 1995, aged 68 · Paris, Ontario, Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. George McCowan (June 27, 1927 – November 1, 1995) was a Canadian film (mostly TV movies) and TV director in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. McCowan began his career working for the Canadian Broadcasting Company. He moved to the United States from Canada in 1967 and stayed there. He is most notable for directing seven episodes of Charlie's Angels, directing episodes of S.W.A.T., and directing episodes of Starsky and Hutch. He worked more often with such shows as The Streets of San Francisco, Fantasy Island, and Hart to Hart. McCowan directed the 1971 Canadian hockey film Face-Off, the 1972 film, The Magnificent Seven Ride!, the 1972 horror film, Frogs, and the 1976 film Shadow of the Hawk. McCowan also directed the film H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come and the 1970 television war movie,The Challenge, but for the latter he chose to be credited as Alan Smithee. McCowan died in 1995 in Santa Monica, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article George McCowan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 27, 1927
Died
November 1, 1995 (aged 68)
From
Paris, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Director
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 55 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 16% in 30 days

What are George McCowan's films like?

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

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
31%
Survival
22%
Self
18%
Bonds
11%
Power
7%
Ideas
6%
Society
4%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 3 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 5 · Intense 4

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 8 · Engaged 4 · 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 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
4
Dread
4
Contemplative
4
Absurd
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Unsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic3
  • 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 George McCowan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for George McCowan'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

55 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • War of the Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Night Heat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Bring 'Em Back Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Nero Wolfe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • The July Group (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Dan August: The Jealousy Factor(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Littlest Hobo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 24 episodes · Director

  • Hart to Hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Return of Mod Squad(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Shape of Things to Come(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Vega$ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Fantasy Island(1977)

    Show 11 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows

  • Return to Fantasy Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Charlie's Angels(1976)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

  • Shadow of the Hawk(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Murder on Flight 502(1975)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Starsky and Hutch(1975)

    Show 18 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Carter's Army (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • S.W.A.T.(1975)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • To Kill the King(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Manhunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • The inbreaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director

  • The Starlost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Barnaby Jones(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • The Streets of San Francisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Search (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Rookies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Magnificent Seven Ride!(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Frogs(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • If Tomorrow Comes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Winter Comes Early(1971)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Face of Fear(1971)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Cannon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 23 episodes · Director

  • Cannon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Love Hate Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director

  • Run, Simon, Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Dan August (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Silent Force (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Young Rebels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Sixth Column (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • The Challenge(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of Andy Crocker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • The Monk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • The New People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Ugliest Girl in Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Mod Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

  • Judd, for the Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Invaders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Wojeck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Felony Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 19 episodes · Director

  • The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Forest Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Love War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 54 titles, 53 of them dated from 1963 to 1988.

Highest rated

Shadow of the Hawk (1976)

Midcredits 33rd

Most popular right now

The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing54 of 54: 54 only directing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score33rd

By decade

1960s11 · crew1970s37 · crew1980s5 · 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 George McCowan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 32nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · director

Winter Comes Early (1971)

76th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972)

Midcredits 93rd · 77% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 54/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 11 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 George McCowan work with?

People who share at least 2 of George McCowan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Aaron Spelling shares the most, 3.

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers