Bones

"Bones" is exactly the kind of show that you binge when you're home sick or the weather is bad outside, or maybe when you're cleaning the house. It's familiar, not too challenging mentally or emotionally, and the leads are really great together. They're the kind of people you don't mind having in your house, lol.

Are the cases mindblowing? No, but that's not what I want from network TV or procedurals. I want things I can watch and enjoy without hurting my head and that I can at least figure out every now and then before the show tells me. On this front, "Bones" is really top notch.

David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel start well with better than two-dimensional characters in a fresh look at a CSI type show. Based on the real-life work of forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs, it's fun, kicky, and only occasionally too gruesome to look at. Not quite like one of Ms. Reichs' novels, it is still a pleasure for a fan (me!) to watch. Boreanaz' past work on Buffy and Angel stands in good stead here as he delivers lines that stand up to a strong female role without diminishing it. Also like Buffy, humor lends grace to embarrassing social situations that highlight common human vulnerabilities. Surrounding the 2 major players are other characters who add to the thrust of a character driven show. The writers do good work giving each character unique attributes that have nothing to do with hair color or body measurements. The entire cast does a good job presenting real, quirky individuals who don't have to rely on looks to sell the worth of their character to the viewers. That alone is something new for any CSI show. Still some rough edges in writing and delivery (Tempe's "I wish this was the worst I have seen" was painful for all the wrong reasons),"Bones" has great potential.

I found the first 15 minutes or so to be a little "trite". The characters didn't seem to fit comfortably in their skin. But by the end of the pilot I was very much interested, especially in the forensics aspect. I have a friend who is an anthropologist and I'm going to get her opinion about the Dr. Brennan character.

The series has a lot of potential and I especially like that unlike X Files, these characters are dealing with "real life" events rather than other worldly events.

I think the lead actors are good together and am looking forward to the building of their chemistry together. Whether as working partners or romantics, I don't care, I just want there to be a degree of tension between them that will keep things interesting.

The dialogue is sharp, the acting is spot on; the characters are fun and well defined and each episode is worth watching. I mean nobody cheats! Emily Deshawhatever doesn't make her character more "appealing" (more "cute")- thus, making her more appealing!; her being so out of touch with the modern world is so well acted it's believable; and her best friend is hot because she's a perfect foil being so IN the modern world. I'm conflating all of these ideas because i want to cram in every reason why this is one of the 5 best shows on T.V. It is funny and smart and charming and if it is cancelled for some dumb ass executive reason I swear to God I will boycott...uh...whatever network it's on. Fox? Crap. Cause it's got one of the other 5: The Shield. But I will. This is a great show.

I didn't expect to like it as much as I liked it. In fact, it's a sure sign of cancellation how much I like this show. I never like crime shows. My mom loves them, but I find them dull, because they're about plots not characters. This is a crime show about characters (not as good as "The Closer" -- the crime show I adored this summer -- mind you), and I enjoyed it. At times, it seemed far-fetched, and the whole Senator plot-point in the pilot seemed awful easy, but the dialogue worked, the characters intrigue me, and the chemistry is great. I expect good things from it.

Alison