Joseph Lawrence Scanlan (August 16, 1929 – December 18, 2020) was an American television director who early in his career was the primary director (1,665 of 1,710 episodes) of the NBC-TV soap opera Somerset (1970–76). He went on to direct individual episodes of numerous TV shows, TV movies, and one feature film. His last credit was a 2002 episode of Flatland.

Filmography

• Somerset (primary director, 1,665 episodes, 1970–76) • Another World (multiple episodes, 1971) • The Secret Storm (multiple episodes, 1972) • The Starlost (6 episodes, 1973–74) • Our Man Flint: Dead on Target (TV Movie, 1976) • Land of the Lost (7 episodes, 1976) • What's Happening!! (1 episode, 1979) • The Littlest Hobo (15 episodes, 1980–82) • The Starlost: Deception (TV movie, 1980) • Spring Fever (film, 1982) • Knots Landing (22 episodes, 1985–91) • Adderly (1 episode, 1986) • Falcon Crest (6 episodes, 1987–89) • Nightstick (TV movie, 1987) • The Return of Ben Casey (TV movie, 1988) • Star Trek: The Next Generation (4 episodes, 1988–89) • Paradise (2 episodes, 1988) • Island Son (unknown episodes, 1989–90) • War of the Worlds (1 episode, 1990) • Quantum Leap (1 episode, 1990) • The Young Riders (6 episodes, 1990–92) • The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid (TV movie, 1990) • I Still Dream of Jeannie (TV movie, 1991) • Homefront (4 episodes, 1992) • The Hidden Room (1 episode, 1993) • North of 60 (as Joseph Scanlan) (2 episodes, 1993) • Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (3 episodes, 1993–94) • The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (3 episodes, 1994) • Due South (1 episode, 1994) • Spenser: The Judas Goat (TV movie, 1994) • Spenser: A Savage Place (TV movie, 1995) • Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1 episode, 1995) • Picture Perfect (TV movie, 1995) • The Outer Limits (7 episodes, 1995–96) • Dangerous Minds (multiple episodes, 1996) • Poltergeist: The Legacy (1 episode, 1996) • Stand Against Fear (TV movie, 1996) • Dead Man's Gun (TV pilot, 1997) • Players (2 episodes, 1997–98) • La Femme Nikita (6 episodes, 1997–2000) • Earth: Final Conflict (1 episode, 1998) • Broken Silence: A Moment of Truth Movie (TV movie, 1998) • Strange World (1 episode, 1999) • Largo Winch (TV pilot, 2001) • Flatland (1 episode, 2002)

Awards and nominations

Scanlan was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (The Outer Limits) in 1995. He directed "The Big Goodbye" (Star Trek: The Next Generation), which won a Peabody award in 1987.