In Bones, Fox Has the Best Ensemble Cast on TV

Bones is a surprising hit, considering the overwhelming number of "forensic science" type shows on television at the moment. One would think, among all the "CSI" clones, yet another show about yet another forensic team would simply be lost in the shuffle. However, Bones defied the odds and has become popular (consistently amid the top 2 or 3 shows among viewers aged 18 to 49 in its 2nd season for its timeslot), due at least in part to its quirky characters and incredible chemistry.

The show's lead characters, Temperance "Tempe" Brennan (the "Bones" of the title) and Seely Booth, have the same kind of chemistry that viewers of the show "Moonlighting" in the '80s will recall, a mix of mutual respect, antagonism, attraction, and exasperation that is expressed, never repressed. Tempe is a dedicated scientist, so dedicated that her interpersonal skills have suffered, and she has nearly zero knowledge of pop culture. On the other hand, Seely is your typical "American boy," familiar with pop culture, at ease among people, and at home with an intuition that Tempe- with her scientific approach to everything- finds at once fascinating and incredibly frustrating. Their larger-than-life personalities drive the show, and they team together to solve the mysteries that are the center of each hour-long episode, but they do not work in a vacuum. Behind them, there is a cast of characters that manages to bring depth and realism to the show.