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Samuel Donovan

Director and producer

Primetime Emmy nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 1 other major award body

Sam Donovan is a British film and television director.

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director and producer
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 19 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 31% in 30 days

What are Samuel Donovan's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Survival
24%
Self
17%
Morality
12%
Ideas
9%
Society
8%
Power
6%
Trauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Melancholic
5
Dread
4
Bittersweet
1
Contemplative
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous3

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 Samuel Donovan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Samuel Donovan'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, 16 with a MovieCove page.

  • Widow's Bay(2026)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Down Cemetery Road(2025)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • Three Pines(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Severance(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Widow(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Liar(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Jamestown(2017)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • The Crown(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Living and the Dead(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Humans(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Smoke(2014)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Utopia(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Last Tango in Halifax(2012)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Four Lions(2010)

    Script Coordinator

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Hammerhead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Mother, Mine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    First Assistant Director

  • Secret Diary of a Call Girl(2007)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • King Ponce (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Skins(2007)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 2007 to 2026.

Highest rated

The Living and the Dead (2016)

Midcredits 62nd

Most popular right now

Three Pines (2022)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing14 of 17: 13 only directing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score90thProducing2 of 17: 1 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 17: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s5 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s4 · 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

3 major nominations and no wins, 2025–2026.

  1. 2026
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Director, Fiction
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
  2. 2025
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama 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.

Is Samuel Donovan's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Samuel Donovan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Samuel Donovan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Suzie Lavelle shares the most, 3.

Cinematographers and editors

Producers