Bones

Bones Origins

The concept for the Bones tv show was developed during the latter part of the pitching season of 2004. 20th Century Fox came to Hart Hanson, the series creator, with a request for a forensics show. Hanson met with executive producer Barry Josephson, who had purchased the rights to produce a documentary on the forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs. Hanson was initially reluctant about being involved in making a police procedural, but he signed on and wrote the pilot episode after having an intensive meeting with Josephson about the show. The show is based on the works of Kathy Reichs. Unlike many authors whose works inspire TV shows and/or movies, she is constantly involved and consulted as the storylines for the episodes are created.

In order to make Bones unique and not just another procedural crime series, Hanson made the decision to use both humor and character development heavily. An additional element that's used to set the show apart is the "Angelator," a volumetric imaging device (often wrongly referred to as a holographic display) whose 3-D display is used to replace the flashback scenes other shows often use. The special effects used to create the images also bring a unique visual style to the show, setting it apart.

See Also...

Music on Bones Bones Quotes Bones Characters Bones Cast Members Bones Episode Guide

Bones Broadcast History

• Series Premiere: September 13, 2005
• Weekly Broadcast Timeslot

1. Tuesdays, 8:00 PM ET, 2005
2. Wednesdays, 8:00 PM ET, 2006
3. Tuesdays, 8:00 PM, 2007
   

• Season 1
  • Premiere: September 13, 2005
  • Finale: May 17, 2006
    
  • # of Episodes: 22
• Season 2
  • Premiere: August 30, 2006
  • Finale: May 16, 2007
  • # of Episodes: 21 -- 19th episode, "Player Under Pressure," pulled after Virginia Tech shootings -- plot involved finding remains of a college athlete
    
• Season 3
  • Premiere: September 25, 2007
  • Finale May 19, 2008
    
• Season 4
• Premiere: September 3, 2008

Bones Title Sequence

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 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. 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
season.

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 especially built on a large soundstage at the 20th Century
Fox lot in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

Accidents on the set of Bones

On August 27, 2007, a fire broke out on set at the 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles,
ignited by a piece of electrical equipment. The fire was extinguished without any harm to the
actors and without any major damage to the set. Filming was able to resume later that day.

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.

Season	Broadcast Period	Timeslot	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1	2005-2006	Tuesday 8:00 PM ET (2005) Wednesday 8:00 PM ET (2006)	#60	8.9
2	2006-2007	Wednesday 8:00 PM ET	#50	9.4
3	2007-2008	Tuesday 8:00 PM ET (2007) Friday 8:00 PM ET (2008)	#60	8.8

• 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 had 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.
  
• Following the broadcast of the series' third episode, Fox ordered a full season of Bones.
  
• 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.
  
• 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.
  
• The second season premiere attracted 8.61 million viewers in its Wednesday 8:00pm 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.
  
• 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.
  
• 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.

Initial Reviews

"The best drama of the new network season," and a "sexed-up variation of all the CSIs"
-- New York

Bones has a "pretty standard Crossing Jordan/CSI-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."
-- Entertainment Weekly

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."
-- USA Today

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."
-- Media Life Magazine