The Only Bones Episodes That David Boreanaz Ever Directed

Most TV viewers probably know David Boreanaz best for his on-camera work. The accomplished actor has been gracing viewers' television screens ever since the early 1990s, but he began to receive major attention in the late 1990s when he made his debut as Angel in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The actor became one of the cult classic TV show's most beloved characters, and in 1999, Boreanaz even went on to lead his own "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off series, "Angel."

As fans of those two shows will already know, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" eventually came to an end in 2003 while "Angel" aired its series finale a year later in 2004. To his credit, it didn't take Boreanaz long to land another beloved role on a long-running TV series. Indeed, the actor made his debut as Seeley Booth in "Bones" in 2005. 

Alongside his co-star, Emily Deschanel, Boreanaz went on to serve as one of the Fox crime procedural's lead stars for the entirety of its 12-season run. In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly about the series' conclusion, Boreanaz took a moment to reflect on his experiences making the show, admitting, "I feel great. There's pressure to [being on] a show for 12 years. You get weight off of your shoulders and realize how much it takes to shoot one episode, one day's work, to create moments."

Of course, what some fans might not know is that Boreanaz's involvement in "Bones" didn't begin and end with his on-screen performance as Seeley Booth. As a matter of fact, Boreanaz actually frequently put his talents to good use behind the scenes on "Bones" by directing a not-insignificant number of the show's episodes.

Out of its 246 episodes, David Boreanaz directed a total of 11 installments of "Bones" (via IMDb). The first episode that Boreanaz directed was "The Bones That Foam," the 15th installment of "Bones" Season 4. The actor went on to helm 10 other "Bones" episodes, including, "The Parts in the Sum of the Whole," "The Bullet in the Brain," "The Blackout in the Blizzard," "The Past in the Present," "The Secret in the Siege," "Big in the Philippines," "The Recluse in the Recliner," "The 200th in the 10th," and "The Nightmare in the Nightmare." Boreanaz also directed the series finale of "Bones," titled "The Final Chapter: The End in the End."

In other words, Boreanaz spent quite a bit of time directing episodes of "Bones" during his time on the show. In a 2017 interview with Access Hollywood, the actor even talked about what it was like directing the show's series finale. "[It was] so hard. You just gotta dive in," Boreanaz said. "There were a lot of elements involved in the series finale. Emotionally [and] physically, there were a lot of things going on." Since "Bones" came to an end, Boreanaz has directed a handful of episodes of "SEAL Team," which he also stars in. 

His directorial work, notably, came up when he made a 2021 appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," during which Boreanaz talked briefly about what it's like directing episodes of TV that he also appears in. "You know, there can be some clashing," Boreanaz humorously admitted. "The actor can be a little stubborn, [while] the director [is] always looking for a shot [and] making sure he gets the right shot."

Fortunately, while his two professions may sometimes conflict with each other, it doesn't sound like Boreanaz has any plans to put aside his directing career anytime soon.