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Richard Shepard

Richard Shepard

Director, writer and producer · Born January 1, 1965 (61) · New York City, New York, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · 1 other major award body

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Richard Shepard (born 1965 New York City, New York) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. In 2007 Shepard received a Directors Guild of America Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for the television pilot Ugly Betty. Description above from the Wikipedia article  Richard Shepard, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1965 (61)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 21% in 30 days

What are Richard Shepard's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
25%
Morality
24%
Self
23%
Survival
17%
Power
8%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Dread
5
Warm
4
Absurd
4
Joyful
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Unsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Richard Shepard's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Richard Shepard's 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

38 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Is / Was \ Will (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Nobody Wants This(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Film Geek(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self (voice)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Welcome to Chippendales(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas(2021)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Acapulco(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • The Perfection(2018)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Sweetbitter(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • The Handmaid's Tale(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Tokyo Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Rosewood(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Dom Hemingway(2013)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Girls(2012)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Ringer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • In the Motherhood(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer · as Self

  • Bad Mother's Handbook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • The Hunting Party(2007)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • 30 Rock(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Ugly Betty(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Criminal Minds(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Matador(2005)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Class Warfare(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Scotland, Pa.(2001)

    Producer · as McStreaker

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Mexico City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

  • Oxygen(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Below Utopia(1997)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Royale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Remember WENN(1996)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Mercy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Inside Out 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Writer

  • The Linguini Incident (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Writer

  • Inside Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Cool Blue(1989)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Recap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • St. Donatus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles, 36 of them dated from 1990 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Matador (2005)

$17M worldwide

Highest rated

Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (2021)

Midcredits 82nd

Most popular right now

In the Motherhood (2009)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 38: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting36 of 38: 18 only directing, 18 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdWriting14 of 38: 1 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thProducing13 of 38: 0 only producing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

38 titles, 19 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1990s9 · crew2000s11 · 1 acting · 11 crew2010s9 · crew2020s7 · crew

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

a Primetime Emmy and 1 other major award from 3 major nominations, 2007–2022.

WinNomination
  1. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Television Movie
  2. 2007
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Directors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series

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 Richard Shepard's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 25 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director, producer

In the Motherhood (2009)

93rd percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Handmaid's Tale (2017)

Midcredits 92nd · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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.

Is Richard Shepard's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 59 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Richard Shepard work with?

People who share at least 2 of Richard Shepard's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rolfe Kent shares the most, 4.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles