Bones is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hart Hanson for Fox. It premiered on September 13, 2005, and concluded on March 28, 2017, airing for 246 episodes over 12 seasons. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist. It also explores the personal lives of the characters. The rest of the main cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Jonathan Adams, Tamara Taylor, John Francis Daley, and John Boyd.
The series is based on the life and novels of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who also produced the show. Its title character, Temperance Brennan, is named after the protagonist of Reichs' crime novel series. In the Bones universe, Brennan writes successful mystery novels featuring a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.
Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television. The series is the longest-running one-hour drama series produced by 20th Century Fox Television.
Premise The premise of the show is an alliance between forensic anthropologist Temperance "Bones" Brennan and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan is the central character and team leader of the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Lab, a federal institution that collaborates with the FBI. This reflects the historical relationship between the FBI and scientists of the Smithsonian Institution. Set in Washington, D.C., the show revolves around solving federal legal cases by examining the human remains of possible murder victims. While the majority of their cases take place in the surrounding Washington metropolitan area, they have been called in to investigate cases in other locales, including Mexico, Argentina, and Iran.
Brennan and her team provide scientific expertise, and Booth provides FBI criminal investigation techniques. In addition to the prospective murder cases featured in each episode, the series explores the backgrounds and relationships of its characters, particularly the romantic tension between Brennan and Booth. An important ongoing dynamic between Brennan and Booth is their disagreement about science and faith. Brennan argues for science, evidence, and atheism. Booth argues for intuition, faith, and God. Their relationship is highlighted by the introduction of Lance Sweets, an FBI psychologist, who not only helps inform the investigations, but also is meant to serve as a mediator for Brennan and Booth.
The series is known for its dark comedic undertones, which serve to lighten the gravity of the show's intense subject matter, human bodies in an advanced state of decay. While many of the cases they investigate are self-contained to singular episodes, and generally deal with murders that are motivated by personal desires, the team does occasionally investigate serial killers – such as the Gravedigger, the Puppeteer, Howard Epps, and Gormogon – and politically charged perpetrators such as Jacob Broadsky.
The series also features the interpersonal relationships of the Jeffersonian staff – including pathologist and coroner Camille Saroyan, forensic artist Angela Montenegro, entomologist Jack Hodgins, and a rotating set of interns who assist Dr. Brennan – and how their cases and victims affect their views and lives.
Cast and characters
Main cast Emily Deschanel as Temperance "Bones" Brennan: A brilliant forensic anthropologist, she works at the renowned Jeffersonian Institute located in Washington, D.C. Her birth name was Joy Keenan, which her parents changed after they turned away from a life of crime, and she was educated at Northwestern University. She is an empiricist and a wealthy author of crime fiction drawn from her experiences. She is an atheist and a staunch believer in facts and evidence, to the exclusion of feelings; consequently, she comes off as distant and detached. Her lack of social skills provides most of the show's lighthearted humor, primarily through her catchphrase, "I don't know what that means," whenever a pop culture reference is introduced into the conversation. She is noted to have a high IQ and impressive reasoning skills. Despite being superficially very different, Booth and she share a deep connection and begin a relationship near the end of season six. In season seven, they have a daughter together, whom they name Christine, in honor of Temperance's late mother. They marry in season nine. Their son, Hank, named after Booth's paternal grandfather, is born in season 11. She is also stepmother to Booth's son from a previous relationship, Parker. David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth: FBI Special Agent Booth seeks out Brennan's professional help in his investigations involving human remains that cannot be identified without her skills. His character is often used as an audience surrogate to provide a layman's translation of the scientific jargon-filled dialogue, especially in the "squints" conversations, or laboratory scenes. He gives Brennan her nickname, "Bones", which she first hates, but comes to accept. He is a skilled investigator and interrogator who often relies on his "gut" and "cop instincts" (qualities foreign to Brennan). He is a decorated veteran of the United States Army Rangers, where he was a sniper. Booth has a son, Parker, from a previous relationship, and a younger brother, Jared, an officer in the U.S. Navy. He has two children with Brennan: a daughter, Christine, and a son, Hank. Raised in the Roman Catholic church, Booth is a devout believer in God and heaven. He frequently debates spiritual issues with Brennan, who regards all religions as primitive superstitions unsupported by empirical evidence. He plays hockey on a team with intern Wendell Bray, with whom he is close. He is purportedly a member of the well-known Booth family, and as such is related to Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. Michaela Conlin as Angela Montenegro: A forensic artist at the Jeffersonian Institute and Brennan's best friend, Montenegro is also her team specialist in forensic facial reconstruction—helping identify the victims. She can also generate holograms using her three-dimensional graphics program (the "Angelator" and later, the "Angelatron") to simulate various scenarios of a crime to help determine the cause of death. She and Brennan are best friends and rarely argue. She is open, friendly, and caring and repeatedly tries to draw Brennan out of the lab. She is often described as a free spirit. Angela's father is played by Billy Gibbons, guitarist of ZZ Top, who guest stars as a fictional version of himself. In season two, Angela begins a relationship with Jack Hodgins. They try to wed, but Angela discovers she is already married to a man she barely remembers; after her divorce from him is finalized, she and Hodgins break up. During this time, Angela dates intern Wendell Bray, but she marries Hodgins in season five and gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six. Her birth name is Pookie Noodlin, as revealed in the 10th season. Eric Millegan as Dr. Zack Addy (seasons 1–3; guest star, seasons 4–5, 11–12) is introduced in season one as Brennan's graduate student and intern. In season two, he receives his doctorates in forensic anthropology and applied engineering, and joins the staff of the Jeffersonian as a full-fledged professional. Like Brennan, his inability to pick up on Booth, Hodgins, and Montenegro's pop-culture jokes and references is a running gag and a source of humorously awkward moments in the lab, though he has shown he has other "normal" interests such as being a basketball fan and a trained singer. A recurring element in the show involves Addy and Hodgins amicably but resolutely competing to be "King of the Lab". In the episode, "The Pain in the Heart", a trophy, presented to him by Saroyan that recognizes Zack as "King of the Lab", is revealed. Zack is removed from his position on Brennan's team in the season three finale, "The Pain in the Heart", when he is revealed to be the apprentice of the serial killer Gormogon. He resides in a psychiatric facility after pleading insanity to avoid a prison term, as Hodgins told him he "would not do well" in the general prison population. At the end of season 11, Zack escapes the facility after he is suspected of being another serial killer called "The Puppeteer". At the beginning of season 12, Zack is exonerated when his doctor is proven to be the killer, instead. Zack confesses his innocence in the Gormogon murders to Booth and Brennan. A major storyline in season 12 is exonerating Zack. In the penultimate episode, "A Day in the Life", Zack is exonerated of murder thanks to Hodgins, with help from Brennan and Caroline Julian at his hearing. However, the judge rules that he must finish out the last 13 months of his sentence for the separate crime of aiding a known killer. Zack remains institutionalized, albeit with a release date just over a year away. T. J. Thyne as Jack Hodgins is an entomologist who is also an expert on spores and minerals, but whose hobby is conspiracy theories. Hodgins regularly identifies as the lab's "bug and slime guy". During an investigation, he primarily deals with particulates and trace evidence, and at the crime scene will provide Booth with an approximate time of death. He is best friends with former coworker Zack Addy and often tries to "educate" him on social norms. They often compete for the title of "King of the Lab", referring to whoever has more useful information in the investigation at hand. His family owns the fictional Cantilever Group, and he is extremely wealthy and is a major sponsor of the Jeffersonian. However, Hodgins tries to keep this concealed from his colleagues. It eventually comes out during an investigation, but no one allows his family's wealth to significantly affect their relationship with him. He later loses all his money due to the scheming of serial killer Christopher Pelant, but in time, Hodgins regains a considerable portion of it. He sells a hot sauce he develops in collaboration with intern Finn Abernathy, which becomes immensely popular. Later, he develops an unbreakable beaker and a polymer floor mat. He marries Angela Montenegro in season five. She gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six. In season 11, Hodgins is wounded in a bomb attack and left paralyzed from the waist down. At the end of the series, Hodgins is promoted to temporary head of the Jeffersonian lab while Cam and Arastoo are on leave after their wedding. Jonathan Adams as Daniel Goodman (season 1): An archaeologist turned administrator, he is the director of the Jeffersonian Institute. He is a loving husband and father to a pair of five-year-old twin girls. His way of working leads Hodgins to think of him as subjective, long-winded, and lacking the qualities of a pure scientist, although the antagonism between the two develops into a friendly rivalry as the season progresses. He has not made any appearances beyond season one. As of episode 23, "The Titan on the Tracks", he is said to be on sabbatical, and is not seen for the rest of the series.