The Big Picture
Following its debut in the fall of 2005, Fox’s procedural crime series Bones quickly grew into one of the network’s most beloved broadcast crime shows. While there are comparisons to be made between Bones and other long-running procedural shows such as NCIS or Law & Order: SVU, Hart Hanson’s adaptation of Kathy Reichs’ source material felt like a breath of fresh air. Rather than exclusively entirely on investigations, court cases, and serial killers (of which the show had many), Bones explored the working (and eventual romantic) relationship between the FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and the idiosyncratic forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), also known as “Bones.” Bones ran for a terrific 12 seasons, and it’s due to the endearing performances from Boreanaz, Deschanel, and the rest of the cast that the series became so successful. The charisma of the series’ characters was evident when Hanson attempted to launch an unrelated spinoff that dropped dead like one of Bones’ dead corpses.
What Was ‘The Finder?’
Bones had a somewhat rocky start due to a critically unsuccessful pilot and the early exit of the fan favorite character Zack Addy (Eric Millegan), but the show eventually found its footing by its sixth season. Bones had developed a strong recurring cast to work alongside Deschanel and Boreanaz, each of whom played a different role in solving crimes. This ensemble included Michaela Conlin as the crime scene artist Angela Montenegro, T.J. Thyne as the quirky entomologist Dr. Jack Hodgins, Tamara Taylor as the forensic pathologist Camille Saroyan, and John Francis Daley as the fan favorite forensic psychologist Dr. Lance Sweets. The ensemble had been constantly shifting due to a revolving series of leads within the first few seasons, but by its midway point, Bones established a cast that could consistently work together.
The series was at the peak of its dramatic storytelling, as it had yet to “jump the shark” with more unbelievable storylines. The romantic relationships between Bones and Brennan, and Hodgins and Angela, respectively, still felt fresh, and Sweets provided the sense-of-humor that the series had previously relied on Zack for. Given the show’s popularity and strong ratings, it made sense that Hanson would grow interested in developing a spinoff series that could feature guest appearances from some of Bones’ cast members. Bones was successful, and had the potential to launch a connected universe similar to the NCIS or Chicago franchises.
The sixth season of Bones featured an odd backdoor pilot episode titled “The Finder.” Rather than opening with the typical procedural crime scene analysis that the series was known for, this episode of Bones featured Booth and Bones calling on the assistance of the retired Major Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults) of the U.S. Army. Booth and Sherman have a checkered history together, but the FBI needed the retired Major’s help in solving a crime that seemed to have no logical conclusion. Although Booth and Brennan relied on their practical knowledge of science and the law to identify victims and catch criminals, Sherman’s extraordinary analytical skills felt borderline supernatural; he was clearly meant to embody the sort of “genius” characters that had been popular through shows like House and Lie To Me.
In addition to setting up Sherman and his abilities, “The Finder” episode also introduced the Major’s allies, the Deputy Marshall Ike Latulippe (Saffron Burrows) and the former lawyer Leo Knox (Michael Clarke Duncan). While Booth and Sherman part ways on good terms at the end of the episode, “The Finder” teased that neither of their stories were over. Bones and Brennan seemed to keep moving forward in Bones as if nothing significant had happened as Hanson launched The Finder as its own spinoff in early 2012.
Why Did ‘The Finder’ Fail?
Unfortunately, The Finder had a hard time reaching fans of Bones, and ended almost before it could take shape. The show was met with significant barriers from its inception; after originally being slated for Thursday night airings, the series was moved to Friday nights and aired out of order. The first season contained only thirteen episodes, but enthusiasm was lacking, and Fox decided not to renew the series. Comparatively, Bones continued to have great success as it aired six more seasons before concluding in excellent fashion in 2017.
The Finder may not have had the time to develop its own identity outside the Bones universe, but in retrospect, several mistakes were made in its debut. Bones was marketed and clearly designed to be a more realistic take on crime scene investigations, and used Reichs’ source material to justify its more scientific approach. Comparatively, The Finder drew inspiration from the completely unrelated novels The Knowland Retribution and The Lacey Confession by Richard Greener; these novels utilized fantastical elements that felt closer to the work of Stephen King. Inserting these genre themes with Bones felt awkward, as the two shows didn’t seem to be catering to a similar audience.
It didn’t help that “The Finder” episode had positioned Sherman to be as unlikeable as possible. Although Booth is certainly a flawed character, “The Finder” revealed that Sherman had embarrassed the hardworking FBI agent in front of his family, creating a lasting tension between them. While it made sense for the series to tie in The Finder universe to characters from Bones, fans of the original series were unlikely to have any interest in a show about one of Booth’s biggest rivals. The tonality within the two shows was completely different as well; while Bones had its fair share of comic relief (mostly due to banter between the characters), The Finder featured eccentric action sequences that corresponded to pop songs and generally featured more jovial humor.
If Bones felt like a unique take on the crime procedural genre, The Finder felt all too similar to premises that had been done better by other networks. Fox learned their lesson about attempting to use Bones as a vehicle to launch spinoffs and focused its efforts on maintaining the core series’ quality as it moved forward. The closest Bones ever got to a “connected universe” was a short-lived crossover with Supernatural that aired in 2020, but the brief “event episode” was nothing more than a fun connection to a show that had a similar fanbase.
