---
name: "Sarah Pia Anderson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sarah-pia-anderson"
fi1m_id: "sarah-pia-anderson"
imdb_id: "nm0027413"
tmdb_id: 152076
wikidata_id: "Q7422693"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "19 July 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "director"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-07T15:42:58.020027+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."
---

# Sarah Pia Anderson

## Identity

Sarah Pia Anderson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sarah-pia-anderson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sarah-pia-anderson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0027413
- **TMDB ID:** 152076
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7422693
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Pia_Anderson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7422693, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027413/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/152076

Director. Born 19 July 1952 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 19 July 1952, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK
- **Active:** 1970–2016
- **Frequently works with:** [Joanna Kerns](https://film.one/person/joanna-kerns.md), [Arlene Sanford](https://film.one/person/arlene-sanford.md), [Bethany Rooney](https://film.one/person/bethany-rooney.md), [Dan Attias](https://film.one/person/dan-attias.md), [Eric Laneuville](https://film.one/person/eric-laneuville.md), [Jessica Yu](https://film.one/person/jessica-yu.md), [John Strickland](https://film.one/person/john-strickland.md), [Lesli Linka Glatter](https://film.one/person/lesli-linka-glatter.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as director, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 80 (3), 2000s 78 (4), 2010s 76 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 79 to 76 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 5 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 9, Comedy 3, Crime 2, Mystery 2
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Pia_Anderson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7422693, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027413/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/152076

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*ER*](https://film.one/tv/er.md) (88), [*Veronica Mars*](https://film.one/tv/veronica-mars.md) (84), [*Gilmore Girls*](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md) (81), [*This Is Us*](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md) (76), [*Grey's Anatomy*](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md) (68), [*Ally McBeal*](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md) (63)
- **Apple TV:** [*Prime Suspect*](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect.md) (88), [*Scott & Bailey*](https://film.one/tv/scott-and-bailey.md) (75)
- **HBO Max:** [*Big Love*](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md) (79)

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

## Biography

Sarah Pia Anderson (born 19 July 1952) is an English television and theatre director. She began her career in Britain, directing for the BBC and working as a director at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Her theatre credits include productions at the National Theatre, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and on Broadway with *Hedda Gabler* (1994). Since the mid-1990s she has directed episodes of American series including *ER* (1994), *Gilmore Girls* (2000), *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), *Veronica Mars* (2004), *Big Love* (2006) and *This Is Us* (2016). She is professor of Cinema and Digital Media at the University of California, Davis.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, encyclopedia.com, arts.ucdavis.edu, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *This Is Us* (2016), Fi1m 76, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Scott & Bailey* (2011), Fi1m 75, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/scott-and-bailey.md)
- *Big Love* (2006), Fi1m 79, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), Fi1m 68, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *Veronica Mars* (2004), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/veronica-mars.md)
- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md)
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *ER* (1994), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Prime Suspect* (1991), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect.md)

## Complete filmography (68)

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

- *E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump* (2024), Director of Photography
- *Alert: Missing Persons Unit* (2023), series, Director
- *Tommy* (2020), series, Director
- *The L Word: Generation Q* (2019), series, Director
- *Truth Be Told* (2019), series, Director
- *Good Girls* (2018), series, Director
- *Ten Days in the Valley* (2017), series, Director
- *Taken* (2017), series, Director
- *Berlin Station* (2016), series, Director
- *This Is Us* (2016), series, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Heartbeat* (2016), series, Director
- *Second Chance* (2016), series, Director
- *Rosewood* (2015), series, Director
- *Minority Report* (2015), series, Director
- *Sneaky Pete* (2015), series, Director
- *Backstrom* (2015), series, Director
- *Bosch* (2015), series, Director
- *State of Affairs* (2014), series, Director
- *Hand of God* (2014), series, Director
- *The Divide* (2014), series, Director
- *Crisis* (2014), series, Director
- *Mind Games* (2014), series, Director
- *Awake* (2012), series, Director
- *Scott & Bailey* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/tv/scott-and-bailey.md)
- *CHAOS* (2011), series, Director
- *90210* (2008), series, Director
- *Women's Murder Club* (2007), series, Director
- *Aliens in America* (2007), series, Director
- *October Road* (2007), series, Director
- *Big Day* (2006), series, Director
- *Ugly Betty* (2006), series, Director
- *Eureka* (2006), series, Director
- *What About Brian* (2006), series, Director
- *Big Love* (2006), series, Director — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/tv/big-love.md)
- *Related* (2005), series, Director
- *Grey's Anatomy* (2005), series, Director — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/greys-anatomy.md)
- *Huff* (2004), series, Director
- *Veronica Mars* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/veronica-mars.md)
- *Dead Like Me* (2003), series, Director
- *The Division* (2001), series, Director
- *Level 9* (2000), series, Director
- *Ed* (2000), series, Director
- *The District* (2000), series, Director
- *Gilmore Girls* (2000), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/gilmore-girls.md)
- *Dark Angel* (2000), series, Director
- *Strong Medicine* (2000), series, Director
- *Secret Agent Man* (2000), series, Director
- *Plastic Man* (1999), series, Director
- *Plastic Man* (1999), Director
- *Nothing Sacred* (1997), series, Director
- *Ally McBeal* (1997), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/ally-mcbeal.md)
- *Leaving L.A.* (1997), series, Director
- *Profiler* (1996), series, Director
- *ER* (1994), series, Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Doctor Finlay* (1993), series, Director
- *The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries* (1993), series, Director
- *Prime Suspect* (1991), series, Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect.md)
- *Pity in History* (1985), Director
- *Summer Season* (1985), series, Director
- *The Bill* (1984), series, Director
- *A Woman Calling* (1984), Director
- *Wayne and Albert* (1983), Director
- *A Silly Little Habit* (1982), Director
- *Shaping Up* (1980), Writer
- *Stepping Out* (1979), Writer
- *BBC2 Play of the Week* (1977), series, Writer, Creator
- *Playhouse* (1974), series, Writer, Director, Creator
- *Play for Today* (1970), series, Director

---
© 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/sarah-pia-anderson