Bones (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Bones


caption = Logo of "Bones"
genre = Drama - Police procedural
creator = Hart Hanson
developer =
presenter =
starring = Emily Deschanel
David Boreanaz
Michaela Conlin
Eric Millegan (1-3) as a regular
Tamara Taylor (2- )
T. J. Thyne
John Francis Daley (3-)
Jonathan Adams (1)
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme = Composed and performed by The Crystal Method
endtheme =
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 4
num_episodes = 65
list_episodes = List of Bones episodes
producer =
executive_producer =
location = Los Angeles
Washington, DC
camera =
runtime = 43 minutes
network = Fox Network
picture_format = 480i (SDTV), 720p (HDTV)
audio_format =
first_run =
first_aired = September 13, 2005
last_aired = present
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website = http://www.fox.com/bones/
imdb_id = 0460627
tv_com_id = 33332

"Bones" is an American drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is a forensics and police procedural in which each episode focuses on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth to the forensic anthropology team of Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan. Emily Deschanel stars in the title role, opposite David Boreanaz as Agent Booth. The rest of the cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Tamara Taylor and John Francis Daley.

The series, created by Hart Hanson, is very loosely based on the works of real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who is herself a producer on the show. Its title character, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan is named after the protagonist of Reichs' crime novel series. "Bones" is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment, Far Field Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.cite web | url = http://www.fox.com/bones/showinfo/ | title = Fox Broadcasting Company: Bones | accessdate = 2006-07-08]

The fourth season premiered on September 3, 2008 on FOX. In the UK, it began airing on Sky1 on Thursday, September 25th.cite web|accessdate=2008-09-22|title=Tube Talk Presents... The P.L.P.|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/tubetalk/plp/ ]

Production

Origins

The concept of "Bones" was developed during the latter part of the pitching season of 2004 when 20th Century Fox approached series creator Hart Hanson with an idea of a forensics show. Hanson was asked to meet with executive producer Barry Josephson, who had purchased the rights to produce a documentary on the forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs. Although Hanson was reluctant about being involved in making a police procedural, he signed on and wrote the pilot episode after having an intensive meeting with Josephson about the show. [Kristine, Diane, [http://unifiedtheorynothingmuch.blogspot.com/2006/01/qa-bones-creator-hart-hanson.html Q&A: Bones Creator Hart Hanson] , "Blogcritics", January 17 2006. Retrieved on May 16 2007.] As the show is based on the works of Reichs, the writers constantly involve her in the process of producing the episodes' storylines.

In order to make "Bones" a unique crime drama in the midst of the multiple procedural dramas that already populated network television like the "Law & Order" and "CSI" franchises, Hanson decided to infuse the show with humour and character development as much as possible. [Kristine, Diane, " [http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/01/18/081121.php Challenging the Crime Genre: An Interview with Bones Creator Hart Hanson] ", "Blogcritics", January 18 2006. Retrieved on May 16 2007.] Another element conceived for the show was the "Angelator", a holographic projector whose use is to replace flashbacks that are often used by other procedural shows. In addition to their expositional purposes, the holographic images, which are created by visual effects, brought a unique visual style to the show that the producers were looking for.Epstein, Daniel Robert, " [http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmtv/features/falltv2005/bones-hanson.asp Hart Hanson of Bones] ", "UGO.com", September 13 2005. Retrieved on June 4 2007.]

Casting

David Boreanaz was the first actor to be cast in "Bones". Series creator Hart Hanson described the actors who had auditioned for the role of Seeley Booth as "pretty boy waifs" and immediately responded when the head of the studio, Dana Walden, suggested Boreanaz for the role.Goldman, Eric, " [http://tv.ign.com/articles/793/793242p1.html Digging Up Secrets With the Cast of Bones] ", "IGN", May 31 2007. Retrieved on June 4 2007.] Boreanaz was offered the role but was unenthusiastic about getting involved after a difficult meeting with executive producers Barry Josephson and Hart Hanson, even though he thought the script was well written. However, after the producers contacted him again to convince him to accept the role, Boreanaz agreed to sign on and was cast as Seeley Booth. [ [http://www.etonline.com/tv/35348/index.html David Boreanaz Makes No 'Bones' About His New Series] , "Entertainment Tonight", August 03, 2005. Retrieved on June 4 2007.Dead link|date=February 2008]

Emily Deschanel auditioned for the role of Temperance Brennan close to the production start date of the series pilot, during which time another actress was nearly cast in the role. After the filming of "Glory Road" was completed, producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Deschanel about the role and sent her to "Bones"' executive producer Barry Josephson to audition for it. [Bray, Tony, " [http://www.tv-now.com/intervus/emilydes/index.html Emily Deschanel: An August 2006 Interview] ", "TVNow", August 2006. Retrieved on June 4 2007.] Deschanel impressed Hanson at her audition, where she showed the character's assertiveness by stepping forward towards Boreanaz after he moved towards her, to which Hanson remarked that "90% of actors would take a step back". [David, Anna (2006), "The Lovely Bones", "TV Guide", January 23–29 edition, p. 39.] She was subsequently cast in the role.

In June 2008, it was reported that Michael Badalucco, formerly of "The Practice", had been cast as one of the grad students who will be replacing Zack Addy in the lab in season 4. [ [http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Bones-Casting-News/800041851 Bones Picks "Jimmy Berluti" for Rotation] , "TV Guide", June 18, 2008. Retrieved on June 19, 2008.]

Title sequence

The title sequence of "Bones" is usually shown near the beginning of the episode. Accompanied by the show's theme music, composed and performed by The Crystal Method, the sequence provides the credits of the show. Each episode usually begins with a cold open, which sets up the plot of the episode and can last from three to ten minutes before the title sequence is shown. The title sequence varies from season to season. The first season's title sequence mostly consists of scenes from the first five episodes of the series while the second season's title sequence is made up of scenes from the first season and early episodes of the second. The opening credits in the title sequence include the regular cast members of the respective seasons.

ettings and storylines

Plot summary

The show begins in the year 2005, and tells the story of a series of case files, solved weekly, by an unlikely alliance between Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan's forensic anthropology team at the Jeffersonian Institution (a thinly veiled allusion to the Smithsonian Institution) and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. By examining the human remains of the murder victims, Dr. Brennan and her team provide scientific expertise and an outsider's perspective to the world of criminal investigation to the FBI. In addition to the murder cases featured in each episode, the series explores the backgrounds and relationships of the major characters including the developing friendship and possibly romantic relationship between Brennan and Booth.

Filming location

Most of "Bones" is filmed in Los Angeles, California, despite the fact that the show is mainly set in Washington, D.C., where the fictional Jeffersonian Institution is located. The interiors of the Jeffersonian Institution were specially built on a large soundstage at the 20th Century Fox lot in Century City, Los Angeles, California. [Goldman, Eric, [http://tv.ign.com/articles/728/728999p1.html On the Set of Bones with Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz] , "IGN", August 29 2006. Retrieved on May 16 2007.] The 4th season premiere (a special two part episode) was filmed on location in London, England.

Characters

Main characters

Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (portrayed by Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist working at the renowned Jeffersonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and a best-selling crime novelist. She is intellectually brilliant, but is narrowly focused on her work, as well as lacking in social skills.

Brennan aids F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth (portrayed by David Boreanaz) in his investigations involving human remains that cannot be identified without her skills in forensic anthropology. In contrast to the other main characters, Booth has limited knowledge of science and is often used to provide a layman's translation of the scientific jargon-filled dialogue.

Brennan is helped by her colleagues at the Jeffersonian Institution: Angela Montenegro (portrayed by Michaela Conlin), Dr. Jack Hodgins (portrayed by T. J. Thyne) and, until the end of Season Three, Dr. Zack Addy (portrayed by Eric Millegan). While she specializes in forensic facial reconstruction, Angela is also Brennan's best friend and has a contrasting personality to Brennan's social awkwardness. Hodgins is an entomologist and an expert on spores and minerals, and is also fascinated by conspiracy theories. His skills allow the team to approximate the time, and often the location (e.g., if the remains were moved post mortem), of death of the victims. At the beginning of the series, Zack was Brennan's graduate student and assistant at the Jeffersonian. In the second season, after he received his doctorate in forensic anthropology, he was hired as a forensic anthropologist. His character is similar to Brennan in that he finds it difficult to relate to an average person.

All of the above five characters have appeared in every episode through the end of season 3, when it was revealed that Zack aided a cannibalistic serial killer. The two other main characters of the series include Dr. Daniel Goodman (portrayed by Jonathan Adams) and Dr. Camille "Cam" Saroyan (portrayed by Tamara Taylor). Dr. Goodman is the director of the Jeffersonian Institution and a former archaeologist. He appeared in the first season but not in the next two. Cam was introduced in the second season to replace the character of Goodman as Brennan's superior. As a pathologist, her working style clashes with Brennan's and the two often have disagreements. The tension between them stems from Cam's authoritativeness and a previous relationship she had with Booth. As the series progresses, Cam and Brennan become more respectful of each other.

In addition, Dr. Lance Sweets (portrayed by John Francis Daley) was added to the cast to both provide a bit of comic relief and to assist Booth and Brennan with their cases. Dr. Sweets, simply called Sweets by the main cast, is a 23-year old psychologist who assists Booth and Brennan by providing a psycho-analysis for suspects and victims alike. [cite web
url= http://fox.com/bones/episodes/306_1.htm
title= Ep. 306: "Intern in the Incinerator"
author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= FOX Broadcasting Company
accessdate= 2008-02-27 ]

Recurring characters

There are several characters who have had recurring appearances in the series. Howard Epps (portrayed by Heath Freeman) is one of three murderers in the series so far who have made recurring appearances (the others being Max Keenan and the Gormogon). Introduced as a death-row prisoner in the first season episode "A Man on Death Row", Epps used Brennan and Booth to delay his death sentence and eventually escaped prison. He was proved to be a serial-killer whose initial targets were blonde teenage girls before he targeted Brennan. He later fell off a balcony to his death following a confrontation with Brennan and Booth.

Recurring in the first season only, Sam Cullen (portrayed by John M. Jackson) is a Deputy Director of the FBI and consequently, Booth's boss. He does his best to keep Agent Booth on track and frequently disapproves of Dr. Brennan's involvement in FBI field investigations.

Caroline Julian (portrayed by Patricia Belcher) is a prosecutor and works in the U.S. Attorney's office. Although she has a very demanding and bossy attitude, Caroline frequently offers help to Booth and Brennan in their cases. She has appeared numerous times to have Booth and Brennan in court and to help solve their cases.

In terms of family, Brennan's brother Russ (Loren Dean) and father Max (Ryan O'Neal) have appeared in multiple episodes.

In the second season episode "The Girl in the Gator", when Booth is sent to get a psychological evaluation after he shoots an ice cream truck, he meets his psychiatrist, Dr. Gordon Wyatt (portrayed by Stephen Fry). The character, Dr. Wyatt, provides comic relief to the show through his interactions with Booth and Brennan. FBI Special Agent Tim "Sully" Sullivan (portrayed by Eddie McClintock) was introduced as Dr. Brennan's love interest during Booth's absence and worked on a case with her. Over the next three episodes, he develops a serious relationship with Brennan but later decides to leave for the Caribbean.

The Gormogon, a cannibalistic serial killer, is a recurring character in season 3, but is only physically shown once, during the season finale.

Response

The following seasonal rankings are based on average total viewers per episode as recorded by Nielsen Media Research. The recording period begins in late September (the start of the U.S. network television season) and ends in late May.The series premiere of "Bones" attracted an average of 10.8 million viewers with 6.7% household share and 11% household rating. It was the highest number of viewers Fox has received for a primetime Tuesday-night drama series premiere since "24" premiered in 2001. "Bones" finished first among the 18 to 49 years old demographic and in total viewers in its Tuesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. [Berman, Marc, " [http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001177629 National Ratings in Primetime - Week of 12 September 2005] ", "Mediaweek.com", September 21 2005. Retrieved on May 20 2007.] "New York" described the show as "the best drama of the new network season" and a "sexed-up variation of all the CSIs". [Leonard, John, " [http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/tv/reviews/15227/ Bodies in Motion] ", "New York", December 12 2005. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] Regarding the show's procedural structure, "Entertainment Weekly" notes that "Bones" has a "pretty standard "Crossing Jordan"/-style framework" but holds up because of the chemistry between the two lead characters; "that old Sam-and-Diane, Maddie-and-David, Mulder-and-Scully opposites-attract stuff never feels standard when it's done right." [Flynn, Gillian, " [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1102765,00.html Bones] ", "Entertainment Weekly", September 9 2005. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] Similarly, "USA Today" comments that compared to other crime shows, the show "is built on a more traditional and solid foundation: the strength of its characters" and "what sets Tuesday's Bones premiere apart from the procedural pack are stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, as the season's most appealing new crime fighters." [Bianco, Robert, " [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2005-09-12-bones_x.htm The stars flesh out 'Bones'] ", "USA Today", September 12 2005. Retrieved on June 27 2007.]

On the other hand, "Media Life Magazine" says that while "Bones" has "an amazingly clever notion, brilliant even", its "execution doesn't match the conception" and based on its first episode, the show "fails to evolve into a gripping series. In fact, it quickly becomes so derivative of so much else on television — especially, strangely, "X-Files" — that one might even call it bone-headed." [Rosen, Steven, " [http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2005/sep05/sept12/2_tues/news4tuesday.html 'Bones,' from the heap of tired ideas] ", "Media Life Magazine", September 13 2005. Retrieved on June 27 2007.]

Following the broadcast of the series' third episode, Fox ordered a full season of "Bones". [Fox Broadcasting Company, [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20051012fox02 Fox orders full seasons of the hit series 'Bones' and 'The War at Home'] , "The Futon Critic", October 12 2005. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] It was renewed for a second season after its strong performance in ratings in the timeslot following "American Idol" and on its own without the American Idol's lead-in audience. [Sullivan, Brian Ford, " [http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7119 Fox to keep 'Bones', The WB's 'What I Like About You' to end] ", "The Futon Critic", March 24 2006. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] Overall, the first season of "Bones" ranked 60th in viewership among prime-time shows and 53rd among the 18 to 49 year old demographic, with a seasonal average of 8.9 million viewers. [" [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393 2005-06 primetime wr
] ", "The Hollywood Reporter", May 26 2006. Retrieved on May 20 2007.]

The second season premiere attracted 8.61 million viewers in its Wednesday 8:00 pm timeslot, finishing second among the 18 to 49 years old demographic and first in total viewership with 6.7% household rating and 11% household share. [Berman, Marc, " [http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003118162 Primetime Wednesday Ratings] ", "Mediaweek.com", September 7 2006. Retrieved on May 20 2007.] As a lead-in for "American Idol", the second season finale of "Bones" obtained 10.88 million viewers with 3.5% household rating and 11% household share. It tied first in viewership among the 18 to 49 years old demographic with "The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular" on "CBS". [Kissell, Rick, " [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117965147.html?categoryId=14&cs=1 'Idol' cleans up, viewers find 'Lost'] ", "Variety", May 17 2007. Retrieved on May 20 2007.] In the 2006-07 television season, "Bones" improved its ranking to 50th place in viewership among prime-time shows with 9.4 million viewers and was ranked 51st among the 18 to 49 year old demographic. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ifbfdd1bcb53266ad8d9a71cad261604f 2006-07 primetime wr
] , "The Hollywood Reporter", May 25 2007. Retrieved on May 27 2007.]

Broadcast information

"Bones" premiered on September 13, 2005 on the Fox network and was broadcast weekly in the Tuesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot before it was moved to the Wednesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot in 2006. The first season finished on May 17, 2006 with a total of 22 episodes. The second season premiered on the Fox network on August 30, 2006 and retained its Wednesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. The final second season episode was aired on May 16, 2007, ending the original run of the second season with 21 episodes. One episode, "Player Under Pressure", was left unaired, which was originally scheduled to be broadcast as the second season's 19th episode but was pulled by the Fox network in the United States after the Virginia Tech massacre. The plot involved the discovery of the human remains of a college athlete [" [http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-foxpullsbonesepisode,0,4937407.story FOX Pulls 'Bones' Episode After Tragedy] "] , and eventually aired on April 21 2008. The third season of the series premiered on September 25, 2007 in its original premiere timeslot, Tuesday 8:00 pm ET. The show went on hiatus on November 27, 2007 and returned on April 14, 2008 in the Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. [cite news|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080205fox01 |title= episode "House's" record-setting post-super bowl episode "frozen" to encore friday, February 15|publisher=Futon Critic |date=2008-02-05 |accessdate=2008-02-15]

Season four premiered September 3, 2008 in the United States on Fox with a two-hour episode that was filmed on location in London.cite web |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080605fox01|title=FOX ANNOUNCES FALL PREMIERE DATES FOR THE 2008-2009 SEASON|accessdate=2008-06-07|date=2008-06-05|publisher=the futon critic]

The Show is also broadcast on Star World in India and NTV7 in Malaysia (which has just finished airing its third season on Mondays, 8:30pm.)

The show is broadcast in the Philippines, in C/S on RPN and has recently concluded Season 3.

The show is broadcast more than once in Croatia on RTL Television Network Croatia.

Seasons 1-3 have all aired every episode on TV3 at 8:30pm monday's in New Zealand.

First and Second seasons of the show also broadcast in Serbia on national tv network Radio Television of Serbia.

First season has broadcast in Estonia on TV3 (Estonia), which is currently broadcasting the second season on Wednesdays at 9pm.

The show is also being shown on the Gtv service on G Series in most of Africa.

The show is also being aired on NTV in both Kenya and Uganda.

The show is also aired on the Seven Network in Australia, on Monday nights at 9.30

A number of episodes are also available for viewing with Hulu.

It is also broadcasted in Spain on La Sexta.

It is also broadcasted in Greece on ANT1.

It is also aired on RTP 2 in Portugal, on Thursday nights at 10:45

Distribution

DVD releases

Internet

Fox has released free episodes of "Bones" and several other primetime series online to be downloaded for viewing on its MySpace website, which is owned by the same parent company, News Corporation, that owns Fox. This began on October 3, 2006 but access is restricted to residents from the United States only. [IGN TV, [http://tv.ign.com/articles/736/736981p1.html Free Episodes Available For Download] , IGN, October 3 2006. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] "Bones" is also available for free-of-cost viewing at Hulu as well as their official website via Fox On Demand.

Other media

Aside from the television broadcast of "Bones", its characters and concepts have also been produced in print, on the internet and in short videos for mobile phones.

Currently, there are two print books related to the series, one a novel and the other an official guide. "Buried Deep" (ISBN 1-4165-2461-4), written by Max Allan Collins, was published by Pocket Star on February 28, 2006. The book is based on the characters in the television series rather than the characters created by Kathy Reichs, who had inspired the concept of "Bones". Its plot focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth's investigation into the skeletal remains left on the steps of a federal building and its connection with a Chicago mob family. "Bones: The Official Companion: Seasons 1 & 2" (ISBN 1-8457-6539-7) is written by Paul Ruditis and published by Titan Books, released on October 16, 2007. The book includes cast and crew interviews, episode guides and a background detail on real-life forensics. [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1845765397 Bones: The Official Companion: Seasons 1 & 2] , "Amazon.com". Retrieved on June 27 2007.]

Fox has made extensive use of the internet to promote "Bones". Prior to the broadcast of the second season episode "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House", profiles of the characters involved in the episode were put up on their own MySpace web page. The blog entries of the characters were created to give insight into the potential suspects to be featured in the episode. In the episode, Brennan and her team uses clues from these web pages, which the viewers can also access. [Krause, Staci, " [http://tv.ign.com/articles/778/778384p1.html Bones Crosses Over Into Life] ", "IGN", April 4 2007. Retrieved on June 27 2007.]

A spin-off series consisting of 26 two-minute episodes, called "Bones: Skeleton Crew", was produced by Fox and launched through a partnership with Sprint Nextel in conjunction with MasterCard's sponsorship. It was released to Sprint TV subscribers in November 2006 and released on the official website of "Bones" on December 4, 2006. The episodes do not feature the show's main cast; its plot revolves around three Jeffersonian Institute lab technicians who use their skills to solve a mystery. [Shields, Mike, " [http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003408555 Fox to Launch Bones Mobisodes] ", "Media Week", November 15 2006. Retrieved on June 27 2007.] [Scott, Andrew, " [http://promomagazine.com/entertainmentmarketing/news/mc_mobisodes_111606/ MasterCard Places Brand in Fox Mobisodes] ", "PROMO Xtra", November 16 2006. Retrieved on June 27 2007.]

Bonus content was posted by Fox on Bones' official site during the third season, which include short videos featuring Booth and Brennan waiting to see Dr. Sweets.

References

External links

* [http://www.tv.com/bones/show/33332/summary.html Bones] at [http://www.tv.com TV.com]
* [http://tv.yahoo.com/bones/show/37774 Bones] at Yahoo! TV
* [http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/bones/192241 Bones] at TV Guide
*Imdb title|0460627|Bones