You’ve probably seen enough TV series to have come across this name more than once. From the mid-‘90s and all the way into the ‘10s, David Nutter’s directorial career has spanned an impressive number of television pilots—of the 20 he has directed thus far, 16 were picked up by networks. So, if you’ve got a show you want to see take off, Mr Nutter is the man you want handling your pilot.

With several prestigious awards under his belt, including 3 Emmys and a Hugo, the American director has demonstrated a marvellous versatility in terms of theme and style when shooting his pilots, establishing a remarkable streak that has turned him into a favourite of many showrunners. For good reason, too, so it’s worth taking a moment to analyse David Nutter’s evolution as a director and understand what it is, exactly, that makes him so… awesome.

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The Early Days

David lost his father at a young age, and he was raised by a single mother. Growing up, the future storyteller found comfort and magic in the world of comic books. He would often cut characters out and study their angles, sometimes coming up with characters of his own—a director’s persona was gradually shaping up before he even knew it.

Alas, Mr Nutter grew up imagining himself as the next Frank Sinatra, enrolling in the University of Miami to pursue a musical education. It wasn’t long before he realized that it wasn’t a road he truly wished to take, so he enrolled in a Super 8 film class in the early ‘80s with the intention of perhaps going on to write music for movies, instead. It was during that particularly formative period that he decided to become a director, blaming Warren Beatty’s ‘Reds’ (1981) for the final nudge.

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The Budding Career

‘Cease Fire’ (1985), starring Don Johnson, was David Nutter’s first credited project, the first of few features he has ever done. But it was ’21 Jump Street’ (1987-1991), created by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, and featuring a young, wide-eyed Johnny Depp, that propelled Nutter into the television industry. He directed three episodes of the series and worked on a few other projects before he was brought on to do the pilot for ‘Space: Above and Beyond’ (1995-1996), a sci-fi adventure series created by Glen Morgan and James Wong. That was his very first pilot. I suppose you never forget your first.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Nutter joined Morgan and Wong on Chris Carter’s ‘The X-Files’ (1993-2018), for which he directed 15 of what would later become some of the show’s most memorable episodes. Worth mentioning here: ‘Ice’, inspired by the John Carpenter classic ‘The Thing’ (1982); ‘Beyond the Sea’, which sees Brad Dourif delivering a most brilliant performance; ‘Firewalker’, starring the young but decidedly promising Bradley Whitford; and ‘Little Green Men’, which kickstarted the series’ second season and further cemented ‘The X-Files’ as a grand work of science fiction mystery.

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The Pilot Whisperer

After ‘Space: Above and Beyond’ and his work on ‘The X-Files’, David Nutter’s talents were in high demand, reason for which he was able to carefully choose what projects he wished to be involved with—a privilege few TV directors have, if you think about it. Given how well he got along with Chris Carter, it’s no surprise that Mr Nutter was asked to direct the pilot for ‘Millennium’ (1996-1999), followed by three more episodes in the series, including one of my own personal favourites, ‘Gehenna’.

A year later, he gave the feature-length format another shot with ‘Disturbing Behavior’ (1998), starring the most wide-eyed James Marsden, Katie Holmes, and Nick Stahl I’ve ever seen. In an interview with DGA’s Quarterly Magazine, Nutter described the project as ‘a terrible experience’, the worst he’s ever had. The flop was quickly smothered by another television hit, however, as Nutter was given the opportunity to shoot the pilot for ‘Roswell’ (1999-2002) and James Cameron’s ‘Dark Angel’ (2000-2002), both tremendous successes with their respective audiences.

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He was reunited with his beloved comic book medium soon afterward upon shooting the pilot for ‘Smallville’ (2001-2011), the first television success of superhero-inspired tales since… whew, ‘The Flash’ (1990-1991). That same year, Nutter won his first Emmy award for his directing work on ‘Band of Brothers’ (2002), a precious accolade that would later triple through another alignment with HBO.

The pilot for ‘Supernatural’ (2005-2020) sort of made history, as it spawned one of the longest running and most beloved shows of the small screen. Nutter stayed with the series for one more episode before moving on. Four years later, he directed the pilot for ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ (2008-2009), starring Lena Headey and Summer Glau, and ‘The Mentalist’ (2008-2015), the latter remembered as high among the best scripted TV series of the entire decade. Mr Nutter only had 9 weeks to prepare, shoot, and edit the memorable episode which graced us with Simon Baker’s first and truly stellar performance as Patrick Jane.

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While I won’t be listing all of his pilots here, I will mention the work he did for ‘Arrow’ (2012-2020) and ‘The Flash’ (2014), the latter a CW reboot of the popular DC Comics speedster superhero, as both pertain to Nutter’s appreciation of the comic book medium. Of course, while he is recognized as ‘the pilot whisperer’ by most in the industry, his streak of successful firsts was broken ten years ago, when CBS chose not to pick up Rina Mimoun’s ‘The Doctor’. It hasn’t stopped him from directing exceptional episodes, though.

The Magnificent Contributions

Some of Nutter’s non-pilot works can be traced across multiple genres and networks, from his ‘100,000 Airplanes’ episode for Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The West Wing’ (1999-2006) and Michael Crichton’s ‘ER’ (1994-2009) to ‘Join the Club’ for ‘The Sopranos’ (1999-2007), which earned him yet another Emmy nod, and the 10 episodes he executed for ‘Entourage’ (2004-2011). By then, he was a darling of the Home Box Office for their serialized projects.

One of his best-loved forays into established series was the ‘Game On’ episode he did for ‘Homeland’ (2011-2020). Claire Danes’ character was tragically complicated and struggled against so many inner demons, yet she was able to go in and out of Carrie Mathison’s skin with the flip of a switch. Much like James Gandolfini before her, it became clear to Nutter that actors want to be directed, whether they’re dealing with the pilot or any of the episodes that follow.

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Every other year, John Wells and Paul Abbott’s ‘Shameless’ (2011-2021) requested David’s experienced guidance for some of its episodes. The results were as expected—hilarious, profound, and startlingly dynamic. But it was Nutter’s work on HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) that brought him two more Emmy awards, and deservedly so.

He did 9 episodes for the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’-inspired series, including the infamous ‘The Rains of Castamere’ and ‘The Dance of Dragons’. For the former, Nutter explained in an interview that the stakes were ridiculously high and the pressure almost crushing, as he’d been invited to do The Red Wedding earlier during season 2. By the time he got around to shooting the actual scene, the director decided to tackle the banquet massacre sequentially.

‘In some respects, I looked at it almost as an opera. It was all about how I set up the tables in the room, how I positioned who was going to sit where. […] It was sort of like dominos, where we could keep the tonality going so when we got to the really intense stuff, we were shooting it one after the other and building on top of the drama—building to a climax’, Nutter told DGA’s Quarterly Magazine. Yet it was the finale of season 5, ‘Mother’s Mercy’, that got the Emmy for Outstanding Directing.

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The Director’s Approach

For David Nutter, the craft of televised storytelling hangs on the emotional element. He won’t pick up an episode—be it a pilot or not—if the screenplay doesn’t move him, if the story being told doesn’t stir him on a deeper level. As a director, he follows the script, first and foremost, which is why the writing is so important. ‘I don’t like to be noticed. I don’t want to be someone whose shot takes you out of the dramatic sequence or takes you out of the emotional story that you’re trying to tell’, he says. The focus is always on making the story connect with the audience.

Working closely with the writers, Nutter is keen on forging tight bonds with the cast and crew, as well, which is why he dedicates a significant amount of time in dealing with the actors individually, taking them to hang around the sets and filming locations prior to the actual shooting so they can get a feel for their world and their characters within it. Over the years, he has built lasting rapports with specific industry professionals across different projects. Why, he’s done 10 pilots with editor Paul Karasick alone.

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Another aspect of his work is in the storyboard. Mr Nutter does many and plenty and more on top, in order to get as deep into the story as possible before the cameras even roll. This helps develop and illustrate the tone and attitude of the episode, which then translates into an organic cohesion between the show’s production departments—from the director of photography to the editor and the VFX technicians, to name but a few.

Given his success as a TV director, it’s normal to hear David Nutter say he is bombarded with pitches almost every day. Yet it’s the script that he’s usually interested in. Sure, the pitch might get a screenwriter through the door, perhaps, but if the story doesn’t captivate the director, he simply won’t touch it.

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And while he prefers pilots with their complete ‘birthing process’, he has also developed a keen sense of understanding for the directors that come in after him. After ‘Arrow’, Nutter arranged a big breakfast with the other directors, making sure they all sat down and watched the episode prior to starting work on the show. ‘A lot of times directors in television will come to a series, and they kind of feel like the odd man out’, he said.

He gladly references Sidney Lumet and Mark Rydell when describing his approach to helping the actors find their characters in the pilot. He declares himself a fan of rehearsals—most of the times. Other times, he says, blocking rehearsals altogether helps produce a certain kind of honesty one won’t get after a thorough repetition.

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Nutter also acknowledges that there’s a common thread for the pilots of his choice. ‘I’m attracted to shows where the characters have a void in their life. It’s that deep emotional thing the audience can grasp onto that I try to bring out as a director.’

David Nutter has already established himself as the kind of specialist that any showrunner would want to work with. His devotion and detailed involvement have brought him additional executive producer credits since ‘Millennium’ on almost every episode under his care. He has directed the pilots for some of my all-time favourite series, and so I’ve learned to pay more attention to the opening credits of any show that I might be into next. There’s a chance he’ll be the creative engine behind that one, too.

The thing with successful TV series is that fans can’t get enough of them. Alas, all good things must come to an end, but in a bid to satisfy the viewers and to keep profits high, producers often consider spin-offs as a solution. Often, spin-offs fall flat. In some cases, they’re more beloved than the originals from which they were forged.

Where the big screen is concerned, continuity is fundamental—especially with superhero flicks; vast universes and at least five sequels are planned before the first film has even gone into production. It’s not as easy for the small screen. There are certain do’s and don’ts that must be taken into account, and each of these elements could easily make or break the spin-off.

‘THE LONE GUNMEN’ (2001), ©20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION

The Yeas and the Nays

For example, it’s a great idea to take familiar characters in a new direction, like David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee did with ‘Frasier’ (1993-2004). Another fruitful avenue is to offer new heroes within the same fictional world, which we’ve seen working beautifully with Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian’ (2019).

And who doesn’t like a good prequel by delving into the past of a much beloved character? Viewers welcomed Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s take on Jimmy McGill in ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015) with arms wide open, after he’d already sparked their interest in ’Breaking Bad’ (2008-2013).

‘JOEY’ (2004-2006), ©WARNER BROTHERS TELEVISION

On the other side of the spectrum, the most underwhelming spin-offs have failed for a variety of reasons. Rehashing what was already done has not, does not, and will never work. ‘Joey’ (2004-2006) more than proved it by feeding viewers worn-out jokes that made ‘Friends’ (1994-2004) appealing. Too much of the same was bound to backfire.

Another major mistake is to simply overestimate the popularity of a minor character; what worked in ‘The X-Files’ (1993-2018) for Byers et al quickly fizzled in ‘The Lone Gunmen’ (2001), because no one was ever truly interested in watching a show entirely dedicated to three misfit conspiracy experts who played second fiddle to Mulder and Scully a few times.

Asking questions that nobody cared about has tanked its share of spin-offs, too; the only ones who wondered about what Superman’s grandfather was like were the Syfy producers who gave us ‘Krypton’ (2018-2019), which somehow made it through two seasons before being put out of its misery; sure, David S. Goyer and Damian Kindler had good intentions, but there’s only so much one can extract from a cinematic universe that has been basically bled dry.

‘KRYPTON’ (2018-2019), ©SYFY

Hitting the Mark

Of the spin-offs that weren’t just as good as the original but managed to exceed expectations, I can easily and wholeheartedly refer you to ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ (1987-1994). Gene Roddenberry gave us a science fiction treasure trove with his tales of Starfleet adventures that took beloved heroes where no one has gone before. The original ‘Star Trek’ (1966-1969) embedded itself in television history as a revolutionary production that defied that era’s creative norms. It also made timeless stars out of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, and Nichelle Nichols as Uhura—the first African-American woman to have a continuing co-starring role on TV who also gave us the first interracial onscreen kiss. ‘Star Trek’ deserved better than it got, in retrospect.

It generated a multitude of spin-offs and feature-length films, but only ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ was able to rise to the occasion. The show grew into a veritable grand space opera adventure that stayed loyal to its original whilst exploring new avenues through new and charming characters. Despite its rocky start, the series gathered a massive fanbase, conquering us with Patrick Stewart’s brilliant Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Brent Spiner’s Data, the latter most appealing through an effort to reconcile his own desire for humanity with his robotic design.

‘STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION’ (1987-1994), ©PARAMOUNT TELEVISION

Mentioned earlier, ‘The Mandalorian’ is another prime example of a spin-off that hits the mark. It also shows how a creative team can mine TV gold from a well-known source. The series is based on a movie franchise, rather than a series, but Jon Favreau is triumphant in recreating the original ‘Star Wars’ look, imagining what happened once the Mandalorian character left the trilogy.

The show’s protagonist, Mando, has become an instant hero, splendidly brought to life by Pedro Pascal of ‘Narcos’ (2015-2017) and ‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019) fame. On top of that, few expected The Child, better known as Baby Yoda, to have such an impact on audiences. Favreau manages to take imagery from the past and craft it into something that stands to be highly anticipated in the future, as well.

‘THE MANDALORIAN’ (2019), ©LUCASFILM/WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

‘Better Call Saul’ doesn’t surpass ‘Breaking Bad’ which, to this day, is still a prime example for the television medium as an artform. The spin-off is excellent, however, as it is slated for a 6^th season in 2021. Chronicling the trials and tribulations of Jimmy McGill in a time before his strip-mall law office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ‘Better Call Saul’ offers us glimpses of other characters from the main series, such as Maximino Arciniega’s Krazy-8 and Jonathan Banks’s Mike Ehrmantraut, who show up from time to time like a blast from… well, the future, since it’s a prequel.

The show offers something fresh by digging into the past, collecting an impressive number of award nominations along the way and without making the viewers wonder about Saul/Jimmy’s post-‘Breaking Bad’ career managing a Cinnabon in Nebraska. It is absolutely delightful because it shows us how Saul truly came to be, in a sense.

‘BETTER CALL SAUL’ (2015), ©NETFLIX

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003) took an average movie and turned it into a ground-breaking cult classic series. Joss Whedon changed the matrix of fantasy television with his take on vampires and the supernatural. One memorable and much-loved character that got his own spin-off was Angel, the vampire cursed with a soul, played by David Boreanaz. ‘Angel’ (1999-2004) came after two seasons of the original and lasted for five of its own, applauded for darker and more adult storylines.

Buffy, as a character, was designed to grow up with her audience, while Angel simply trusted that his viewers were already there and ready to go beyond the worries and distractions of high-school and college life. The show was also proficient in the art of crossovers, with more than one episode bringing the two threads together and never afraid of pulling punches. In fact, ‘Angel’ is considered by many as one of the rare instances in which the spin-off is better than the original.

‘ANGEL’ (1999-2004), ©20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION

‘Frasier’ recorded a similar success in its 11-season run. Building from the beloved ‘Cheers’ (1982-1993) which gave us memorable comedic performances from Ted Danson, Shelley Long and Rhea Perlman, to name but a few, ‘Frasier’ took Doctor Frasier Crane to Seattle to become a radio show psychiatrist.

The show struck gold with its eloquent, witty and intelligent humour, as Frasier—the oddball former member of the ‘Cheers’ blue-collar ensemble—doled out advice to his listeners. Focusing on the social ineptitude of its characters, the spin-off went on to win 37 Emmy awards, including five years in a row for Outstanding Comedy.

‘FRASIER’ (1993-2004), ©PARAMOUNT TELEVISION

Crashed and Burned

‘Bones’ (2005-2017) will always stand out as one of the better procedurals, mainly over the onscreen chemistry between empirical forensic anthropologist Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan and tough all-American FBI Agent Seeley Booth, beautifully portrayed by Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, respectively. Hart Hanson tried to whip up the same magic with ‘The Finder’ (2012), which takes place in the same fictional world but fails miserably.

Its backdoor pilot premiered on the sixth season of ‘Bones’, and the show itself focuses on the investigative adventures of Walt Sherman who, after a traumatic brain injury during the Iraq War, can see patterns that others can’t. Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mercedes Masohn and Maddie Hasson headlined the spin-off, which, like the original, was based on books—in this case, ‘The Locator’ by Richard Greener. It only lasted a season, lacking the appeal that kept viewers glued to their TV screens during ‘Bones’.

‘THE FINDER’ (2012), ©20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION

‘Happy Days’ (1974-1984) was a gem of American television, made memorable by the likes of Ron Howard and Henry Winkler, among others. It also launched a fruitful franchise on ABC, with several popular spin-offs such as ‘Mork & Mindy’ (1978-1982), which brought Robin Williams into the spotlight, and ‘Laverne & Shirley’ (1976-1983). ‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ (1982-1983), with Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola and Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham, however, flopped and then some.

Considered as one of the worst spin-offs of all time, ‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ followed its protagonists as they tried to break into the music business in the mid-1960s. It started off well, with its first season penned by the writers behind ‘Happy Days’, but it nosedived into its second season, leaving most audiences bewildered and disappointed. People wanted more of the Fonz, not Joanie and Chachi.

‘JOANIE LOVES CHACHI’ (1982-1983), ©PARAMOUNT TELEVISION

When Russell T. Davies took over ‘Doctor Who’ (2005), it opened the door to a plethora of spin-offs with varied degrees of success. ‘Torchwood’ (2006-2011) gave us wicked times with John Barrowman, and ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’ (2007-2011) was an absolute hit with younger audiences during its impressive run. ‘Class’ (2016) is one of the lesser ‘children’, mainly because it missed the ‘Doctor Who’ demographic by years, choosing to focus on a group of teenagers attending the Coal Hill School, where the Doctor once acquired his first companions.

Starring Greg Austin, better known as Travis Leich in ‘Hunters’ (2020), ‘Class’ was supposed to appeal to younger viewers with subtle nods to shows such as ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Teen Wolf’ (2011-2017). Despite its initial stellar reviews, the show began to slide into poor ratings, having found its rescue in a series of audio dramas from Big Finish. The small screen doesn’t want it anymore.

 ‘CLASS’ (2016), ©BBC AMERICA

The One That Got Away

Of all the TV series that fans would absolutely love to get a spin-off from, ‘Supernatural’ (2005-2020) has missed the mark three times with backdoor pilots that never got a full season order. The supremely adored cult favourite and genre-masher has been around for fifteen years and is currently saying goodbye with its final season. Given the superb dynamic between Jensen Ackles’ Dean and Jared Padalecki’s Sam, further aided by a slew of memorable characters such as the angel Castiel (Misha Collins), the demon king Crowley (Mark Sheppard), veteran hunter Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) and Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), to name but a few, it’s hard not to imagine a good spin-off coming out of this gargantuan TV accomplishment.

‘SUPERNATURAL’ (2005-2020), ©KRIPKE ENTERPRISES/WARNER BROS. TELEVISION

But CW President Mark Pedowitz explained during a press tour at the 2018 Summer Television Critics Association that none of the three proposed spin-off projects had the promise of the ‘Supernatural’ boys past the first episode. Truth be told, Ackles and Padalecki have shouldered the series for a decade and a half, and the show’s writers have struggled to bring the same pizzazz to other pilots within the same universe. Mr Pedowitz has not fully dismissed the idea of a ‘Supernatural’ spin-off in the future, but most hopes were dashed when the ‘Wayward Sisters’ episode failed to get a greenlight.

In the end, spin-offs remain as elusive as ever. Sometimes they work and even surpass the originals. Sometimes they fail because the plot and characters weren’t strong enough to stand on their own. And occasionally, the original is just too powerful to allow an adjacent story to survive beyond the writers’ room. Caution is advised, either way, because a spin-off will always be faced with the challenge of following in the footsteps of giants.