Q: Why Was John Francis Daley (a.k.a. Lance Sweets) Killed Off On ...

• TV Listings
• News
• Best Bets
• Sports
• Movies
• Taste TV
• Video
• Games
• Q&A
• Talk
• Soaps
• Search

Q&A

Q: Why was John Francis Daley (a.k.a. Lance Sweets) killed off on "Bones"?

« Back to Q & A

Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome Author: Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Fans may be stuck on him as the FBI psychologist Dr. Lance Sweets on Fox's long-running hit "Bones," but John Francis Daley has for years been leading a secret double life.

Unbeknownst to "Bones" fans, Daley is also a very successful screwball-comedy script writer (he penned 2011's "Horrible Bosses," as well as 2013's "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2"). He's leaving "Bones" because he finally has the opportunity to direct one of his screenplays.

And it's not just any movie he's helming, it's a sequel/reboot of the '80s classic "National Lampoon's Vacation," which will feature original stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as Clark and Ellen Griswold. They are now grandparents whose kids and grandkids are undertaking the ritual family vacation.

Daley told Vulture.com that he regretted having to leave "Bones," but he felt he had no choice.

"It wasn't something I was going to walk away from because the movie was a huge opportunity for me. I was super pumped to do it, but sad I had to leave the show that I had been on for seven years."

"Bones" showrunner Stephen Nathan said that killing Sweets was "a complicated and difficult decision," but that it was the only way to deal with Daley's other commitments.

The time Daley was leaving to do the film "coincided with the start of the season. We didn't know what to do. And then we realized that this fit in very well with the conspiracy arc."

That arc involves the discovery of a conspiracy within the FBI and federal government that landed Booth (David Boreanaz, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") in jail for the murder of three FBI agents at the end of last season.

For those eager to see just what was important enough to drag Daley away from "Bones," "Vacation" is scheduled for release in October 2015.

Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided.

More Q&A

• Q: Who played Felix Chavez, the fighter Adonis is promoting in "Creed III"?
• Q: Where did "The Biggest Loser" go? Will it be coming back?
• Q: Remember "Mad TV"? Did any of the cast members go on to do anything big?
• Q: Is there any link between Queen Latifah's character on the new version of "The Equalizer" and the original character? Like, are they supposed to be related?
• Q: When is "The Great" coming back? It's coming back, right?
• Q: What's Brad Garrett doing nowadays?
• Q: What ever happened to Scott Aukerman, host of the show "Comedy Bang Bang"? I thought he was great.
• Q: I know a lot of people talk about who the highest-paid actors are, but what about the highest-paid director?
• Q: Has Mia Farrow ever won an Oscar?
• Q: How did someone get Daniel Craig to do a vodka ad?