bluetoast

I know it's not always the case, but these days when I see an actor's name as the director I think, yes, this actor knows how the show works and has been on it for 30/50/60+ episodes. But really what do they add to the table? I'm wondering if it's just paint by numbers by parroting the directors they've had over the years, a familiar cast, and having a DP and an AD at your side who are very experienced.

So what I'm wondering is recently are there any outstanding episodes directed by an actor on the series, as opposed to average episodes? I noticed Kevin Connolly directed the latest Entourage ep, and it wasn't out of the ordinary. John Slattery however, directed a recent episode of Mad Men which I thought was one of the better ones.

Groucho

I think it's a good opportunity for actors who want to get into the directing game to get some experience.

DJariya

Honestly, I can't tell the difference. I saw Slattery's episode of Mad Men and as far as the lighting, camera shots and performances, they were pretty much on par with any normal episode of the series.

Also, I've seen Tom Welling, Allison Mack, and Michael Rosenbaum direct episodes of Smallville and while they did a good job, I couldn't indentify anything unique about them.

Unless it's an action-orented series with lots of stunts and fight chereography, I think most TV directors are a dime a dozen and are replaceable without anyone noticing anything different.

MrSmearkase

I've always speculated that it may be part of an actor's contract, meaning that if they help carry the show to a certain number of episodes, they can broker themselves an opportunity to direct an episode Again, total speculation on my part, but I wouldn't be shocked to hear that it is in somebody's contract.

Eric D.

In the TV world, directing is not that big of a deal. I'd more interested in actors that have written episodes for the show that they are currently on.

With that said, that episodes that Bryan Cranston directed on Breaking Bad were very well done.

resinrats

It always seemed to me that would be the best place to get directing experience working with the material & people they are familiar with. I can't remember any episode directed by an actor that was worse then one they didn't direct.

Jay G.

A TV series is never the place to show of your directorial flourishes. It's a very workman-like affair, with the directors just trying the get the show shot on time on a very short schedule, and on budget with very limited means. Directors for TV also want their episodes to match the aesthetics of the rest of the episodes.

For example, The Office (US) has had a number of guest directors over the years, including John Landis and Joss Whedon. However, you'd probably be hard-pressed to know which episodes they directed if you didn't see the credits. Joss Whedon himself said in an interview that his goal with directing The Office was to make his episode seem like a "The Office" episode, and not a "Joss Whedon" episode.

In the TV world, the hand making the big creative decisions is typically the Executive Producer and the writing staff (with the Executive Producer often being head writer as well). The director is just there to shoot the scenes that were written.

As MrSmearkase pointed out, the actors getting directing gigs on their show probably negotiated for them, although they more likely negotiate for them during contract renewals instead of in the initial contract.

RichC2

Lost is the only show where I could tell a drastic difference between directors. I've never seen a show go from absolute perfection to total and complete crap and back to brilliant so often.

As for the OP, I don't mind it - especially if they bring something different to the table. For instance - the episodes of Psych that James Roday (Shawn) directed stood out -- he did Thursday the 17th which was a throwback to 1980s slasher flicks and Mr. Yin Presents which was shot with a boatload of Hitchcock homages. Of course, Roday also co-wrote the episodes.

cleaver

Jonathan Frakes on ST:TNG springs to mind, did some decent movies and my favorite ep (Cause and Effect).

iggystar

I was thinking the same thing since Star Trek allowed many of their stars to direct episodes. I think it's a pretty cool idea, but for the most part unnoticeable.

Sean O'Hara

I think Robert Duncan McNeil's filmography explains the phenomenon. He spent fifteen years doing guest spots on TV shows, had a lucky break when he was cast as Tom Paris in Star Trek: Voyager. If he'd just remained an actor, he'd be spending his life on the convention circuit, with maybe an occasional guest spot on sci-fi shows. Instead, he learned directing on Voyager, and now he works regularly in the industry and is an executive producer on Chuck.

bluetoast

On a similar note, what about when a star becomes an exec producer after a few seasons? Kiefer, Michael C. Hall, Michael Chiklis.

Groucho

Meaningless. Vanity title only (which is usually true of everybody in the "Executive Producer" list)

DJariya

When the lead of the series becomes a credited Executive Producer, all that means is a bigger pay check for them. In some instances, they may a little say in the script development, but that job pretty much belongs to the showrunner.

Nick Martin

When David Boreanaz made his debut as a director on "ANGEL", it was one of the most oddball episodes the show had, called "Soul Purpose". It had a fairy godmother/Pinocchio sequence, a nasty slug creature, a strange dissection scene involving a man in a bear costume, among other things. It also had a significant callback to the show's pilot episode, with Spike taking Angel's place while he himself ended up as the mail cart guy in the background.

His second time directing was a "Bones" episode, which also had a few odd elements but not as extreme. It was more on par with the average episode since most "Bones" episodes have an oddball element but he did direct the 100th episode which is in itself significant.

rw2516

My theory is that when time comes to renew contract the actor includes directing as a demand to resign.

The first to come to my mind is Jerry Paris, Jerry Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He was directing by the second season and did a lot of them. Few lesser eps of this show and an awful lot of outstanding ones. He's sure to have directed some of the best ones. Went on to do a lot of Happy Days I believe.

Jimmy James

I seem to recall Levar Burton and Jonathan Frakes seeming to do good work on TNG. I believe Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Gates McFadden did much less noticeable work.

Quite often when the lead (or the second lead) of a show directs, they are noticeably less present in front of the camera for that episode. That's probably the easiest way to notice.

Double_Oh_7

I think by the end of Knot's Landing almost every episode was being directed by a cast member.

Double_Oh_7

He had a HUGE influence on Happy Days. He brought production into the studio in front of an audience.

Drexl

Kathy Bates directed some episodes of Six Feet Under, including a few before she appeared on the show.