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Michael Switzer

Michael Switzer

Director · Born May 27, 1948 (78)

Born
May 27, 1948 (78)
Works as
Director
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 54 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are Michael Switzer's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile
: browse their Crime 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
36%
Morality
22%
Survival
22%
Self
10%
Ideas
4%
Society
3%
Power
2%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 12 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 10 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 12 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Melancholic
12
Hopeful
11
Warm
9
Bittersweet
4
Other
8

How their films linger

Hopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet11
  • Ambiguous3

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 Michael Switzer's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Switzer'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

54 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lincoln Heights(2006)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Vanished (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Prison Break(2005)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Annie's Point(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Ordinary Miracles(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Peacemakers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Fallen Angel(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Three Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Philly(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Miracle on the Mountain: The Kincaid Family Story(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Moving of Sophia Myles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • That's Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Miracle on the 17th Green(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • God's New Plan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Forever Love(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Best Friends for Life(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Holiday in Your Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Unwed Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Unlikely Angel(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • What Love Sees (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • The Making of a Hollywood Madam(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Remember Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • JAG(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Past the Bleachers(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Nothing But the Truth(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Cries from the Heart(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Jonathan Stone: Threat of Innocence(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Children of the Dark(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • A Matter of Justice(1993)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • NYPD Blue(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Stalking Laura(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Fergie & Andrew: Behind the Palace Doors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • With a Vengeance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Woman Who Sinned(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Pros and Cons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Director

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

    Director

  • Gabriel's Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys(1990)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Equal Justice(1990)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Island Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Quantum Leap(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Police Story: Burnout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Nitti: The Enforcer(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Beauty and the Beast(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Mariah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Rags to Riches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

  • Misfits of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Hardcastle and McCormick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Hill Street Blues(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • M*A*S*H(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 54 titles from 1972 to 2007.

Biggest box office

Forever Love (1998)

$2M worldwide

Highest rated

Fallen Angel (2003)

Midcredits 77th

Most popular right now

Stalking Laura (1993)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing54 of 54: 54 only directing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score59th

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s12 · crew1990s28 · crew2000s12 · 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.

How do Michael Switzer's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

16 of their 30 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Mixed16

Most divisive · director

Equal Justice (1990)

84th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Prison Break (2005)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 13 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.

Who does Michael Switzer work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Switzer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark W. Rosenbaum shares the most, 11.

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers