---
name: "Michael Zinberg"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-zinberg"
fi1m_id: "michael-zinberg"
imdb_id: "nm0956910"
tmdb_id: 128172
wikidata_id: "Q3091031"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "22 March 1944"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 10
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "director"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-07T12:10:15.482752+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."
---

# Michael Zinberg

## Identity

Michael Zinberg

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/michael-zinberg
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** michael-zinberg
- **IMDb ID:** nm0956910
- **TMDB ID:** 128172
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3091031
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Zinberg, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3091031, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0956910/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/128172

Director. Born 22 March 1944 in Bexar County, Texas, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 22 March 1944, Bexar County, Texas, USA
- **Active:** 1970–2017
- **Also known as:** M.A. Zinberg 
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 10: 9 directing, 1 writing
- **Frequently works with:** [Bethany Rooney](https://film.one/person/bethany-rooney.md), [James Burrows](https://film.one/person/james-burrows.md), [Alex Zakrzewski](https://film.one/person/alex-zakrzewski.md), [Christopher Misiano](https://film.one/person/christopher-misiano.md), [David Lloyd](https://film.one/person/david-lloyd.md), [David Platt](https://film.one/person/david-platt.md), [Fred Toye](https://film.one/person/frederick-e-o-toye.md), [Glen Charles](https://film.one/person/glen-charles.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as director, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 87 (2), 1980s 88 (1), 2000s 78 (5), 2010s 72 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 74 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 7 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Comedy 4, Crime 3, Mystery 3, Action & Adventure 2, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Zinberg, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3091031, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0956910/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/128172

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Cheers*](https://film.one/tv/cheers.md) (88), [*Taxi*](https://film.one/tv/taxi.md) (86), [*NCIS*](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md) (66)
- **Disney+:** [*Lost*](https://film.one/tv/lost.md) (81), [*Gilmore Girls*](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md) (81), [*Fringe*](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md) (80)
- **Paramount+:** [*The Good Wife*](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md) (84)
- **Netflix:** [*The Blacklist*](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md) (63)

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

## Biography

Michael Allan Zinberg (born 22 March 1944) is an American television director, producer and writer. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in radio-television-film and began his career in the late 1960s as a production assistant before becoming an associate producer on series including *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* and *The Bob Newhart Show*, on which he also directed multiple episodes.

Zinberg later served as a vice president at NBC and as president of NBC Productions. He has directed episodes of many series, including *Lost* (2004), *Monk* (2002), *NCIS* (2003), *The Practice* (1999), *Gilmore Girls* (2004), *The Blacklist* (2013), *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* (2013), *Young Sheldon* (2017) and *The Good Wife*. He received Emmy nominations for *The Bob Newhart Show* and *Quantum Leap*, and a Directors Guild of America award for the latter.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (10)

### Directed (9) — the average rests on these

- *The Blacklist* (2013), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Terriers* (2010), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/terriers.md)
- *The Good Wife* (2009), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Fringe* (2008), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)
- *Lost* (2004), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)
- *NCIS* (2003), Fi1m 66, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md)
- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md)
- *Cheers* (1982), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/cheers.md)
- *Taxi* (1978), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/taxi.md)

### Wrote (1)

- *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* (1970), Fi1m 88, Producer, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mary-tyler-moore-show.md)

## Complete filmography (88)

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

- *Evil* (2019), series, Director
- *Young Sheldon* (2017), series, Director
- *The Good Fight* (2017), series, Director
- *Rosewood* (2015), series, Director
- *The Carmichael Show* (2015), series, Director
- *NCIS: New Orleans* (2014), series, Director
- *Star-Crossed* (2014), series, Director
- *The Michael J. Fox Show* (2013), series, Director
- *Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.* (2013), series, Director
- *The Blacklist* (2013), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist.md)
- *Franklin & Bash* (2011), series, Director
- *Terriers* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/terriers.md)
- *Rizzoli & Isles* (2010), series, Director
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Lie to Me* (2009), series, Director
- *Fringe* (2008), series, Director — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/fringe.md)
- *90210* (2008), series, Director
- *The Middleman* (2008), series, Director
- *In Plain Sight* (2008), series, Director
- *Aliens in America* (2007), series, Director
- *Private Practice* (2007), series, Director
- *Burn Notice* (2007), series, Director
- *The Wedding Bells* (2007), series, Director
- *A Christmas Wedding* (2006), Director
- *Psych* (2006), series, Director
- *The Unit* (2006), series, Director
- *Lost* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/lost.md)
- *NCIS* (2003), series, Director — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md)
- *Hack* (2002), series, Director
- *In-Laws* (2002), series, Director
- *She Spies* (2002), series, Director
- *Monk* (2002), series, Director
- *First Monday* (2002), series, Director
- *The Guardian* (2001), series, Director
- *Crossing Jordan* (2001), series, Director
- *Boston Public* (2000), series, Director
- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md)
- *Titans* (2000), series, Director
- *Yes, Dear* (2000), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, Director
- *Payne* (1999), series, Director
- *Charmed* (1998), series, Director
- *Holding the Baby* (1998), series, Director
- *Any Day Now* (1998), series, Director
- *Maggie* (1998), series, Director
- *Built to Last* (1997), series, Director
- *Between Brothers* (1997), series, Director
- *The Practice* (1997), series, Director
- *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* (1996), series, Director
- *The Pretender* (1996), series, Director
- *Men Behaving Badly* (1996), series, Director
- *Everybody Loves Raymond* (1996), series, Director
- *Goode Behavior* (1996), series, Director
- *JAG* (1995), series, Producer, Director, Co-Executive Producer
- *Caroline in the City* (1995), series, Director
- *The Single Guy* (1995), series, Director
- *Accidental Meeting* (1994), Director
- *Where I Live* (1993), series, Director
- *Tequila and Bonetti* (1992), series, Director
- *The Commish* (1991), series, Director
- *For the Very First Time* (1991), Writer, Director
- *Open House* (1989), series, Director
- *Quantum Leap* (1989), series, Writer, Producer, Director, Co-Executive Producer
- *Coach* (1989), series, Director
- *Midnight Caller* (1988), series, Director
- *Leg Work* (1987), series, Director
- *Hooperman* (1987), series, Director
- *Duet* (1987), series, Director
- *The Tortellis* (1987), series, Director
- *Together We Stand* (1986), series, Director
- *Heart of the City* (1986), series, Director, Creator
- *L.A. Law* (1986), series, Director
- *Fathers and Sons* (1986), series, Director, Creator
- *Mr. Belvedere* (1985), series, Director
- *Who's the Boss?* (1984), series, Director
- *Newhart* (1982), series, Director
- *Cheers* (1982), series, Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/cheers.md)
- *Family Ties* (1982), series, Director
- *9 to 5* (1982), series, Director
- *The White Shadow* (1978), series, Director
- *WKRP in Cincinnati* (1978), series, Director
- *Taxi* (1978), series, Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/taxi.md)
- *We've Got Each Other* (1977), series, Director
- *Lou Grant* (1977), series, Director
- *The Tony Randall Show* (1976), series, Director
- *The Bob Newhart Show* (1972), series, Writer, Director, Producer, Associate Producer, Executive Producer
- *Nichols* (1971), series, Associate Producer
- *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* (1970), series, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mary-tyler-moore-show.md)

---
© 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/michael-zinberg