The Bones Episode That Starred Aaron Paul Before His Breaking Bad Fame

There is almost no other subgenre that's as ubiquitous as police procedurals or medical dramas. This is likely why "Bones" was on the air for as long as it was, as it combines elements of both of these popular television staples and lasted for 12 seasons and nearly 250 episodes as a result.

Of course, many up-and-coming actors showed up in "Bones" over the course of its extensive run. One of them was "Breaking Bad" actor Aaron Paul, who popped up as a suspect in Season 1, Episode 12 ("The Superhero in the Alley"). Paul played a comic book shop owner named Stew Ellis, who is suspected of the murder of his friend and fellow comic book enthusiast, Warren Granger (James Riley). 

The episode aired on February 8, 2006, marking this "Bones" episode as almost two years before Paul would show up as Jesse Pinkman on "Breaking Bad." Though he is only briefly in the episode in question, his role is another in a long list of character actor performances that the actor had on major TV dramas.

If you watched TV a lot in the '90s and '00s, it's possible that you've run into Aaron Paul in a variety of other shows that he's guest-starred on over the years. The actor appeared on television staples like "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place," and "Third Rock From the Sun" years before he got his big break as Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) partner in crime on "Breaking Bad."

Paul also showed up in episodes of other case-of-the-week style shows from the era, like "The X-Files," "Judging Amy," "NYPD Blue," and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," showing a pretty wide range of performances across the 40-plus roles that he landed prior to "Breaking Bad."

Still, there is one commonality between Jesse Pinkman on "Breaking Bad" and Stew Ellis on "Bones," and it's that both characters are seen as immediately suspicious by law enforcement. Luckily, both characters end up making it out of their respective shows alive as well, even if they're a little worse for wear.