Why Bones Is Never Officially Diagnosed As Autistic In The Show

Summary Bones character Brennan's mental health traits resemble ASD, though the show avoided labeling her due to network constraints.

Show creator based Brennan's character on a friend with ASD, leading to traits like social awkwardness and focus on forensic anthropology.

Actress Emily Deschanel acknowledged that her portrayal of Brennan would have included ASD if the show was on cable television.

This article contains quotes from Bones cast and crew, along with industry outlets, in which the now-outdated term "Aspergers" (as opposed to the preferred "ASD") is used with regard to Brennan's mental health differences. This piece will not change direct quotes when they use "Aspergers", but it's important to note that it is no longer a relevant term.

"Is Bones autistic?" is a question that will likely have flashed across the minds of many Bones viewers as they watched the forensic police procedural. The first season of Bones premiered in 2005 and ended after 12 seasons in 2017, closing the book on the story of Emily Deschanel's forensic anthropologist. Bones follows FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Deschanel), who work together to solve federal cases by examining the human remains of possible victims, namely, their bones.

A talented anthropologist, Brennan generally solves the cases while Booth handles the arrests. They make an excellent team despite their first few meetings going awkwardly. The romance between Booth and Brennan is one of the core throughlines of the series, as is Brennan's growing comfort with her awkwardness around her coworkers and friends. Temperance "Bones" Brennan is seen by some fans as a TV character either coded with autism, as she never receives or shares an official diagnosis in canon.

Related Bones: Booth & Brennan's Best Undercover Episodes Bones was always at its best when Booth and Brennan shared the screen. Things were even better when they had to go undercover for a case.

The Bones Creator Based Part Of Dr. Brennan's Character On An Autistic Person (Though She's Never Diagnosed On The Show)

Brennan Displays Many Personality Traits Associated With ASD

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Brennan is a fascinating character. The series depicts her as the leading expert on forensic anthropology and, she's often the only one with the experience or expertise to break open that episode's case. She also lacks social skills, and her inability to detect sarcasm and metaphors is usually a source of comedy on the show, and she's been described as "bad with people". Brennan's personality traits are also indicative of someone with ASD (via NIMH) leading some to wonder if she has autism.

The show's creator, Hart Hanson, based Bones on a friend of his with ASD.

This is because the show's creator, Hart Hanson, based Bones on a friend of his with ASD, but since BOnes was made for a broadcast network like Fox, the need for catering to as large an audience as possible superseded any specific notes on Bones' mental health differences (via NJ). Hanson said,

"If we were on cable, we would have said from the beginning that Brennan has Asperger’s. Instead, it being a network, we decided not to label a main character, for good or for bad. But those elements are in there."

Hanson seemingly had his hands tied with Brennan's characterization, and it points to a greater problem with mental health depictions in media. Often, if a character does have ASD, it's made a prominent part of their personality. It can't simply be a part of their life, as it is for so many functioning people in society. It's an unfortunate reality of fiction writing that there are few positive representations of characters with ASD, though there are some modern examples of well-written characters with autism, such as Quinni (Chloé Hayden) in Netflix's Heartbreak High.

Quinni's actor, Chloé Hayden, is also diagnosed with autism.

Bones Actress Emily Deschanel Says Her Character Would Have ASD If The Show Was On Cable

Deschanel Played Her Character As If She Had Autism

Emily Deschanel has echoed Hart Hanson's comments, saying in an interview with EW,

"If it was a cable show, she would have had Asperger’s. [Series creator] Hart [Hanson] and I talked about that. I’ve heard from younger people who are on the spectrum or have Asperger’s themselves that they loved seeing a character who was not dissimilar from them portrayed on television, so that makes me happy to represent that. I know we weren’t truly representing someone with Asperger’s exactly, but there are qualities that Brennan has."

If Deschanel believed the character would have had ASD had Bones been on a cable channel, it follows that she played the character as someone with autism. This is probably why so many people with ASD have responded positively to the character. On Twitter, @​​​​katycatlillian responded to a question about favorite Autistic characters with Bones.

Jennifer Malia, a writer for Glamour and an autistic woman, wrote an excellent article about how much she relates to Bones, saying,

"But even without a diagnosis, Bones is an important role model for women on the spectrum because a lot of people assume that autism, especially on the high end of the spectrum, is a male disorder."

Officially diagnosed or not, Bones' Temperance Brennan is a welcome and positive representation of people with autism and an example of how to write those characters effectively.