The Bones Episode That Signaled Success For The Creators
"Bones" is not just a show that has a devoted fan base despite the fact that it ended its run more than seven years ago, it's also a show that had a longer run than most shows that have ever made it to air. Spanning 12 seasons and more than 240 episodes, few series in the history of television can ever say they enjoyed such a fruitful run. That said, creator Hart Hanson wasn't always confident that the show was going to go the distance. There was, however, one key moment that led him to believe the show had legs.
In a 2017 interview with TV Insider around the time that the "Bones" series finale was about to air, Hanson spoke about the moment in question. For him, it was the show's fourth episode. Titled "The Man in the Bear," the episode aired in November of 2005 as the series was trying to find its footing. For Hanson, this is when he realized that the show could have a run like "The X-Files" (with a strong emphasis on could):
"I think it was the fourth episode ['The Man in the Bear']. Off they went to a little town in the mountains, together, and [there was an] amount of comedy to tension. To me, I thought this was one of those network shows that could go forever, like 'Magnum, P.I.' or 'X-Files.' [However,] I expected us to not be picked up for the back nine. After we got it, I didn't expect to be picked up for a second season. Later we got picked up for two seasons in a row. That's when we kind of thought, oh, we're now something that could go many years before they decide to cancel it."
Hart Hanson still wasn't confident that Bones would stay on the air
The dynamic between Emily Deschanel's Dr. Brennan and David Boreanaz's Agent Booth largely carried "Bones" for all 12 seasons thanks to the characters they fought hard to create. That and the whole murder of the week thing. That's what helps shows endure for more than just a couple of seasons. Audiences like watching Scully and Mulder in "The X-Files." Viewers loved watching Tom Selleck's Magnum solve the crime of the week in "Magnum P.I." Similarly, they loved Brennan and Booth.
Even with multiple seasons of the show secured, Hanson explained that there remained an ever-present sense that the show might get canceled. Why? Because Fox kept moving "Bones" around on its schedule. This was in the era before next-day streaming, which made it harder for viewers to keep up. Still, fans found "Bones" and, fortunately, Preston Beckman, the head of scheduling at Fox, liked the show. Hanson feels that might be what saved the series in the long run:
"The other thing is, we got moved all over the place. The fact that that didn't kill us [...] by that second and third episode in a new slot, there that audience would be; they found us. I'm not sure if Fox would have realized what a powerful little hit 'Bones' was if they hadn't tried to kill us. [Laughs.] They never really tried to make us a hit [...] but we were a mighty little program you schedule around. That gave us a certain longevity that maybe if we hadn't had the chance to prove that, we would have been canceled as not a bad performer in a protected slot."
"Bones" is currently streaming on Hulu and Prime Video.