There’s no bones about it, Fox’s long-running procedural Bones might soon reach the finish line. This week, series lead David Boreanaz spoke out to say that Season 11—which just started airing last night—will probably be the show’s last. It seems that he and the rest of the team are personally ready to give the show a great sendoff. Here’s what the actor had to say:
For me, personally, I think it's time. I think that 11 seasons is great. I mean, one season is great! I don't really count it as seasons but what we've given to the show and what we can do, for me it's great to see the show come to an end and do it the way we want to do it.
David Boreanaz’s comments to E! are sure to be a little bittersweet for fans who have stuck with the show through its lengthy 11 season run, but they aren’t wholly surprising. During Season 10, for instance, the show was down in the ratings and many—including the creative team—though the Season 10 finale might be the show’s last. Bones even wrote a finale that capably wrapped up the storyline for the series just in case it got cancelled, so when it got renewed, the show had to decide to basically reboot the plot in order to get Brennan and Booth back to the Jeffersonian where they belong. It certainly made for an interesting premiere plot.
In addition to the ratings struggles, Bones faced a double challenge when the show needed to re-up the contracts for stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, who were only signed on through Season 10. Obviously, they worked out a deal for Season 11, as the show has already made it’s big return, but there’s been every indication that Bones will not live on after Season 11. Fox boss Dana Walden has been quick to keep her words in the short term when talking about the show, noting earlier this year that the network would be happy to “do another year.” Bones isn’t exactly like the Big Bang Theory, signing 2-3 year contracts at a time at this point.
Whether or not deals could be worked out for a 12th season, Boreanaz confirms that he will absolutely, wholeheartedly be done after Season 11.
For me [the end is] a yes.
Since much of the show revolves around his character Seeley Booth’s relationship with Temperance Brennan, the show wouldn’t really be the same without Booth. I suppose the Fox drama could always pull a Sweets and kill the character off, but since the show kicked off the season with a gimmick surrounding Booth’s death, I can’t imagine seeing him go out at the end of the season in the same way. More likely, this really is the end of Bones. It’s been a good run for the cast and crew, and here’s hoping the show will be able to pull off an ending that sends off the show in a fitting way.
It’s too early for Fox to have made an ultimate call on the fate of Bones, but we’ll let you know whether or not it gets cancelled or renewed.
