Between bad ratings, numerous lawsuits and an overall decline in quality, Bones has been dealing with some problems this season. Fox even decided that the show wouldn’t make an appearance in the winter schedule and is instead holding the latter half of the season until—presumably—spring. Now, the show may have yet another problem, as Bones showrunner Jonathan Collier and former showrunner Stephen Nathan are writing a new medical procedural called Zoobiquity. If it moves forward, Bones would be out another showrunner.
While procedurals are somewhat on the way out, medical dramas are still all the rage, with Chicago Med, Code Black and more hitting the schedule this TV season. If it ends up moving forward, Zoobiquity would follow a female cardiologist who is trying to get results. When she meets a veterinarian who prefers other mammals to humanity itself, the two don’t seem like a great team. However, team up is exactly what the two will do in order to save people using “cross-species medicine,” according to TV Line. And yes, this is based on the book of the same name.
The good news? Zoobiquity is being set up at Fox, so should the network move forward with the project, the channel already knows that Bones would be down a showrunner. This doesn’t spell death, exactly, as currently Bones does have two showrunners: Jonathan Collier and Michael Peterson. Still, it’s one more problem to add to the Bones pile.
The prevailing theory is that Bones is probably over and done with. Currently, Twentieth Century Fox is embroiled in lawsuits alleging that the company kept profits from various people involved with the series, including executive producer Barry Josephson, the writer of the books Bones is based on and series leads Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. Even if the lawsuits were simply a minor annoyance, the contracts for the leads are up at the end of this year, and Boreanaz has already stated that he believes the show will be ending after this season. Taking that all into consideration and then lumping it in with Bones’ poor performance on Thursday nights this fall and things are not looking good. Still, Fox is not ready to say the show is over right now.
In fact, Fox CEP Dana Walden has said the network hasn’t made a decision regarding the series, yet. However, as we continue to move forward in the TV season, decisions will have to be made. The network is expected to make an announcement soon, hopefully before any decisions about whether or not Zoobiquity is moving forward will be made.
We'll keep you posted as the networks begin to make decisions about what will be in and what will be out next season. For now, here's what all the channels have coming up at midseason.
