The 4 Bones Episodes David Boreanaz Swears Define the Whole Series — You Won’t Believe His Picks

Bones is a well-loved TV show with legions of fans, but the stars, David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, have just as many opinions about the best episodes of the series as everyone else. Bones ran for 12 seasons with continued success for many reasons, as it balanced adhering to the formulas of the procedural genre with some fun twists and iconic characters. Boreanaz plays the emotion-driven FBI agent Seeley Booth, with Deschanel joining him as his unlikely new partner, the logical forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan. It’s this dynamic that keeps us invested in Bones.

The chemistry between the two characters is obvious from the beginning, with Booth’s playful nickname for Brennan, “Bones,” becoming an iconic part of the series. In a conversation with TV Insider, both Boreanaz and Deschanel discussed their favorite episodes and moments throughout the series’ 12 seasons. While it’s easy to point to installments that focus on the budding romance between Booth and Brennan, Bones also excels at putting the characters in unusual situations and paying homage to classic films and TV shows of history. These special episodes provide exciting breaks in the tension, as the series can get serious.

David Boreanaz has talked about a Bones revival, with Deschanel also expressing interest in returning to the story. However, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Booth and Brennan return to our screens anytime soon. However, this creates the perfect opportunity for audiences to continue revisiting the many episodes that made Bones such a hit. Boreanaz clearly appreciates both the trope-y special episodes as well as the plot-heavy, dramatic installments with equal measure. We can’t help agreeing with his picks for some of the best Bones episodes that hit screens from 2005 to 2017, changing the crime procedural forever.

Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1

From the pilot episode, it’s clear that Bones is gearing up to be an influential procedural TV show, as the series wastes no time introducing its most important characters and giving the audience a sense of the plot’s structure. Pilots are notoriously difficult, as they have to deliver enormous amounts of exposition in a short amount of time while maintaining the audience’s attention. However, the Bones pilot moves at a brisk pace, throwing us right into the action and ensuring that we understand the series’ critical relationship dynamic: Booth and Brennan’s.