Brennan's Real Life Counterpart Had A Sneaky Cameo In Bones Season 2

"Bones" seems like the kind of police procedural dreamt up by a network desperate to win the ratings war: A couple of attractive leads clash over their opposing views of the world, with the logical, scientifically-minded Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) frequently at odds with the more spiritually-inclined FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). But the show wasn't just engineered to appeal to audiences in the early 2000s. It's actually based on real-life anthropologist Katherine Joan Reichs.

Reichs was the author of 23 novels in the "Temperance Brennan" series, which is often thought to have inspired "Bones." But Dr. Reichs herself was actually the primary inspiration for the show, which ran on the FOX network for 12 seasons between 2005 and 2017. Show creator Hart Hanson confirmed that he was influenced by the real-life forensic anthropologist when conceptualizing "Bones," and has since incorporated specific incidents from her life into the show. A scene from the "Bones" pilot was taken straight from Reichs' real-life experience, and the doctor herself served as producer throughout the series' run, even penning a few episodes herself.

It makes sense, then, that Hanson gave Reichs her own cameo — though it was so subtle that fans of the series may have missed it.

In "Bones" season 2, Dr. Kathy Reichs shows up in the episode "Judas on a Pole" as, you guessed it, a doctor. More specifically, she played Professor Constance Wright, who sits on the board that reviews Zack Addy (Eric Millegan)'s Ph.D thesis. Prior to gaining his doctorate in forensic anthropology, Addy was Temperance Brennan's assistant, but would find himself face-to-face with his boss and her real-life inspiration during the board meeting (Zack Addy eventually left the show after season 3 and returned sporadically throughout). Reichs even gets a couple of lines in her brief appearance, before Agent Booth steals away Dr. Brennan and the scene wraps up.

In the book, "Bones: The Official Companion," Reichs spoke about her appearance, saying, "I had a great time. I told Hart Hanson that he may have created a monster because I really did have a good time." 

Alas, this turned out to be Reichs' one and only cameo on the show throughout its 12-season run, but it certainly wasn't the last contribution she made to the show overall. Aside from serving as producer, she wrote the season 5 episode "The Witch in the Wardrobe," the season 9 episode "The Dude in the Dam," and along with her daughter, Kerry Reichs, penned the season 10 episode "The Woman in the Whirlpool," and the season 11 episode, "The Stiff in the Cliff."