Claim: Tamara Taylor acts.

Bones is an American crime procedural drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States from September 13 , 2005 , until March 28 , 2017 , for 246 episodes over twelve seasons . The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology , with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth -LRB- David Boreanaz -RRB- to forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance `` Bones '' Brennan -LRB- Emily Deschanel -RRB- and the personal lives of the characters . The rest of the main cast includes Michaela Conlin , T. J. Thyne , Eric Millegan , Jonathan Adams , Tamara Taylor , John Francis Daley , and John Boyd .   Created by Hart Hanson , the series is very loosely based on the life and writings of novelist and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs , who also produces the show . Its title character , Temperance Brennan , is named after the protagonist of Reichs ' crime novel series . Similarly , Dr. Brennan in the Bones universe writes successful mystery novels featuring a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs . Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment , Far Field Productions and 20th Century Fox Television . The series is the longest-running one-hour drama series produced by 20th Century Fox Television .   On February 25 , 2016 , the series was renewed for a twelfth and final season , consisting of twelve episodes that premiered on January 3 , 2017 . The series finale aired on March 28 , 2017 .