Joe Baken

Joe Baken is a writer, actor, and producer with roots in Billings, Montana. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the shows, Grotesquerie, Doctor Odyssey, and All's Fair, which he developed with collaborators Ryan Murphy and Jon Robin Baitz. He served as a writer and producer on the shows Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and American Horror Stories. He wrote, directed, and starred in the independent feature film Mailman, as well as an adaptation of his solo show Joe Gives Up and Moves to Montana. Joe is the son of Christie LeClair Baken, a wilderness Lookout, and Jim Baken, an artist and professor of art. He has two siblings. Growing up, his family spent much of their time living at a lookout tower in Montana's Bitterroot National Forest where they worked spotting forest fires. The family of five shared a single room with no electricity or running water. Despite the harsh conditions, time spent at "the tower" fostered his imagination and creativity. Joe's love for writing and performing was fueled by participation in speech and debate tournaments in high school, for which he was nationally ranked in the category of Humorous Interpretation. He attended one year of college at Point Park Conservatory, but dropped out when he was offered his first writing job, penning a screenplay for the director Gus Van Sant, to be produced by Scott Rudin. Joe continued to work over the next decade as a writing partner to Van Sant, who also served as a producer on Joe's independent film projects, as well as a close friend and mentor. Outside of film and television, Joe is a classical violinist, a painter and an avid runner. He currently resides in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

What are Joe Baken's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight

Morality

34%

Society

21%

Self

14%

Bonds

13%

Power

13%

Survival

6%

Justice2

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

3

Melancholic

3

Dread

1

Absurd

2

Bittersweet

1

Other

3

How their films linger

Feel-good2 Fun2 Thought-provoking2

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 Joe Baken's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (5).

Subscription and free streaming for Joe Baken'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

11 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

All's Fair(2025)
Show 9 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
Doctor Odyssey(2024)
Show 18 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Teleplay · Writer
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows
Grotesquerie(2024)
Show 10 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows
Mailman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Director · as Phil
American Horror Stories(2021)
Show 4 episodes · Writer
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Joe Gives Up and Moves to Montana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Director · Producer · Screenplay · Actor
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot(2018)
as Editor #3
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
How to Be a Slut in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Actor
Feud(2017)
Show Producer
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
The Sea of Trees(2015)
as Simon
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
I Am Michael(2015)
as Jeremy
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films