111 Fun Facts About Bones TV Show

Bones is based on the life and novels of which real forensic anthropologist?

She produced the show, and in the Bones universe Brennan writes novels about a fictional anthropologist named Kathy Reichs.

Who created Bones for Fox?

Hart Hanson created Bones, adapting Kathy Reichs's novels for Fox and serving as showrunner; he pushed for more dark humor and character development than Law & Order or CSI offered.

How many seasons of Bones aired?

Bones ran for 12 seasons; the final season was a shortened 12-episode farewell run, and the finale was titled 'The End in the End'.

What is the name of the fictional Washington, D.C. institution where Brennan's lab is based?

The Jeffersonian Institute is the show's fictional national museum and research complex; its Medico-Legal Lab interiors were built on a Fox studio soundstage.

Who plays Dr. Temperance Brennan?

Emily Deschanel plays Brennan; she was cast after finishing the Jerry Bruckheimer film Glory Road, and her sister Zooey later starred in New Girl.

David Boreanaz, who plays Booth, was previously famous for playing which vampire?

Angel, the vampire-turned-private investigator, got his own spin-off from 1999 to 2004; Boreanaz was the first actor cast in Bones.

What was Temperance Brennan's birth name?

She was born Joy Keenan; her parents Max and Ruth Keenan, former bank robbers, renamed the whole family Brennan when they went into hiding.

What is Brennan's catchphrase whenever someone makes a pop-culture reference?

'I don't know what that means' is her line, and her lack of social skills provides most of the show's lighthearted humor.

In which branch of the military did Seeley Booth serve as a sniper?

Booth served as a sniper with the U.S. Army Rangers before joining the FBI; in the season-five finale the Army recalls him to train soldiers in Afghanistan.

Seeley is said to be a member of the same family as which infamous historical figure?

Booth is said to be a distant relative of John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, a family connection the devout Catholic agent finds shameful.

What are the names of Booth and Brennan's two children?

Booth and Brennan's children are Christine, born in season seven, and Hank, born in season 11; Parker is Booth's son from an earlier relationship.

When do Booth and Brennan finally marry?

Booth and Brennan marry in season nine's 'The Woman in White'; their relationship began at the end of season six and daughter Christine arrived in season seven.

What is the name of the forensic artist's 3D holographic crime-simulation program?

Angela's holographic crime-scene simulator is the Angelator, a play on her name, later upgraded to the Angelatron.

Which rock guitarist plays Angela's father as a fictionalised version of himself?

ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons plays Angela's father as a version of himself; the bearded character is credited only as Angela's dad.

What is Jack Hodgins's primary scientific specialty at the Jeffersonian?

Hodgins's specialty is entomology, the study of insects, alongside botany and mineralogy; the self-styled 'bug and slime guy' eventually marries Angela.

What title do Hodgins and Zack compete for with each forensic breakthrough?

Hodgins and Zack constantly claim the title 'King of the Lab' for whoever makes the breakthrough; the running gag continues with the later rotating interns.

Which serial killer was Zack Addy revealed to be the apprentice of, at the end of season three?

Zack was unmasked as the apprentice of Gormogon, the cannibalistic secret-society killer, in the season-three finale; he pleaded insanity and later told Sweets he never actually killed anyone.

Which serial killer was Zack suspected of being when he escaped the psychiatric facility?

In season 11 the escaped Zack was suspected of being the Puppeteer, who posed corpses like marionettes; he was fully cleared in season 12.

The Gravedigger, who buried victims alive for ransom, turned out to be which character?

The Gravedigger was Assistant US Attorney Heather Taffet, convicted in season five's 'The Boy with the Answer'; sniper Jacob Broadsky later shot her dead on the courthouse steps.

Which hacktivist villain, under house arrest for crashing a Pentagon network, tormented the Bones team?

Christopher Pelant, the hacker villain of seasons seven to nine, framed Brennan for murder and hijacked a military drone before Booth finally shot him dead.

How does Hodgins lose his entire fortune in season eight?

Christopher Pelant drains Hodgins's accounts in season eight's 'The Corpse on the Canopy' as part of his war on the team; Hodgins becomes wealthy again in season ten through a lab invention.

Which actor, later a screenwriter and director, plays FBI psychologist Lance Sweets?

John Francis Daley played Sweets from season three; he went on to co-write Spider-Man: Homecoming and co-direct Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

How does Sweets die in the season 10 premiere?

Sweets is assaulted while serving a warrant and dies of his injuries in 'The Conspiracy in the Corpse'; Daisy Wick was pregnant with his son at the time.

Which junior FBI agent, famous for his love of food, joins Booth after Sweets's death?

James Aubrey, played by John Boyd, joins Booth in season 10 and is known for his bottomless appetite; his con-man father resurfaces later asking for money.

Camille Saroyan, who takes over the forensic division in season two, was previously what?

Cam was a coroner in New York City before taking over the Jeffersonian's forensic division; she had dated Booth there and later marries intern Arastoo Vaziri.

Which intern is fatally shot by sniper Jacob Broadsky in season six?

Vincent Nigel-Murray, the English trivia-spouting intern, is shot by Broadsky in 'The Hole in the Heart'; his death is the catalyst for Booth and Brennan finally getting together.

Which intern is diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma by Brennan?

Wendell Bray survives the cancer; he is the intern Booth finds most relatable.

Which actor plays Brennan's father, former bank robber Max Keenan?

Ryan O'Neal, Oscar-nominated for Love Story, plays Max Keenan; Booth arrests Max in the season-two finale and he is acquitted of murder at trial in season three.

Which Fox series crossed over with Bones in the season 11 episode 'The Resurrection in the Remains'?

Bones and Sleepy Hollow, both Fox dramas, shared a two-part Halloween-week crossover in October 2015, with each show's team appearing in the other's episode.

What was the name of the short-lived 2012 Bones spin-off about a man who can find anything?

Geoff Stults played Walter Sherman in The Finder, based on Richard Greener's Locator novels; it aired on Fox in early 2012.

Where is Bones mostly filmed, despite being set in Washington, D.C.?

Bones was shot in Los Angeles, with the Jeffersonian lab built on a Fox soundstage and Washington, D.C. appearing mainly in establishing shots.

Where was the two-hour season four premiere filmed on location?

The two-part premiere 'Yanks in the U.K.' was shot on location in London and Oxford, with Brennan lecturing at Oxford; it aired in September 2008.

Which team member is a specialist in craniofacial reconstruction?

She changed her name as a teenager; only her double-ex Roxie knows her real one.

How many Emmy nominations did Bones receive over its run?

Bones earned two Primetime Emmy nominations over its run, both in technical categories (art direction and special visual effects) rather than acting or writing.

Which journalist does Booth date in season six after returning from Afghanistan?

Hannah Burley, the war correspondent Booth met in Afghanistan, moves to Washington for him in season six; she turns down his marriage proposal and they split.

Which rewatch podcast is hosted by the actresses who played Brennan and Daisy Wick?

Boneheads is the rewatch podcast of Emily Deschanel and Carla Gallo, who played intern Daisy Wick, Sweets's on-again, off-again girlfriend.

On Bones, which archaeologist-turned-administrator ran the Jeffersonian in season one, never to appear again after a 'sabbatical'?

Daniel Goodman, played by Jonathan Adams, was the Jeffersonian's director; Cam replaced him from season two.

On Bones, which intern arrives in season nine as a forensic anthropologist seeking asylum in the United States?

Rodolfo Fuentes is a Cuban forensic anthropologist seeking US asylum, played by Ignacio Serricchio as a shameless flirt who has openly hit on Angela.

What is the recurring dynamic that defines Booth and Brennan's partnership?

Faith versus science: Brennan argues for evidence and atheism, Booth for intuition and God, and Sweets was introduced partly to mediate.

Which British actor plays the eccentric psychiatrist Dr. Gordon Wyatt?

Stephen Fry plays Gordon 'Gordon Gordon' Wyatt, the psychiatrist who counsels Booth from season two and later quits psychiatry to train as a chef.

How many episodes of Bones aired in total?

Bones aired 246 episodes; the 200th, 'The 200th in the 10th', was a 1950s Hitchcock-style homage directed by David Boreanaz.

In what year did the Bones series finale air?

The final episode aired on March 28, 2017, closing out a 12-season run.

Which real museum's relationship with the FBI inspired the Jeffersonian Institute?

The Smithsonian Institution is the model: its forensic anthropologists, such as Douglas Ubelaker, consulted for the FBI for decades, a partnership the fictional Jeffersonian mirrors.

After whom is Booth and Brennan's daughter Christine named?

Christine is named for Temperance's late mother, Christine Brennan, whose remains Brennan identified in the season-one finale 'The Woman in Limbo'.

After whom is Hank, Brennan's son born in season 11, named?

Hank is named for Booth's paternal grandfather, Hank Booth, the man who raised Seeley and Jared after their abusive, alcoholic father left.

In which branch of the military does Booth's younger brother Jared serve?

Jared later sacrifices his Navy career using military contacts to help rescue Seeley from the Gravedigger.

Which sport does Booth play on a team alongside intern Wendell Bray?

It was during a hockey game that Wendell broke his arm, leading to his cancer diagnosis.

What do Angela and Hodgins name their son, born in season six?

The second middle name Vincent honours murdered intern Vincent Nigel-Murray.

Where did Zack spend a stint identifying bodies between seasons two and three?

Zack went to Iraq after season two to help identify the dead and was back by the season-three premiere, having struggled to fit in with the military.

In which US state did Zack Addy grow up?

Zack grew up in Michigan as the youngest of a big family, with three brothers and four sisters.

Who is revealed as the real Puppeteer killer in season 12?

Roshan intended to poison Zack, but Booth arrived in time and shot him.

Which product do Hodgins and intern Finn Abernathy sell together?

They sell a hot sauce after Hodgins reverse-engineers the recipe of Finn's late grandmother from her last remaining bottle; it becomes a modest business in season eight.

How is Hodgins injured in season 11, leaving him paralysed from the waist down?

A bomb attack at a crime scene in 'The Doom in the Boom' leaves Hodgins paralysed from the waist down; by the series finale he is named temporary head of the lab.

Which nickname does Finn Abernathy give the wealthy Hodgins?

Finn calls the wealthy Hodgins 'Thurston', after Gilligan's Island millionaire Thurston Howell III; Hodgins answers by calling the Southern intern 'Opie'.

Why does Arastoo Vaziri initially fake an Iranian accent?

He later admits the accent is fake and goes on to marry Cam in season 12.

Which intern is hired as the new forensic anthropologist while Brennan is on the run?

After Brennan's return, Cam keeps Clark on to focus on archaeological work.

What is the real name of Brennan's brother, known on the show as Russ?

Russ was born Kyle Keenan; the family took the name Brennan when parents Max and Ruth Keenan fled their bank-robbing past, Max becoming 'Matthew Brennan'.

Which FBI agent dates Brennan in season two, then sails off alone when she stays?

Tim 'Sully' Sullivan, played by Eddie McClintock, dates Brennan in season two and invites her to sail the Caribbean for a year; she declines and he leaves alone.

How does Max Keenan die in season 12?

Booth had arrested Max on murder charges in season two; a jury acquitted him in season three.

Executive producer Barry Josephson had bought the rights to make what about Kathy Reichs?

Josephson had acquired the rights to a documentary about Kathy Reichs's forensic work; that project was reworked into the fictional drama when Hart Hanson came aboard.

Which studio executive suggested David Boreanaz for the role of Booth?

Dana Walden, then a 20th Century Fox Television chief, suggested Boreanaz for Booth; he became the first actor cast on the show.

Which actor from The Practice played the older-than-usual intern Scott Starret?

Michael Badalucco, Jimmy Berluti on The Practice, played Scott Starret, the lab's middle-aged grad-student intern, in a handful of later episodes.

Which FBI agent temporarily substitutes for an incapacitated Booth in season four?

Payton Perotta, played by Marisa Coughlan, fills in on cases in season four, including when Booth is laid up with a back injury in 'The Princess and the Pear'.

Which Fox mega-hit gave Bones a strong lead-in during its early seasons?

Fox renewed Bones after it performed well both with and without Idol's audience.

On which cable network did off-network syndication of Bones begin in 2008?

TNT began airing Bones reruns the week of January 28, 2008, the show's first off-network syndication deal.

How many episodes did Fox order for The Finder's only season?

The spin-off was picked up May 10, 2011 and cancelled May 9, 2012.

Who wrote the Bones tie-in novel Buried Deep?

Max Allan Collins, the crime novelist behind Road to Perdition, wrote the 2006 tie-in Buried Deep, which sends Booth and Brennan to Chicago.

In which Sleepy Hollow episode does the Bones crossover conclude?

'Dead Men Tell No Tales', a Sleepy Hollow season-three episode, concluded the crossover begun in Bones's 'The Resurrection in the Remains', with Booth and Brennan visiting Sleepy Hollow.

In which series does the title character binge all 12 seasons of Bones in a week?

In Lucifer, the devil binge-watches all of Bones in a week and stays obsessed; his daughter Rory later mentions a future spin-off called More Bones.

How much was Fox ordered to pay the Bones producers and stars over 'Hollywood accounting'?

An arbitrator ordered Fox in 2019 to pay $179 million, including $128 million in punitive damages, to the Bones stars and producers for underpaying profits; a judge later struck the punitive portion.

Which rapper played Sid Shapiro, owner of Wong Fu's, in season one?

Rapper Heavy D played Sid Shapiro, the Wong Fu's owner who picks his customers' meals for them, in season one; the restaurant was the team's hangout before the diner took over.

Which actress played Rebecca Stinson, Booth's ex and Parker's mother?

Capshaw is best known as Arizona Robbins on Grey's Anatomy.

To what rank does Booth return to the Army in the season five finale?

Booth rejoins the Army as a Sergeant Major for a year training soldiers in Afghanistan, while Brennan leaves for a dig in the Maluku Islands.

Who plays Booth's grandfather Hank in seasons five, seven and nine?

Waite is best remembered as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons.

Who played rookie FBI agent Olivia Sparling?

Danielle Panabaker played rookie agent Olivia Sparling in two episodes; she later starred as Caitlin Snow on The Flash.

Who took over as showrunner when Hart Hanson stepped down for season ten?

Peterson and Jonathan Collier ran the show for season 11 after Nathan stepped down.

Which Sleepy Hollow stars guest-appeared in the Bones crossover episode?

Tom Mison (Ichabod Crane) and Nicole Beharie (Abbie Mills) appeared in Bones's half of the crossover, which aired on October 29, 2015.

Which veteran actors guest-starred in the third episode of the final season?

Ed Asner and Hal Holbrook played old friends at a retirement home in season 12's 'The New Tricks in the Old Dogs'; Betty White returned as Dr. Beth Mayer later that season.

Where had Brennan spent two months before the pilot's opening airport scene?

Brennan returns from two months in Guatemala identifying massacre victims; airport security detains her over the human skull in her bag until Booth intervenes.

Who directed the Bones pilot?

Greg Yaitanes directed the pilot from Hart Hanson's script; Yaitanes later won an Emmy for directing the House episode 'House's Head'.

Who turns out to have murdered Senate intern Cleo Eller in the pilot?

Thompson feared the scandal of Cleo's pregnancy would derail his career.

What did Kathy Reichs's debut Déjà Dead win in 1997?

Déjà Dead won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel from the Crime Writers of Canada; it launched Reichs's Temperance Brennan series.

At which high-profile murder trial was Kathy Reichs retained as an expert witness?

Kathy Reichs was an expert witness for Casey Anthony's defense, examining Caylee Anthony's skeletal remains but unable to determine a cause of death.

Emily Deschanel played a receptionist in which 2004 superhero film?

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer later recommended she audition for Bones after Glory Road.

Emily Deschanel's husband David Hornsby writes for and acts on which sitcom?

David Hornsby plays Rickety Cricket on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and writes and produces for the show; he and Deschanel married in 2010.

In which US city was David Boreanaz born?

Boreanaz was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1969; his father, weatherman Dave Roberts, later moved the family to Philadelphia, where David grew up.

On which sitcom did David Boreanaz land his first paid acting job in 1993?

On Married... with Children in 1993, Boreanaz played Kelly Bundy's unfaithful biker boyfriend, who ends up pummelled by Al; it was his first paid acting job.

How was Boreanaz reportedly discovered for Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

The neighbour suggested him to writer Marti Noxon.

Which video game character did David Boreanaz voice in Kingdom Hearts?

Boreanaz voiced Leon, the Final Fantasy VIII hero Squall under his Kingdom Hearts alias, in the 2002 original; Doug Erholtz took over the role in Kingdom Hearts II.

Which military drama did Boreanaz star in after Bones ended?

In SEAL Team, Boreanaz played Master Chief Jason Hayes, leader of Bravo Team, from 2017 to 2024, first on CBS and then on Paramount+.

Michaela Conlin was born in which Pennsylvania city?

Conlin was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to a Chinese mother and an Irish-American father, and trained at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Angela's middle names, Pearly Gates, are also the name of what?

Pearly Gates is the name of Billy Gibbons's famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul; Gibbons plays Angela's father, so the show gave her the guitar's name as middle names.

Which Canadian city is Tamara Taylor from?

Tamara Taylor was born and raised in Toronto, to a Barbadian father and a Scottish mother, before moving to Los Angeles to act.

Hart Hanson originally planned to kill off Cam by having whom poison her?

In 'The Man in the Cell' serial killer Howard Epps poisons Cam, and Hanson's original plan had her die; the warm fan response instead led to Tamara Taylor becoming a series regular.

In which Joss Whedon film did Tamara Taylor appear before joining Bones?

Taylor played the schoolteacher in the opening scene of Serenity (2005), Whedon's Firefly film; Boreanaz had worked with Whedon on Buffy and Angel.

John Boyd, who plays Aubrey, played which character in season eight of 24?

Boyd played CTU analyst Arlo Glass in 24's eighth season (2010); he later played Special Agent Stuart Scola on CBS's FBI.

Which actor plays FBI Assistant Director Andrew Hacker, Booth's boss?

Diedrich Bader, Oswald on The Drew Carey Show, played Assistant Director Andrew Hacker, Booth's boss, who briefly dated Brennan in season five.

Where did Eric Millegan earn his BFA in musical theater?

Millegan earned a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Michigan after growing up in Springfield, Oregon.

On which sci-fi series was Hart Hanson a writer in the late 1990s?

Hanson wrote and produced for Stargate SG-1 in its early seasons, and also worked on The Outer Limits, Judging Amy and Joan of Arcadia before creating Bones.

What is the title of Hart Hanson's 2017 debut crime novel?

The Driver (2017) was Hanson's first novel, following Los Angeles limo driver Michael Skellig, an Army Special Forces veteran, who takes on a case for a client.

How does The Finder's Walter Sherman explain his knack for finding anything?

Walter credits a brain injury from an Iraq roadside bomb that he alone survived; the blast left him paranoid, quirky and uncannily able to find anything.

What is the name of Leo Knox's bar in The Finder?

Leo Knox's bar is The Ends of the Earth, on the fictional Florida Keys island of Looking Glass Key, the series' home base.

After whom did Booth name his son from an earlier relationship?

Booth blames himself for Corporal Edward Parker's death on a sniper mission.

On Bones, FBI agent Seeley Booth developed which addiction as a coping mechanism after leaving the military?

Gambling was Booth's vice, and he relapses in season 10 while undercover in an underground gaming ring.

Which NHL team does Booth follow devotedly?

Booth is a devoted Philadelphia Flyers fan, like Boreanaz himself, who grew up in Philadelphia rooting for the Flyers and Eagles.

How old was Sweets when he first appeared, already holding two doctorates?

Sweets was 22 when introduced in season three, already holding two doctorates; Booth and Brennan constantly needled him about his youth.

In which episode did Sweets first appear as a guest star?

Sweets debuted as a guest star in 'The Secret in the Soil', the third episode of season three, as the FBI therapist assigned to Booth and Brennan.

Kathy Reichs, whose work inspired Bones, is professor emerita at which university?

Reichs is professor emerita of anthropology at UNC Charlotte; she earned her PhD at Northwestern in 1975 and has consulted for North Carolina's chief medical examiner.

With whom did Kathy Reichs co-write the Virals young-adult novels about Tempe's great-niece Tory?

Reichs co-wrote the Virals series with her son Brendan Reichs; the books follow Tory Brennan, her friends and the wolfdog Cooper on Morris Island near Charleston.

In Reichs's novels, Brennan works at a forensic lab in which Canadian city?

In the novels Brennan splits her time between a provincial forensic lab in Montreal and Charlotte, North Carolina; her cat is named Birdie.

Which 2011 comedy was the first script John Francis Daley (Sweets) co-wrote with Jonathan Goldstein?

Horrible Bosses (2011) was the first produced screenplay from Daley and Jonathan Goldstein; the pair later made their directing debut with Vacation (2015) and went on to Game Night.