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David Nutter

David Nutter

Director and producer

David Nutter (born 1960) is an American television and film director and television producer. He is best known for directing pilot episodes for television. In 2015, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, for his work on the HBO series Game of Thrones. He is also known for The Pacific (2010) and Space: Above and Beyond (1995).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director and producer
Titles
32 on Motif · 52 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 65 days to Oct 28Down 37% in 30 days

What are David Nutter's films like?

Across their 5 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
30%
Survival
29%
Self
24%
Bonds
12%
Ideas
5%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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 1 · Intense 2

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Thrilling
2
Absurd
2
Romantic
1
Dread
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • 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 David Nutter's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 26 of their 32 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Nutter's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

52 credits, 32 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Trancers: The Whole Dethly Affair(2025)

    Director

  • Mattress Express (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Executive Producer

  • The Time Traveler's Wife(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Batwoman(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 1st percentile of all shows

  • Rising (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Director

  • Lost in Space(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Containment (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Flash(2014)

    Show 23 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • The Advocates (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

  • Arrow(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Homeland(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Doctor (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Game of Thrones(2011)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Shameless(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Chase (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Pacific(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Eastwick (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 11 episodes · Director · Producer

  • The Mentalist(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles(2008)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Traveler (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Supernatural(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Dr. Vegas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Jack & Bobby(2004)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Entourage(2004)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Tarzan (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

  • Nip/Tuck(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Without a Trace(2002)

    Show 160 episodes · Director · Producer

    Motif score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Smallville (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Smallville(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Band of Brothers(2001)

    Show 10 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Dark Angel (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Roswell(1999)

    Show 61 episodes · Director · Producer

    Motif score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • The West Wing(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Sopranos(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Disturbing Behavior(1998)

    Director

    Motif score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Sleepwalkers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Millennium (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 67 episodes · Director · Producer

  • Space: Above and Beyond (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 23 episodes · Director

  • ER(1994)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Trancers 5: Sudden Deth(1994)

    Director

    Motif score: 6th percentile of all films

  • M.A.N.T.I.S.(1994)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 14th percentile of all shows

  • Trancers 4: Jack of Swords(1994)

    Director

    Motif score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The X-Files(1993)

    Show 15 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Commish(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • P.S. I Luv U (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Broken Badges (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Super Force (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Booker(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Superboy(1988)

    Show 19 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • 21 Jump Street(1987)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Motif score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Cease Fire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 51 titles from 1985 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

$18M worldwide

Highest rated

The Time Traveler's Wife (2022)

Motif 80th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing49 of 51: 38 only directing, 11 with another role · typical Motif score78thProducing13 of 51: 2 only producing, 11 with another role · typical Motif score76th

51 titles, 11 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 11 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · crew1990s17 · crew2000s15 · crew2010s13 · crew2020s2 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Nutter's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 8th percentile, the median of the 3 of 4 with a score; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 11th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

11thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

9thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Motif score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved11
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · producer

Batwoman (2019)

90th percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Sopranos (1999)

Motif 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 46/100 and the pacing 30/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 David Nutter work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Nutter's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter David shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers