Recent years have seen several long-running procedurals score a new life either on streaming or their original networks. The likes of the original “CSI,” “Law and Order,” and “Criminal Minds” have all scored revivals.
Could the same happen to “Bones”? Clocking in at 12 seasons and over 240 episodes, the FOX procedural was a television stalwart from 2005 through to 2017 and one of the network’s more consistent performers.
The series launched to around 8.9 million viewers for its first season before peaking at 11.57 million for its sixth season. It dipped slightly after that in its final three seasons, with the last dropping to just 5.54 million and the show’s cancellation.
According to the show’s creator Hart Hanson, there is hope of a potential revival. He tells Variety:
“We are in contact with each other. Everybody on ‘Bones’ is in contact with each other. At separate times, it’s like, ‘What are you doing? What’s the availability?’
It’s complicated now because Fox broadcasted ‘Bones,’ but Disney now bought 20th, so they own [the show]. It would take a million agents and lawyers to figure out who owns what and what platform it would show on.
But we do keep talking. And every once in a while, we are all nostalgic enough to think, ‘Maybe we should do it again.’ Who knows? Maybe this [the writer’s strike] will bump-start us. I could see it. I could see it. Of course, it all depends on David [Boreanaz] and Emily [Deschanel]. Without both of them, no.”
Executive producer Stephen Nathan added that “everybody is still in contact. It was a great group of people,” talking about the cast and creative team.
“Bones” starred David Boreanaz as FBI Agent Booth and Deschanel as Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan, a forensic anthropologist and to this day remains Fox’s longest-running scripted drama series of all time.
