---
name: "Jaffar Mahmood"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jaffar-mahmood"
fi1m_id: "jaffar-mahmood"
imdb_id: "nm1390496"
tmdb_id: 588044
wikidata_id: "Q114729388"
roles: ["Director"]
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_as: "director"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-24T19:36:20.733327+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jaffar Mahmood

## Identity

Jaffar Mahmood

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jaffar-mahmood
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jaffar-mahmood
- **IMDb ID:** nm1390496
- **TMDB ID:** 588044
- **Wikidata ID:** Q114729388
- **Same entity:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114729388, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1390496/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/588044

Director. Born in Toms River, New Jersey, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Active:** 2009–present
- **Also known as:** Jaffar Mahmoud
- **Frequently works with:** [Beth McCarthy-Miller](https://film.one/person/beth-mccarthy-miller.md), [Gail Mancuso](https://film.one/person/gail-mancuso.md), [Ken Whittingham](https://film.one/person/ken-whittingham.md), [Alex Reid](https://film.one/person/alex-reid-1224235.md), [Chris Koch](https://film.one/person/chris-koch.md), [Claire Scanlon](https://film.one/person/claire-scanlon.md), [Jack Burditt](https://film.one/person/jack-burditt.md), [Julie Anne Robinson](https://film.one/person/julie-anne-robinson.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 72, as director, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 77 (1), 2010s 77 (2), 2020s 67 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 72 to 74 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 5, Crime 2, Drama 2, Mystery 1, Sport 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114729388, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1390496/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/588044

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Bridgerton*](https://film.one/tv/bridgerton.md) (80), [*Brooklyn Nine-Nine*](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md) (78), [*Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*](https://film.one/tv/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt.md) (76), [*The Residence*](https://film.one/tv/the-residence.md) (62)
- **Disney+:** [*Modern Family*](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md) (77)
- **Apple TV:** [*Stick*](https://film.one/tv/stick.md) (58)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Jaffar Mahmood

> Jaffar Mahmood is a practised director of established television comedies, attentive to their characters and habits. His work on *The Residence* makes us wish he would occasionally leave the jokes alone and let the questioning proceed.

In *The Residence* (2025), the investigation keeps stopping to explain itself or make room for another joke. Jaffar Mahmood and fellow director Liza Johnson favour a hectic comic manner, even when simply following a clue would be enough. We grew impatient with the interruptions because Uzo Aduba's detective had already earned our attention. This is a lively but uneven whodunnit, and Mahmood's direction helps make it so.

Mahmood wrote, directed and produced his debut feature, *Shades of Ray* (2008), addressing South Asian-American identity. His move into television directing in the mid-2010s led to dozens of comedy episodes. On *Young Sheldon*, where he directed repeatedly between 2017 and 2023, he also took producing roles. There is useful skill in keeping familiar characters recognisable while allowing actors some freedom within a settled programme. That care makes him a sensible fit for continuing comedies, though it tells us less about what he might do with another feature.

The Backstreet Boys lineup in *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* is a more conspicuous example of his work with a comic set piece. His move into hour-long series includes *The Great* (2023), and he directed four episodes of *The Residence*. The latter asks him to manage a large ensemble while keeping the investigation clear. A mystery also needs stretches when the audience can consider a clue without being hurried towards the next joke.

Davies's plotting is responsible for much of the trouble, adding complications faster than interest; it would be unfair to blame the directors for every delay. The shifts between timelines sometimes improve the guessing, and Aduba gives the programme a firm reason to keep watching. Too often, though, Mahmood and Johnson's comedy makes the questioning feel less important than whatever might interrupt it. We would welcome another mystery from him, provided he lets the detective get on with it.

## Biography

Jaffar Mahmood is a television director. He was born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey, and holds a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and an M.F.A. from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California.

Mahmood directed episodes of series including *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), *Modern Family* (2009), *Young Sheldon* (2017) — for which he directed 30 episodes — *Bridgerton* (2020) and *The Residence* (2025), on which he directed four episodes. His feature directorial debut was *Shades of Ray* (2008). He has also worked as a producer on several projects.

*Sources: imdb.com, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Stick* (2025), Fi1m 58, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/stick.md)
- *The Residence* (2025), Fi1m 62, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-residence.md)
- *Bridgerton* (2020), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/bridgerton.md)
- *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt* (2015), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt.md)
- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), Fi1m 78, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *Modern Family* (2009), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)

## Complete filmography (19)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Stick* (2025), series, Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/tv/stick.md)
- *The Residence* (2025), series, Director — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-residence.md)
- *Interior Chinatown* (2024), series, Director
- *Dear Edward* (2023), series, Director
- *Reboot* (2022), series, Director
- *Maggie* (2022), series, Director
- *Hot Mess Holiday* (2021), Director
- *Mr. Mayor* (2021), series, Director
- *Bridgerton* (2020), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/bridgerton.md)
- *Young Sheldon* (2017), series, Director
- *Santa Clarita Diet* (2017), series, Director
- *Powerless* (2017), series, Director
- *The Real O'Neals* (2016), series, Director
- *Life in Pieces* (2015), series, Director
- *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt* (2015), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt.md)
- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *The Middle* (2009), series, Director
- *Modern Family* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *Shades of Ray* (2008), Director, Writer

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jaffar-mahmood