Steven Spielberg TV Shows

Spielberg's first television credit came as a director on one of the stories on the pilot episode of Rod Serling's follow-up mystery/horror series to The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery. The budding director helmed a short titled "Eyes," which starred Joan Crawford, Tom Bosley and Barry Sullivan, and was written by Serling himself.

In 1971, Spielberg directed the premiere episode of the classic Peter Faulk series, Columbo, with an episode titled "Murder by the Book," which told the tale of a mystery writer who kills his partner when he threaten to leave the partnership. Oh, and just one more thing: Columbo would go on to run for seven seasons in the 1970s, and be revived for three more seasons in the late 80s/early 90s, not including special episodes and made-for-TV movies.

Touted as 1985's answer to classic shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, NBC courted Spielberg to create Amazing Stories. Spielberg directed two memorable episodes: "Ghost Train," the series debut, which tells the tale of an old man looking for redemption over a horrible train crash that he felt he caused, and "The Mission," about a gunner on a B-52 bomber who magically saves his crew when his cartoons come to life (and likewise, serve as a glimpse into Spielberg's award-winning WWII-era films and TV shows.)

After giving kids of the 80s such classic films as E.T. and The Goonies, Spielberg set his sights on kid-friendly but clever television, teaming up with Warner Bros. to serve as executive producer and creator of Tiny Toon Adventures, the next generation of Looney Tunes.