The Early Serial Killer Storylines In Bones Were More Of A Demand Than A Choice

"Bones" episodes usually followed a fairly simple plot: A body was found and it was up to Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), and FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to find out what happened. This was how "Bones" worked, with each episode offering up its own mini mystery that was usually solved by the end of the installment. Except, quite often, the show would introduce viewers to a serial killer, prompting multi-episode storylines which could often be tricky for an episodic series.

Throughout the show's run, we were introduced to The Ghost Killer, The Gravedigger, and The Hacktivist, who was responsible for serving Bones and Booth with a fresh body that went a little too far even for the show's producer. There was also season 3's cannibal killer The Gormogon, whose storyline Boreanaz once called, in about as candid a way as possible, "just bad television." But the very first of the "Bones" serial killers was Howard Epps (Heath Freeman), otherwise known as The Manipulator.

Debuting in the season 1 episode, "A Man on Death Row," Epps was the titular inmate destined for the death penalty, having been convicted for the murder of a young woman named April Wright. He and his lawyer enlist Bones and Booth to try to help clear his name, only for the duo to discover that Epps was not only guilty of the crime, but of several others, making him the series' first major serial killer. As it turns out, Epps' plan all along was to be tried for the other murders so as to extend his life. This plan also had the effect of extending his air time, though it seems the series' writers weren't all that thrilled about it.

Howard Epps' season 1 scheme to extend his life allowed his character to return in two season 2 episodes, "The Blonde in the Game," in which it's revealed Epps has an accomplice he's been directing from prison, and "The Man in the Cell," in which he escapes from prison and becomes obsessed with Bones. Ultimately, Epps would be killed off in season 2 after jumping off a balcony. Though Agent Seeley Booth attempts to save the serial killer, he ultimately fails to hold onto his arm for long enough and Epps falls to his death. That, it seems, was somewhat of a relief for the writers.

Show creator Hart Hanson has previously spoken about the difficulty of folding longer storylines into his episodic investigative drama, telling TV Tango:

"It's a nightmare, because at our essence we are an episodic show. We're a network, 22-episodes-a-year, episodic show where we solve crime each week. When we go to more serialized stuff, it's always more difficult. You're juggling that. If it's working for you, then we're incredibly delighted. All I can tell you is that it's a lot of discussion and a lot of input, not only from the writers on the show, but from the network and studio, as to how to balance all these things."

But "Bones" is known for its serial killers, right? Star Emily Deschanel was even terrified by one particular killer during the course of filming. So why did Hanson and his team keep shoehorning them into their show if it was such a hassle? The simple answer: The network told them to.

In the book "Bones: The Official Companion," author Paul Ruditis spoke to Hart Hanson about Howard Epps, the show's very first serial killer. As the show creator told Ruditis, "The network and studio have certain demands. They say, 'Do a serial killer story' — but I don't like serial killers. They've been very successful for us because we do them, but we do them in our way."

Hanson was eager not to let serial killers overwhelm the narrative and other characters in each episode, which is understandable. But it's not like other episodic shows haven't managed to pull off a similar trick. Just look at "House," which focused on a different medical mystery every episode but still managed to provide plenty of recurring antagonists for that show's titular doctor to face off against throughout its run.

Still, as David Boreanaz expressed with his comments about the Gormogon storyline, the serial killers didn't necessarily make for the best episodes of "Bones." Of course, with 246 episodes over 12 seasons, the show was always going to have a few duds anyway.