The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to the forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel). The rest of the cast includes Michaela Conlin as forensic artist Angela Montenegro, T. J. Thyne as entomologist Dr. Jack Hodgins, Tamara Taylor as pathologist Dr. Camille Saroyan, and John Francis Daley as psychologist Dr. Lance Sweets. Previous cast members include Eric Millegan as Dr. Zack Addy and Jonathan Adams as Dr. Daniel Goodman.
The first season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 13, 2005 and concluded on May 17, 2006 on the Fox Network. The show aired on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET before moving to Wednesdays at 8:00 pm ET in 2006. The season consisted of 22 episodes and averaged 8.9 million viewers.
In the UK, it premiered on January 22, 2006 on Sky1, airing at 10:00 pm on Thursdays.
The second season of the American television series Bones premiered on August 30, 2006 and concluded on May 16, 2007 on the Fox Network. The show aired on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm ET for the entire season and consisted of 21 episodes. The season averaged 9.4 million viewers.
In the UK, it premiered on November 16, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2007 on Sky1, airing Thursdays at 9:00 pm, and averaging 669,762 viewers.
The third season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 25, 2007 and concluded on May 19, 2008 on the Fox Network. The show moved back to its original time slot, airing on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm ET before moving to Mondays at 8:00 pm ET in 2008. The third season was cut short due to 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and only consisted of 15 episodes, including the unaired second season episode "Player Under Pressure." Due to the strike, the show had an extended hiatus after "The Santa in the Slush" aired on November 27, 2007; the show returned on April 14, 2008. The season averaged 8.9 million viewers.
In the UK, the season premiered on November 8, 2007 and concluded on May 29, 2008 on Sky1, airing on Thursdays at 9:00 pm, and averaging 682,067 viewers. The season took a 4-month hiatus due to the Writers Guild of America strike beginning after "The Boy in the Time Capsule" on December 20, 2007, with episodes resuming on April 10, 2008 with "The Knight on the Grid".
The fourth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 3, 2008 with a two-hour episode and concluded on May 14, 2009 on the Fox Network. The show changed time slots again, airing on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm ET before moving to Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET in 2009. The season consisted of 26 episodes and averaged 10.8 million viewers.
In the UK, the season premiered on September 25, 2008 and concluded on May 28, 2009 on Sky1, and averaged 827,000 viewers.
The fifth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 17, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2010, on the Fox Network. The show maintained its previous time slot, airing on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET for the entire season. The season consisted of 22 episodes and averaged 10 million viewers.
The season premiered on September 16, 2009, in Canada on Global, airing a day earlier. It premiered on October 8, 2009, in the UK on Sky1, on October 18, 2009, in Australia on the Seven Network.
The sixth season of the American television series Bones premiered on September 23, 2010, and concluded on May 19, 2011, on the Fox Network.The show maintained its previous time slot, airing on Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET and then moved to Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET in 2011. The season consisted of 23 episodes.
On May 3, 2011, Fox renewed Bones for a seventh season.
