# Gail Mancuso

Gail Susan Mancuso (born July 14, 1958) is an American film and television director.

## Early life and career

Mancuso grew up in Melrose Park, Illinois. She is married to Brian Downs, a doctor, and divides her time between her homes in Valencia, California and River Forest, Illinois.
Mancuso began her career as an usher of the set of several television talk shows. Later, became a script supervisor for the Showtime comedy Brothers. In 1989, she began serving as associate director for Roseanne. After one of the show's directors left in 1991, she had the chance to become one of the main directors and continued until the show's eighth season. She went on to direct episodes of many television series like Friends, Dharma and Greg and Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place.
In 2007, Mancuso began working on the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement. She has also directed episodes of 30 Rock and Scrubs. In 2008, she won a Gracie Award for her work on 30 Rock.
In 2011, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her Modern Family episode "Slow Down Your Neighbors". In 2012, she directed Roseanne Barr and John Goodman in the pilot episode of Downwardly Mobile which was commissioned by NBC, but ultimately not picked up. In 2013, she won the Emmy Award for directing episode "Arrested" on Modern Family. In 2014, she won the Emmy Award for directing episode "Las Vegas" on Modern Family.
In 2019, Mancuso made her feature film directorial debut with A Dog's Journey which was the sequel to 2017's A Dog's Purpose directed by Lasse Hallström.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1984–1988 | Brothers | Script Supervisor | 46 episodes from 1984 to 1986 |
| 1987–1990 | Just the Ten of Us | Script Supervisor | "First Day at School" (1988) |
| 1988–1989 | Day by Day | Script Supervisor | 13 episodes from 1988 |
| 1988–2018 | Roseanne | Director Associate Director | 54 episodes from 1991 to 2018 89 episodes from 1989 to 1993 |
| 1989 | Major Dad | Script Supervisor | "Pilot" |
| 1991–1994 | Herman's Head | Director | "The Herm from Ipanema" (1994) |
| 1992–1993 | Camp Wilder | Director | 4 episodes from 1992 to 1993 |
| 1993 | Joe's Life | Director | "Mind If I Smoke?" (1993) |
| 1993–1999 | The Nanny | Director | 6 episodes from 1994 |
| 1994 | Monty | Director | "East Side Story" (1994) |
| 1994–1998 | Ellen | Director | 7 episodes from 1997 to 1998 |
| 1994–1999 | Friends | Director | 14 episodes from 1995 to 1999 |
| 1995 | Hudson Street | Director | 2 episodes from 1995 |
| 1995–1996 | New York Daze | Director | "Football Story" (1995) |
| 1995–1996 | Almost Perfect | Director | 2 episodes from 1995 |
| 1995–1998 | The Naked Truth | Director | 2 episodes from 1997 |
| 1996 | Love and Marriage | Director | "Here a Case Where Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong" (1996) |
| 1996–1997 | Mr. Rhodes | Director | unknown episodes |
| 1996–1997 | The Single Guy | Director | "Vegas Finale" (1997) |
| 1996–1997 | Ink | Director | "The Debutante" (1997) |
| 1996–2000 | Suddenly Susan | Director | 2 episodes from 1997 |
| 1996–2003 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Director | 2 episodes from 1996 |
| 1997 | The Tony Danza Show | Director | 2 episodes from 1997 |
| 1998–2001 | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | Director | 7 episodes from 1999 to 2001 |
| 1997–2002 | Dharma & Greg | Director | 28 episodes from 1997 to 2001 |
| 1997–2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Director | "In the Company of Maya" (1998) |
| 1998 | 1973 | Director | TV movie |
| 1998 | Conrad Bloom | Director | 2 episodes from 1998 |
| 1998–2000 | Jesse | Director | "Touched by an Angel" (1999) |
| 1998–2004 | Becker | Director | 9 episodes from 2001 to 2003 |
| 1998–2007 | The King of Queens | Director | "Cello, Goodbye" (1998) |
| 1999 | Square One | Director | unknown episodes |
| 1999–2001 | Norm | Director | also known as The Norm Show "My Name Is Norm" (1999) |
| 1999–2001 | Ladies Man | Director | 2 episodes from 1999 to 2000 |
| 1999–2000 | Stark Raving Mad | Director | 5 episodes from 1999 to 2000 |
| 2000 | Then Came You | Director | "Then Came the Monthiversary" |
| 2000–2001 | The Weber Show | Director | also known as Cursed 2 episodes from 2001 |
| 2000–2006 | Yes, Dear | Director | 3 episodes from 2000 to 2001 |
| 2000–2007 | Gilmore Girls | Director | 5 episodes from 2001 to 2003 OFTA Television Award for Best Direction in a Comedy Series (2002) |
| 2001 | The Fighting Fitzgeralds | Director | "One Angry Man" (2001) |
| 2001–2002 | Three Sisters | Director | 4 episodes from 2001 |
| 2001–2002 | Inside Schwartz | Director | 3 episodes from 2001 |
| 2001–2007 | Reba | Director | 7 episodes from 2001 to 2003 |
| 2001–2010 | Scrubs | Director | 9 episodes from 2002 to 2009 |
| 2002–2003 | In-Laws | Director | "Married Christmas" |
| 2002–2003 | Family Affair | Director | "Space Invaders" (2003) |
| 2003 | A.U.S.A. | Director | 2 episodes from 2003 |
| 2003 | My Big Fat Greek Life | Director | 3 episodes from 2003 |
| 2003–2004 | The Tracy Morgan Show | Director | 2 episodes from 2004 |
| 2003–2004 | The Mullets | Director | 7 episodes from 2003 to 2004 |
| 2003–2004 | Married to the Kellys | Director | 8 episodes from 2003 to 2004 |
| 2003–2004 | Run of the House | Director | 2 episodes from 2004 |
| 2003–2015 | Two and a Half Men | Director | 2 episodes from 2004 |
| 2004 | The Men's Room | Director | unknown episodes |
| 2004–2006 | Joey | Director | 2 episodes from 2004 |
| 2004–2008 | Rodney | Director | 3 episodes from 2005 |
| 2005–2006 | Jake in Progress | Director | "Jake or the Fat Man" (2005) |
| 2005–2006 | Stacked | Director | "The Ex-Appeal" (2005) |
| 2005–2006 | Out of Practice | Director | "Yours, Mine or His?" (2006) |
| 2005–2007 | Living with Fran | Director | 2 episodes from 2005 |
| 2005–2007 | My Name Is Earl | Director | "Burn Victim" (2007) |
| 2006 | Nobody's Watching | Director | TV movie |
| 2006 | Teachers. | Director | 2 episodes from 2006 |
| 2006 | Thick and Thin | Director | unknown episodes |
| 2006–2007 | The Singles Table | Director | "The Work Dinner" (2007) |
| 2006–2008 | Men in Trees | Director | "Sink or Swim" (2006) |
| 2006–2008 | Happy Hour | Director | 2 episodes from 2008 |
| 2006–2013 | 30 Rock | Director | 8 episodes from 2006 to 2010 Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Director — Entertainment Series or Special (2008) |
| 2007 | The IT Crowd | Director | TV movie |
| 2007 | Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office | Director | TV movie |
| 2007–2008 | Aliens in America | Director | "No Man Is an Island" (2007) |
| 2007–2008 | In the Motherhood | Director | 6 episodes from 2008 |
| 2007–2008 | Cavemen | Director | "Andy, the Stand-Up" (2008) |
| 2007–2012 | Chuck | Director | "Chuck Versus the Suitcase" (2010) |
| 2007–2013 | Rules of Engagement | Director | 17 episodes from 2007 to 2013 |
| 2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Director | "Needles and Schlag" (2008) |
| 2008 | Five Year Plan | Director | TV movie |
| 2008–2009 | Kath & Kim | Director | "Desire" (2009) |
| 2009 | Hank | Director | "Dog" (2010) |
| 2009–2010 | Better Off Ted | Director | "Get Happy" (2009) |
| 2009–2010 | Accidentally on Purpose | Director | "It Happened One Christmas" (2009) |
| 2009–2015 | Community | Director Co-Executive Producer | "English as a Second Language" (2010) 19 episodes from 2013 to 2015 |
| 2009–2015 | Cougar Town | Director | 5 episodes from 2009 to 2011 |
| 2009–2018 | The Middle | Director | "The Floating Anniversary" (2009) |
| 2009–2020 | Modern Family | Director | 31 episodes from 2010 to 2020 OFTA Television Award for Best Direction in a Comedy Series (2011, 2013–14) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series ("Arrested") (2013) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series ("Vegas") (2014) Nominated - American Comedy Award for Best Comedy Director — TV (2014) Nominated - Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series ("My Hero") (2014) Nominated - Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series ("Las Vegas") (2015) Nominated - Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series ("White Christmas") (2016) Nominated - OFTA Television Award for Best Direction in a Comedy Series (2012) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series ("Slow Down Your Neighbors") (2011) Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series ("Finale (Part Two)") (2020) |
| 2010–2011 | Outsourced | Director | "Party of Five" (2010) |
| 2010–2011 | $#*! My Dad Says | Director | 5 episodes from 2010 |
| 2011 | Mad Love | Director | 3 episodes from 2011 |
| 2011–2013 | Happy Endings | Director | "Big White Lies" (2012) |
| 2011–2014 | Suburgatory | Director | "Entering Eden" (2012) |
| 2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Director | 12 episodes from 2012 |
| 2012–2013 | Ben and Kate | Director | "The Fox Hunt" (2012) Nominated - Women's Image Network Award for Outstanding Film/Show Directed by a Woman (2013) |
| 2012–2013 | 1600 Penn | Director | "Dinner, Bath, Puzzle" (2013) |
| 2012–2013 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Director | 2 episodes from 2013 |
| 2012 | Downwardly Mobile | Director | TV movie |
| 2013 | Adopted | Director | TV movie |
| 2013–2015 | Ground Floor | Director | 12 episodes from 2013 to 2015 |
| 2014–2015 | Cristela | Director | 4 episodes from 2014 to 2015 |
| 2014–2022 | Black-ish | Director | 2 episodes from 2016 |
| 2015 | Your Family or Mine | Director | "Pilot" (2015) |
| 2015 | Happyish | Director | 2 episodes from 2015 |
| 2015 | Take If from Us | Director Executive Producer | TV movie |
| 2015–2016 | The Grinder | Director | "The Olyphant in the Room" (2016) |
| 2015–2019 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Director | "Kimmy Goes to College!" (2017) |
| 2015 | Fresh Off the Boat | Director | 2 episodes from 2015 |
| 2015 | How We Live | Director | TV movie |
| 2016 | The Enforcers | Director | TV movie |
| 2016–2020 | Man with a Plan | Director | 6 episodes from 2017 to 2020 |
| 2017–2018 | Superior Donuts | Director | "Get It, Arthur" (2017) |
| 2017–2018 | Great News | Director | "Celebrity Hacking Scandal" (2017) |
| 2018 | So Close | Director | TV movie |
| 2018–2020 | The Conners | Director | 10 episodes from 2019 to 2020 |
| 2019 | A Dog's Journey | Director | Feature Film |
| 2020 | Indebted | Director | "Everybody's Talking About Dav" (2020) |
| 2021–2023 | Home Economics | Director | 4 episodes from 2021 to 2023 |
| 2021 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Director | Episode: "PB&J" |
| 2021 | Turner & Hooch | Director | Episode: "In The Line of Fur" |
| 2021 | The Big Leap | Director | 2 episodes |
| 2023–2024 | That '90s Show | Director | 16 episodes |
| 2023 | Not Dead Yet | Director | Episode: "Not Out of High School Yet" |
| 2025 | Will Trent | Director | Episode: "Abigail B." |