Katheryn Winnick's Role In Bones Came With A Warning
Even though "Bones" has been off the air since 2017, the show maintains a loyal following. Audiences followed Emily Deschanel's Brennan and David Boreanaz's Booth for 12 seasons and nearly 250 episodes as they solved crimes while falling in love. That relationship was at the very center of the show from the pilot onward. That being the case, fans of the show had a tendency to not like it when the Brennan/Booth romance was messed with. That's why Katheryn Winnick was given a warning before she accepted her role as Hannah.
Winnick, who would go on to star in shows such as "Vikings" and "Big Sky," stepped into the series relatively late in the game. Her character Hannah Burley was a major player in "Bones" season 6, and one that fans had strong opinions about. She had a fling with Booth in Afghanistan and, in the show's sixth season, she made her way into his life once more. In a 2011 interview with TV Guide, series creator Hart Hanson explained that he warned Winnick that the fans would probably not take kindly to her before she signed on:
"The fans hated her. Hated her, and she's a lovely character and a lovely actress. Now, they have come to love her, but if you put anyone between Booth and Brennan, you are going to pay the price. I warned Katheryn when she came on, 'Please hang in there, because they do come around.'"
From a creative point of view, Hanson explained at the time that Booth had to move on from Brennan. He had been turned down by her twice and, in Hanson's eyes, to not move on and find someone new would be "pitiful." That's where Hannah came in.
Katheryn Winnick knew what she was getting into on Bones
Winnick wasn't a newbie by any means by the time she signed on for "Bones." Her career included roles in everything from "Hellraiser: Hellworld" to guest spots on shows like "House." Not only did this certainly present a unique creative challenge, but the actor explained in a 2010 interview her side of that meeting with the show's producers, in which they alerted her to how controversial Hannah was going to be:
"I had a meeting with the producers, and they told me that this is going to be a very controversial role, and to be aware because the fans, they definitely want the two of them, Brennan and Booth together, so I know I'm going to be in some hot water."
Hannah appeared in a total of seven episodes, with her last appearance taking place in "The Daredevil in the Mold" a little over halfway through the sixth season. "Bones" then carried on, avoiding cancellation for another six seasons until it went off the air in 2017. In the grand scheme of things, Hannah was a relatively minor character in the show's history, but a memorable one at that.
"Bones" is currently streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.