Michael Beach Nichols
Cinematographer, director, producer and writer, also editor
Sundance award nominee
Michael Beach Nichols is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker based in NYC. His most recent project, a four-part true crime docuseries for ABC News / Hulu called Mr & Mrs Murder, came out in July 2025. It quickly became one of ABC News' most popular docuseries ever, even earning accolades from the GOAT Steven Spielberg. Before that, he directed Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini (2024), crowned Hulu’s most-watched docuseries ever with 3.6 million views in its first week. Previously, he partnered with Oscar-winning Topic Studios and Magnet for the genre-bending and proudly polarizing horror/comedy Wrinkles the Clown (2019). His universally acclaimed breakthrough feature documentary, Welcome to Leith (2015), received an Emmy nomination for Best Documentary after bowing at Sundance and SXSW. His debut feature Flex Is Kings (2013) was a smash hit at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is the co-founder of No Weather, a filmmaking collaborative based in New York.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Cinematographer, director, producer and writer, also editor
- 12 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Known for
What are Michael Beach Nichols' films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 4 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous4
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 Michael Beach Nichols' films?
As of October 24, 2026, all 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Beach Nichols' 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
18 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.
Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Mr. & Mrs. Murder(2025)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
The Kids Are Not Alright (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
Pride(2021)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows
Wrinkles the Clown(2019)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Beast of Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Susanne Bartsch: On Top(2017)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Welcome to Leith(2015)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all filmsDelivery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Flex Is Kings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
The Man Behind the Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles from 2010 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Welcome to Leith (2015)
Highest rated
Welcome to Leith (2015)
Most popular right now
Pride (2021)
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
Nominated for a Sundance award in 2015, Documentary.
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.
How do Michael Beach Nichols' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 66th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 12 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the cinematography 71/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 25. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.
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 Michael Beach Nichols work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Beach Nichols' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christopher K. Walker shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Anthony CaronnaShared titles: Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023), Pride (2021), Wrinkles the Clown (2019), Susanne Bartsch: On Top (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Anthony Caronna
- Alexander SmithShared titles: Pride (2021), Wrinkles the Clown (2019), Susanne Bartsch: On Top (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Alexander Smith
Writers
- Christopher K. WalkerShared titles: Mr. & Mrs. Murder (2025), Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini (2024), Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023), Wrinkles the Clown (2019), Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators (2017), Susanne Bartsch: On Top (2017), Welcome to Leith (2015)See all 7 shared titles with Christopher K. Walker
Composers and editors
- Dan DeaconShared titles: Mr. & Mrs. Murder (2025), Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Dan Deacon
- Rosella TursiShared titles: Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023), Pride (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Rosella Tursi
- T. GriffinShared titles: Wrinkles the Clown (2019), Welcome to Leith (2015)See all 2 shared titles with T. Griffin
Producers
- Erin Lee CarrShared titles: I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders (2024), Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini (2024)See all 2 shared titles with Erin Lee Carr
- Lisa HellerShared titles: I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders (2024), Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Lisa Heller
- Nancy AbrahamShared titles: I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders (2024), Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Nancy Abraham
