If you’ve spent any time in the gritty, drug-fueled world of 1980s Los Angeles on FX’s Snowfall, you know Skully. He’s unpredictable. He’s terrifying. One minute he’s mourning his daughter with a disturbing, quiet intensity, and the next, he’s a chaotic force of nature that makes even the toughest dealers in the series look twice. But while Snowfall gave him a massive second act, tv shows with De Aundre Bonds actually go back decades, stretching across some of the biggest procedural dramas and sitcoms of the 1990s.
De’Aundre Bonds is one of those actors you recognize immediately, even if you can't always place the name. He’s got that raw, authentic energy that casting directors in the 90s couldn't get enough of. He wasn't just "the guy from The Wood" or the kid in Get on the Bus. He was a working actor who popped up everywhere from the halls of Chicago Hope to the celestial interventions of Touched by an Angel.
The Snowfall Renaissance and the Legend of Skully
Let’s be real. Most people searching for tv shows with De Aundre Bonds are here because of Snowfall. His portrayal of Terrence "Skully" Brown from 2019 to 2023 was a masterclass in character evolution. When he first appeared in Season 3, he seemed like a standard antagonist—the volatile leader of the Inglewood Bloods.
But Bonds did something weird and beautiful with the role. He turned Skully into a tragic, spiritual, and deeply eccentric figure.
By the time the series wrapped in Season 6, Skully wasn't just a gang leader; he was a fan favorite. His chemistry with Damson Idris and the rest of the cast was palpable. He brought a specific kind of West Coast authenticity that grounded the show's later, more heightened seasons. Honestly, it’s one of the best "comeback" roles in recent TV history, especially considering Bonds’ real-life hiatus from the industry.
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The Early Days: 90s Guest Spots You Probably Forgot
Long before he was Skully, Bonds was the go-to actor for high-stakes guest roles. In 1996, he appeared in Touched by an Angel. Think about that for a second. The same guy who played the blood-soaked Skully once shared the screen with Roma Downey and Della Reese. In the episode "Sins of the Father," he played Luther Dixon, a teen on death row. It was a heavy role that showcased his ability to handle emotional vulnerability, even as a young actor.
That same year, he hit the procedural trifecta:
- Diagnosis: Murder: He played Darnell Sant in "The ABC's of Murder."
- Chicago Hope: He appeared as Gary Polter.
- High Incident: He did a two-episode stint as Derrick.
His 1997 appearance on NYPD Blue as Gerard in "It Takes a Village" is particularly worth a rewatch. He returned to the show in 2001 to play a different character, Mitchell Dunn. This kind of "double-casting" on long-running series usually only happens to actors who impress the producers so much they want them back, even if their previous character is long gone.
Comedy and The Steve Harvey Show
Bonds wasn't always doing the heavy lifting in dramas. He had a great comedic timing that often gets overlooked because of his "tough guy" typecasting. In 1999, he appeared on The Steve Harvey Show in the episode "Nightmare on Steve’s Street" as Mo-Mo.
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It was a sharp contrast to his film roles at the time. If you grew up in the 90s, you remember him from The Wood as Stacey, but seeing him interact with Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer showed he could play the "neighborhood kid" vibe with a lot of charm. He also popped up on The Parent 'Hood as Stone. These roles were smaller, but they cemented him as a staple of Black television during a golden era of sitcoms.
The Gap and the Return in Rizzoli & Isles
There is a noticeable gap in tv shows with De Aundre Bonds between 2003 and 2011. This coincided with his real-life incarceration, a period he has spoken about with incredible honesty in recent interviews. When he finally returned to the screen, one of his first TV credits was a guest spot on Rizzoli & Isles in 2011.
He played a character simply credited as "Guy" in the episode "Can I Get a Witness?" It was a small role, but it marked the beginning of his professional rebuilding process. It would take a few more years before Snowfall would come knocking and give him the platform to remind everyone why he was so celebrated in the first place.
How to Watch His Best Work
If you're looking to binge-watch his career, you have to be a bit of a detective since his work is spread across different eras.
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- Hulu/Disney+: This is the home of Snowfall. You can see the full arc of Skully here. It is arguably his best work.
- Pluto TV / Tubi: These free services are goldmines for 90s procedurals. You can often find his episodes of NYPD Blue and Diagnosis: Murder rotating on their "Classic TV" channels.
- Paramount+: Look here for the Touched by an Angel episode. It's a fascinatng look at his range before the industry started putting him in a box.
Why His Presence Still Matters
There is a specific texture De’Aundre Bonds brings to a scene. He doesn't feel like an "actor" reciting lines; he feels like a person you might actually run into on a corner in Crenshaw. In the current landscape of television where everything can feel a bit polished and "clean," Bonds is a reminder of the gritty, naturalistic style of the 90s.
Basically, he’s a survivor. Both in his personal life and his career. Seeing him succeed in the 2020s after the hurdles he faced in the 2000s is one of those rare Hollywood feel-good stories that isn't just PR fluff. He earned his way back through talent.
If you want to track his more recent work, keep an eye on independent projects. He’s been active with his production company, Take Off Productions, which he runs with Veronica Mars alum Francis Capra. While his TV appearances are more selective now, the impact of his work—especially in the later seasons of Snowfall—has ensured that he'll remain a fixture in conversations about great character actors for a long time.
To truly appreciate his range, try watching an episode of The Steve Harvey Show followed immediately by a Skully-heavy episode of Snowfall. The transformation is wild. It’s not just aging; it’s a complete shift in soul and gravitas.
Check your local streaming listings for Snowfall Season 3 specifically if you want to see the introduction of his most iconic TV character. Most platforms allow you to search by actor name now, making it much easier to track down those elusive 90s guest spots that built his foundation.