After a decade as a staple in the Fox lineup, Bones will see it’s final chapter. The network will retire the long-running comedic procedural with a 12th and final season, which will consist of a tight 12-episode run rather than its usual 22. And since there’s no Bones without Bones (or Booth, let’s be real), Fox has closed deals for series leads Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz (whose contracts expired after the 11th season) to return for the farewell episodes.
Showrunners Jonathan Collier and Michael Peterson, who took the reins of the show on Season 11, are also set to return for the final season and they plan to use the certainty of end point to craft the best possible finale for the forensic team fans have come to know and love.
With a 12-episode final season, “we can give the show, characters and fans the end they so richly deserve,” said Collier and Peterson in a joint statement. “Also knowing there is a Season 12, we can now write the most rewarding Season 11 finale possible – one we hope will leave our fans excited for what’s to come in this final season of Bones.”
Series creator Hart Hanson adds, “In times like these, marked by instability and doubt, it’s comforting to know the world can count on at least one dependable beacon of stability. Apparently, that beacon is Bones. It just shows what you can do with an amalgam of genius cast, amazing crew, cunning writers, stalwart studio, sweat, a tough economy, a mercurial network, determination, luck, magic, miracles and the most loyal audience in the world.”
The series' stars (and producers) also threw their encouragement behind the finale plans. Said Boreanaz, “This is for the fans! Thank you to everyone at Fox and, of course, Dana and Gary – for all your support. Thank you to Hart, Stephen, Ian [Toynton], Michael and Jonathan. Also to the crew and cast for their countless support along the way! And I couldn’t have done it without you, Emily!”
“I am thrilled the show will have the ending it deserves for all of our amazing, loyal fans,” added Deschanel.
Bones is currently in the middle of its 11th season, and will return from hiatus with its spring premiere on April 14th. When Bones wraps up its final run, it will bring the show’s episode tally to 246, establishing the show as one of the longest-running series in the network’s history.
