The first episode of "NCIS: New Orleans" that LeVar Burton directed was Season 3, Episode 14, "Pandora's Box: Part II." Besides being well-liked, with an IMDb score of 7.8, the episode featured Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) from the original "NCIS," which is usually a good strategy for pulling in more viewers. Coincidentally or not, a "Star Trek" reference was snuck into this episode, when McGee restrains their suspect and Sebastian Lund (Rob Kerkovich) begins talking about the Vulcan nerve pinch.
Burton also directed three episodes in Season 4, two episodes in Season 5, two episodes in Season 6, and Episodes 5 and 6 of Season 7: Parts 1 and 2 of "Operation Drano." Most of the episodes he directed have IMDb scores of at least 7, but "Operation Drano, Part 1" has a 6.7, even though 60% of viewers rated the episode a 7 or higher. One fan of the show, IMDb user spikeluvr, wrote, "NCIS- Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Emphasis on the NAVAL. ... They've lost sight of their primary mission and the entire reason why viewers tune in. We watch the show to watch them investigate naval crimes."
After "NCIS: New Orleans" ended, Burton switched to another "NCIS" spin-off, having directed Season 1, Episode 12 of the new "NCIS: Hawaii": "Spies, Part 1," earlier this year. Given how comfortable he seems to have gotten in the "NCIS" world, we definitely expect to see his name in the director slot of future episodes.
