The TV show Emily Deschanel had lined up as her new Bones replacement has been scrapped.
From 2005 to 2017, across 12 seasons, the actor starred as Temperance “Bones” Freeman on Bones opposite David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth. Though the actor has appeared in various TV shows since the popular police procedural from the 2000s concluded, she hasn’t been the lead in any ongoing series. That might have changed with NBC’s Key Witness, but that project is no longer moving forward after missing a key deadline.
Deadline reports that following the Key Witness pilot failing to secure a series order at NBC in May, it was shopped to other networks and allegedly “drew some interest” from ABC. However, the casting options have since lapsed on the pilot, resulting in the drama project being shelved. Had Key Witness moved forward as a series, it would have been Deschanel’s first TV appearance since leading the Netflix miniseries Devil in Ohio.
Created by Dean Georgaris and John Fox, Key Witness’ pilot saw Deschanel playing psychologist Georgia Ryan, who’s based off real-life profiler Dr. Ann Burgess. Per the official character description, Georgia and her team help the FBI solve crimes using “groundbreaking methodology” that “focuses on the victims rather than the traditional perpetrator-centered approaches.” No other actors were announced for the pilot.
Key Witness was one of four pilots that NBC passed on ordering to series in May, with the other three being the Taylor Schilling-led drama What the Dead Know, the Damon Wayans Jr.-led drama Puzzled, and the Jane Lynch and Katey Sagal-led sitcom Jill & Ginger. However, it was reported yesterday that What the Dead Know is now being redeveloped with a new writer, and Schilling is still attached as the lead. The cast options have also expired on The Hunting Party, which was canceled in June after a two-season run on NBC.
The network ordered four pilots to series for the 2026-2027 TV season: a reboot of The Rockford Files, Line of Fire, Newlyweds, and Sunset P.I. The new take on The Rockford Files sees Boreanaz taking over the role of Jim Rockford, who was played by James Garner in the original series, which ran for six seasons from 1974 to 1980. So, had Key Witness been ordered to series, both Deschanel and Boreanaz would have been working on the same network again, albeit separately.
Along with her long tenure on Bones, Deschanel’s body of work includes movies like Cold Mountain, Glory Road, My Sister’s Keeper, and The Perfect Family, and recurring/guest appearances on TV shows like Animal Kingdom and The Rookie. She additionally reprised Temperance Freeman in an episode of Sleepy Hollow as part of an official crossover between the two shows, as well as voiced comedic takes on her character in the adult animated shows American Dad! and Bojack Horseman.
Though Key Witness is officially dead, Deschanel can currently be heard on the paranormal thriller podcast Agent Stoker, which is described as the “love child of The Shadow and Black Mirror.” The actor voices Rose de Galilei, the North American director of the Night Brigade, specializing in teleportation, and her co-stars include Chris Conner, Amy Hill, and Ato Essandoh.
- Birthdate
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October 11, 1976
- Birthplace
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Los Angeles, California, USA