Summary

One in a series of seminars presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 29th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This seminar honors "Bones," the drama series loosely based on the life of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs about the crime-solving prowess of forensic anthropologist Temperance "Bones" Brennan and FBI agent Seeley Booth.

Host Betsy Scolnik (vice president, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before introducing moderator Michael Ausiello (writer, TVLine.com). Ausiello then brings showrunner Stephen Nathan to the stage. Nathan introduces the episode "The Prisoner in the Pipe," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 107424.)

After the screening, Ausiello introduces the panelists: Nathan; executive producer/creator Hart Hanson; and cast members John Francis Daley (Dr. Lance Sweets), T.J. Thyne (Dr. Jack Hodgins), Michaela Conlin (Angela Montenegro), David Boreanaz (Special Agent Seeley Booth), and Emily Deschanel (Dr. Temperance 'Bones' Brennan).

The panelists touch on such topics as: the recent birth of Deschanel's son; whether her onscreen birthing scene was similar to her real-life experience; the challenges of acting with a baby; the "imperfect relationship" between Bones and Booth; the characters' upcoming difficulties balancing their job and new parenthood; the decision to write Deschanel's real-life pregnancy into the plot; the show's success and high hopes for a ninth season; the seemingly-nice "boy-next-door" villain of Christopher Pellant (Andrew Leeds); Boreanaz's habit of tweeting spoilers; four "bonus episodes" that exist in an "independent universe" from the rest of the season and that will air after the cliffhanger thirteenth episode; speculation about a Bones/Booth marriage by the end of the season; Boreanaz's fondness for "Hogan's Heroes"; the significance of the number 447, as noted by eagle-eyed fans; the cast's constant awareness of one another's moods; Boreanaz's disinterest in a reunion show or movie after the series' conclusion; and plans to show more of the characters' extended relatives.

Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Nathan and Hanson's focus on the personal aspect of episodes to complement the other writers' work on the crime/scientific aspects; Daley's screenwriting ventures; whether Deschanel's sister Zooey will make another appearance, and Emily's possible appearance on Zooey's show "New Girl"; the actors' other favorite shows, including Daley's love for "The Wire"; details about the spinoff show "The Finder," starring Geoff Stults; the move to a Monday timeslot alongside "House"; the challenges of memorizing the complex dialogue; the legalities preventing the writers from reading fan ideas and fiction; Deschanel's talent for spotting inaccuracies in the scripts; Thyne's skills at memorizing and pronouncing challenging scientific terms; the possible return of Bones' father Max (Ryan O'Neal) and brother Russ (Loren Dean); and the writers' penchant for writing to the actors' strengths.