BONES Spin-Off in the Works
October 22, 2010 by Marisa Roffman
Well, this is interesting.
As Deadline TV first reported earlier today, Fox has confirmed to Give Me My Remote that BONES is about to be spun off into a new potential series.
BONES will apparently introduce a new character, named Walter Sherman — aka “the Locator” — in an upcoming episode with the intention of having him headline a brand-spankin’ new show. Word is, BONES mastermind Hart Hanson will be responsible for creating the spin-off.
The actor — who has yet to be cast — playing the character of Walter is scheduled to begin shooting on December 6th and first appear on the series sometime in 2011.
The network pulled a similar move a few years back when they introduced the character of Lucas on HOUSE, with the intention of spinning him off into his own private investigation series, but it never came to pass. It is worth noting that the writers did like Lucas enough to keep him recurring the following season.
So what will this new dude on BONES be like?
Deadline TV describes Walter as “an eccentric, obstreperous and amusing reclusive man in his late 20s-30s with highly sought after abilities to find anything. He is skeptical of every statement and often asks offensive, seemingly irrelevant questions which oddly enough turn out to be extremely relevant. A former military policeman, Walter knows Agent Booth (David Boreanaz) from their time serving in Iraq together, and the two dislike each other very much. Meanwhile, Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) finds him very intriguing. Walter was injured overseas and suffered brain damage which lead to his honorable discharge, as well as his ever present state of paranoia.”
From that description, Walter sounds like a mash-up of FRINGE’s Walter Bishop and BONES’ Brennan, no?
Also interesting that Booth hates him and Brennan finds him intriguing, right? I wonder — and this is just me speculating, so don’t start freaking out — if that conflicting dynamic will lead to romance for Brennan with a guy Booth can’t stand. After all, he is with Hannah for the time being…
Oh, and I wonder if he will be someone connected to Cam’s study on brain damage in vets?
Another tidbit of note: The character of Walter Sherman originated in the book series “The Location” by Richard Greener. BONES is inspired by the life and novels of Kathy Reichs. I’m not familiar with “The Location” book series, but it’ll be interesting to see how those genres mesh together.
At least Hanson has experience with adapting books to television shows — in addition to BONES, he worked on a pilot based on Scott Turow’s book PLEADING GUILTY last season.
Personally, I despise when spin-offs poach fan-favorite characters for the new series, so if the new potential show keeps its grubby hands off our Jeffersonian crew, I will try to give it a chance.
Talk to me people…is this a good idea? Who would you cast to play Walter?
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Yes, keep their grubby mitts off of Tamara Taylor! #bestonelinerdeliveryinthebiz
Damn. I was hoping they were spinning off Hodgins, Cam and Angela. It seems like all people care about in regards to Bones is Booth, Brennan and Sweets, anyway.
*raises an eyebrow* why does every good show need a spin-off? be happy with the success they’ve got! i mean, if once it comes out it looks interesting then i may give it a shot (after all, Hart Hanson is awesome) but i’m not gonna be one of the people going “OMG YES! I’m soooo in!”
also, add a bit of Cal Lightman to that mix. So Walter/Bones/Lightman
Personally, I have no interest in a Bones spin-off, or anything else for that matter, that will take Hart’s mind off of getting our two crime fighters together where they belong. My 2-cents worth anyway.
However, that aside, I don’t like spin-offs where a character is introduced to a show for the sole purpose of creating the spin-off. I don’t think those tend to work as well as spin-offs like Angel, for example, where a strong character exists in his/her own right and the spin-off is the natural next stage of the character’s development.
Okay, that’s probably more my 25-cents worth!
Hmm…as long as they keep their grubby hands off Booth and the Jeffersonian it might be interesting. but do we really need another forensic CSI type show? The interesting part of Bones is Booth and Bones and their team. I don’t know if I would sit still to watch an eccentric, Brennan type male. She can get by with her unconventional behavior cause she is a “girl.” and she is clueless mostly. I don’t know how a man could get by with it. He would have to be terribly successful for ppl to work with him. The thought of him being a romantic interest/roadblock for Booth and Bones just turns my stomach. I could see him being a professional on her level to give her some challenge, might make her a bit more compassionate.
I’d give it a shot. Sounds kinda interesting. Like the theory of a possible romantic interest for Brennan that Booth would hate. That should definitely create some interesting scenes between the two of them.
The one thing that came to my mind while reading his description was, “why would I want to watch a show with the concept of someone like Brennan when I do have Brennan?,” I don’t like the idea.
But it’s always about money for them, so maybe they’ll make it work out.
Thank you, Marisa!!
NO! NO! NO! No male brennan, plleeezzz.. We already have something beautiful here; great line-up, good chemistry, brainy stuff. Why don’t just spend those energy to make it more beautiful??
i rather watch Fringe and Mentalist!
I am not interested in this description even in a small way. It sounds so stupid! In reality, Hart Hanson needs to get busy fixing what is wrong with my favorite characters and I do not need him spending time on something else. He needs to remember where the bread is buttered. DO NOT PISS FANS OFF!
not interested, might watch he pilot, b/c of HH (even though he is still pissing me off since h. is still around), but i have no interest in such a spin-off. i watch bones for bones, so no bones no bones 😛
like you, i hope the potential new show will keep its hand off our crew!! and esp. walter off brennan..if he only starts shooting december 6, he wont be around until sometime mid-season and by that i really hope BB are past this ridiculous dating-someone-else thing, even if they ar enot a couple by then. BONES would become such a soap opera, seriously…
It’s like a virus. I really don’t understand this thing of the shows making spin-offs, at least not when they have to first create the character only to make people know him/her so that the new show has a decent start or origin . I can accept spin offs when a character in a show has developed in a way that the show is not enough for him/her, and there’s the feeling that people would want more: a.e. “Angel” when he left Sunnydale, or Addison Montgomery. But this??
I would follow Cam wherever, if they wanted to spin her character off (although it’d hurt me a lot if she were to leave #Bones) but I doubt I’d want to watch a new show with a paranoid guy nicknamed The Locator that not even Booth likes… IDK…
I have to admit that, as a fan, I felt a bit betrayed when I read the info, and the saddest thing is that I can’t avoid but feeling as if #Bones was not enough for Mr.Hanson anymore.
If the character is interesting and the writing is great, spinoffs can be wonderful.
Back in before and after the 70s, it was very common. That’s how we got Andy Griffith from the Danny Thomas Show, Maude from Archie Bunker and Good Times from Maude.
When it’s well done, it can really succeed.
I just don’t like a love interest for Brennan at this point. He sounds too much like Brennan for him to be interesting to Brennan.
This strikes me as a positive thing in terms of how the network views both Hart and the show, even if the pilot doesn’t get picked up.
Although I’d like to say I’d give the show a chance regardless, it will ultimately depend on how well I like the character of Walter. Eccentric characters can either work for me (as does Walter from Fringe) or not (I can’t bear Monk.)
In terms of this season, I had the same thought about his story line being tied to Cam’s veterans story. But if you’re correct in your speculation about him being a romantic interest for Brennan, though, it means they’re taking her character in a very different direction than what I’ve been thinking they are.
I’ve been assuming this season is about her growing to the point of being open to a real romantic relationship (not just mostly casual affairs we’ve seen from her before.) If that’s true, her next relationship should be a very serious one. Hannah is a rebound for Booth (he’s not over Brennan); Brennan’s first serious relationship (where she explores love) wouldn’t be and would therefore actually be much more important than Hannah is, and a much, much bigger roadblock to B/B.
OTOH, she’s seemed lonely to me this season more than anything else, so I suppose they could have her attempt another casual relationship in an attempt to address that. That might be interesting. But a serious relationship (i.e., to balance Hannah) actually would be something much different than Booth’s rebound relationship and seems to me would have much different and more long term implications for B/B. But we’ll see. It’s all interesting, regardless.
I trust Booth – if he doesn’t like him, he can’t be a goodun. haha
David Hewlett — although he is outside the age range you mentioned.
I always thought an encounter between Stargate Atlantis’ Rodney McKay and early Temperance Brennan would be hilarious.
I can also see him clashing with Booth just as Brennan did early in the series.
The last thing I want is for HH’s attention to be in another show and away from Bones.
I think I might be in the minority, but I am excited about this potential spin off, with “Walter”. Just think how we have crossovers with Grey’s and Private Practice, we could have this with Bones and this new show. Cross over events that will be promoted, granted this is all based on if the show gets picked up too, right?
I would love to see more of the squints and B&B on another show. I am excited to see this character be involved in Cam’s story. My gut was telling me that the solider storyline would come back again.
I don’t think it would be a love interest for Brennan as much as a male to flirt with, it may even been done by Walter’s part to annoy Booth. Brennan has been interested and intrigued by several people, including a murder and a psych patient. This could also be used to show how much Brennan continues to evolve.
I am excited for Hart Hanson as this shows FOX likes him and wants him around. This I feel is a good sign for Bones.
On a side note, who should be cast, there is that cute lead actor from Lone Star. Also, Josh Holloway would be amazing, even if he is outside of the age range. We need some love for Lost Alums.
I think that’s why Hart wants to create this is to have crossovers like Grey’s and PP. BUT you are missing the fact that With Grey’s and PP, Kate Walsh was on Grey’s for a few years; she established relationships with most of the characters on Grey’s which is why those Crossovers work the way they do. Same with Angel and Buffy Crossovers, David had been on Angel for 3 years, and they decided to give him his own show.
It wont work for a character that is brought in for a few episodes on Bones and then given a spinoff, he wont established well connected relationships of any sort with these people.
HH Does need to work with Bones and fix it, I don’t mean by ‘putting Booth and Brennan together’, I mean by saving the show because the B/B focus is making it worse. Glad that’s dwindling down. Some audience members ACTUALLY care about the whole show and not when Booth and Brennan are going to officially hook up, yawn.
BUT you are forgetting that Hart Hanson isn’t the only person in charge of Bones. There are other creators. It can be done. Besides, with Angel spinoff they had another creator taking care of that show.
I don’t know how exactly I feel about this yet. But I’d give it a shot. As far as who could be the lead, I love Wentworth Miller from Prison Break, I can see Booth hating him LOL
Not remotely interested. Monk and Bones have worn me out on idiot savants or whatever the pc term is. Give me a functioning human being with accessible emotions any day.
Honestly I think it comes down to casting. I am a Kathy Reichs fan so when they made the show I was very skeptical but I love David Boreanaz and was hooked from the start; the cast just clicked so it worked. But look at CSI-Miami; I have no idea how that show has stayed on the air. They just don’t have the on screen chemistry that the original did (in the beginning of course). Stargate is another good example; I couldn’t believe they were making it in to a series because it was years after the movie was out. But again I like Richard Dean Anderson so I gave it a shot and again the cast just clicked. So I will give the spin-off a chance but they will really have to impress me with a good cast.
AmandaM: I agree with you on David Hewlett; he played a great neurotic on SG-1 and would be a good choice. They may have to choose a more seasoned actor to pull this off.
this sounds more like a “related series” than a spin-off, and that makes the idea better. they’re using Bones to advertise for their new show, as opposed to extending the storyline of a certain character after the show quits airing, which is what most spinoffs are (and why often they don’t work, or at least, fail to meet the popularity of the original show).
I like the sound of the guy, mostly because he sounds like the version of Sherlock Holmes in the latest TV adaptation of the books from the BBC (called Sherlock – three 90-mins episodes, AMAZING TELEVISION. A must-see for investigative TV fans and fans from Sherlock). Anyway, the actor who plays Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, would be awesome in the role of Walter. Or someone who can equate that – though I haven’t seen any American actor the right age who could.
I think there’s a difference between idiot savants and savants who are just annoying for the sake of being so, which is what this dude sounds like. Granted, it’s been done before, but a young(er) version would be a nice change.
I just realized after posting that comment that the character Hanson described is essentially Sherlock Holmes. In which case, Cumberbatch should stick to Sherlock – it’s too well done to pass up for a TV spinoff that might not work out. I don’t think I’ll be tuning in to this one, but i’ll see if I like the character when he’s eventually featured before i throw it in the TV trash can.