Bones (TV series)

as Temperance "Bones" Brennan: A brilliant forensic anthropologist, she works at the renowned Jeffersonian Institute located in Washington, D.C. Her birth name was Joy Keenan, which her parents changed after they turned away from a life of crime, and she was educated at Northwestern University. She is an empiricist and a wealthy author of crime fiction drawn from her experiences. She is an atheist and a staunch believer in facts and evidence, to the exclusion of feelings; consequently, she comes off as distant and detached. She has shown empathy and compassion. Her dearth of social skills provides most of the show's lighthearted humor, primarily through her catchphrase, "I don't know what that means," whenever a pop culture reference is introduced into the conversation. She is noted to have a high IQ and impressive reasoning skills. Despite being superficially very different, Booth and she share a deep connection and begin a relationship near the end of season six. In season seven, they have a daughter together, whom they name Christine, in honor of Temperance's late mother. They marry in season nine. Their son, Hank, named after Booth's paternal grandfather, is born in season 11. She is also stepmother to Booth's son from a previous relationship, Parker.

as Seeley Booth: FBI Special Agent Booth seeks out Brennan's professional help in his investigations involving human remains that cannot be identified without her skills. His character is often used as an audience surrogate to provide a layman's translation of the scientific jargon-filled dialogue, especially in the "squints" conversations, or laboratory scenes. He gives Brennan her nickname, "Bones", which she first hates, but comes to accept. He is a skilled investigator and interrogator who often relies on his "gut" and "cop instincts" (a quality unknown to Brennan). He is a decorated veteran of the United States Army Rangers, where he was a sniper. Booth has a son, Parker, from a previous relationship, and a younger brother, Jared, an officer in the U.S. Navy. He has two children with Brennan: a daughter, Christine, and a son, Hank. Raised in the Roman Catholic church, Booth is a devout believer in God and heaven. He frequently debates spiritual issues with Brennan, who regards all religions as primitive superstitions unsupported by empirical evidence. He plays hockey on a team with intern Wendell Bray, with whom he is close. He is purportedly a member of the well-known Booth family, and as such is related to Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth.

as Angela Montenegro: A forensic artist at the Jeffersonian Institute and Brennan's best friend, Montenegro is also her team specialist in forensic facial reconstruction—helping identify the victims. She can also generate holograms using her three-dimensional graphics program (the "Angelator" and later, the "Angelatron") to simulate various scenarios of a crime to help determine the cause of death. She and Brennan are best friends and rarely argue. She is open, friendly, and caring and repeatedly tries to draw Brennan out of the lab. She is often described as a free spirit. Angela's father is played by Billy Gibbons, guitarist of ZZ Top, who guest stars as a fictional version of himself.^[4] In season two, Angela begins a relationship with Jack Hodgins. They try to wed, but Angela discovers she is already married to a man she barely remembers; after her divorce from him is finalized, she and Hodgins break up. During this time, Angela dates intern Wendell Bray, but she marries Hodgins in season five and gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six. Her birth name is Pookie Noodlin, as revealed in the 10th season.

as Dr. Zack Addy (seasons 1–3; guest star, seasons 4–5, 11–12) is introduced in season one as Brennan's graduate student and intern. In season two, he receives his doctorates in forensic anthropology and applied engineering, and joins the staff of the Jeffersonian as a full-fledged professional. Like Brennan, his inability to pick up on Booth, Hodgins, and Montenegro's pop-culture jokes and references is a running gag and a source of humorously awkward moments in the lab, though he has shown he has other "normal" interests such as being a basketball fan and a trained singer. A recurring element in the show involves Addy and Hodgins amicably but resolutely competing to be "King of the Lab". In "The Pain in the Heart", a trophy, presented to him by Saroyan recognizing Zack as "King of the Lab", is revealed. Zack is removed from his position on Brennan's team in the season three finale, "The Pain in the Heart", when he is revealed to be the apprentice of the serial killer Gormogon. He was residing in a psychiatric facility after pleading insanity to avoid a prison term, as Hodgins told him he "would not do well" in the general prison population. At the end of season 11, Zack escapes the facility after he is suspected of being another serial killer called "The Puppeteer". At the beginning of season 12, Zack is exonerated when his doctor is proven to be the killer, instead. Zack confesses his innocence in the Gormogon murders to Booth and Brennan. A major storyline in season 12 is exonerating Zack. In the penultimate episode, "A Day in the Life", Zack is exonerated of murder thanks to Hodgins, with help from Brennan and Caroline Julian at his hearing. However, the judge rules that he must finish out the last 13 months of his sentence for the separate crime of aiding a known killer. Zack remains institutionalized, albeit with a release date just over a year away.

as Jack Hodgins is an entomologist who is also an expert on spores and minerals, but whose hobby is conspiracy theories. Hodgins regularly identifies as the lab's "bug and slime guy". During an investigation, he primarily deals with particulates and trace evidence, and at the crime scene will provide Booth with an approximate time of death. He is best friends with former coworker Zack Addy and often tries to "educate" him on social norms. They often compete for the title of "King of the Lab", referring to whoever has more useful information in the investigation at hand. His family owns the fictional Cantilever Group, and he is extremely wealthy and is a major sponsor of the Jeffersonian. However, Hodgins tries to keep this concealed from his colleagues. It eventually comes out during an investigation, but no one allows his family's wealth to significantly affect their relationship with him. He later loses all his money due to the scheming of serial killer Christopher Pelant, but in time, Hodgins regains a considerable portion of it. He sells a hot sauce he develops in collaboration with intern Finn Abernathy, which becomes immensely popular. Later, he develops an unbreakable beaker and a polymer floor mat. He marries Angela Montenegro in season five. She gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six. In season 11, Hodgins is wounded in a bomb attack and left paralyzed from the waist down. At the end of the series, Hodgins is promoted to temporary head of the Jeffersonian lab while Cam and Arastoo are on leave after their wedding.

as Daniel Goodman (season 1): An archaeologist turned administrator, he is the director of the Jeffersonian Institute. He is a loving husband and father to a pair of five-year-old twin girls. His way of working leads Hodgins to think of him as subjective, long-winded, and lacking the qualities of a pure scientist, although the antagonism between the two develops into a friendly rivalry as the season progresses. He has not made any appearances beyond season one. As of episode 23, "The Titan on the Tracks", he is said to be on sabbatical, and is not seen for the rest of the series.

as Camille Saroyan (seasons 2–12) succeeds Dr. Goodman as the head of the forensic division at Jeffersonian Institute and is a pathologist. She was a coroner in New York City. Cam had a romantic relationship with Booth before she joined the Jeffersonian, and a brief relationship during the show. At first, Brennan and she have an uneasy working relationship, but she grows to be an integral member of the Jeffersonian team and well respected by all of its members, including Brennan. In season four, she adopts 16-year-old Michelle, whose father Cam previously dated and lived with, after Michelle's father is murdered. Later in the series, she becomes romantically involved with intern Arastoo Vaziri. They marry in the series' penultimate episode "The Day in the Life", taking a sabbatical after the final case is concluded.

as Lance Sweets (seasons 3–10) is an FBI psychologist assigned to Booth and Brennan after Booth arrests her father. He is frequently consulted to provide a profile of the suspects and victims involved and to give a more "humanized" perspective on the case. Due to his age, he is initially treated by Booth and the Jeffersonian team in a condescending manner, but eventually earns their respect and their friendship; another FBI psychologist notes to Brennan and Booth that Sweets has imprinted onto them like a duckling, and he briefly lived with them. Throughout the series, he has an on-again/off-again relationship with intern Daisy Wick. He eventually is accepted by Brennan, who notably dismisses psychology as a "soft science", and is often sought out for advice by the team on both professional and personal matters. In the season 10 premiere, Daisy and he are revealed to be expecting a baby. Soon after, he is fatally assaulted while serving a warrant. He dies with Booth and Brennan by his side.

as James Aubrey (seasons 10–12) is a junior FBI agent working under Booth after Sweets's death. Originally, Aubrey tries to win Booth's approval and trust, as Booth is reluctant to work with him due to Aubrey's inexperience and his grief for Sweets. However, he is eventually accepted by Booth and the rest of the team. Aubrey gets along with everyone, and his love of food is often the subject of jokes. When he was a child, his father was an investment broker who cheated his clients and fled the country, abandoning Aubrey and his mother and leaving them with nothing. In season 11, Aubrey's father is found to be back in the country. In season 12, Aubrey is finally approached by his father, who asks him for money. He reveals he has another wife and young son back in the country where he had fled, to persuade Aubrey to give him financial aid. However, Aubrey realizes it is all a lie and eventually turns his father in. Near the end of season 12, Aubrey is offered a promotion to supervisory special agent in Los Angeles. Though Aubrey originally took the Los Angeles job, he instead decides to take a similar position in Washington, D.C., in the series finale.

Buried Deep (also released as "Bones Buried Deep";  978-1-4165-2461-8), written by Max Allan Collins, was published by Pocket Star February 28, 2006. The book is based on the characters in the television series rather than the characters created by Kathy Reichs, who had inspired the concept of Bones. Its plot focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth's investigation into the skeletal remains left on the steps of a federal building and its connection with a Chicago mob family. Angela, Hodgins and Zack only appear on the end of telephone conversations with Brennan.

Bones: The Official Companion ( 978-1-84576-539-2) is written by Paul Ruditis and published by Titan Books, released October 16, 2007. The book includes cast and crew interviews, episode guides and a background detail on real-life forensics.^[66]

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