After being such an unabashed fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel", with the cancellation of both I wondered if any of the stars would be able to find themselves in another hit. Several of the actors found their way into shows that were quickly cancelled, but Alyson Hannigan is now in her second season of "How I Met Your Mother." Surprisingly, David Boreanez was also given the opportunity to see if he could shed the image of "Angel" (you know how it is to be typecast) by starring in the new "CSI"-like series, "Bones." For those who thought "Bones" was a new series that dealt with the early career of Dr. Leonard McCoy… you were totally wrong. Instead it dealt with the career of Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist. Based on the writings of real life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, Brennan is able to piece together crimes by studying the bones that have been left behind.

She is a bit of a misfit, so when she has to team up with FBI Agent Seeley Booth (Boreanez) the poor Dr. Brennan is totally out of her league in the social sense. However, there is no denying her brilliance and uncanny knack for noticing the smallest details, which often break the case wide open.

The formula is similar to "CSI", "NCIS", "Criminal Minds" and other shows of that ilk in that there is always the 'team. So while Brennan and Seeley are the focal point of the series, there is a cast of peripheral players making up the rest of Brennan's 'team.' There's Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin), Zach Addy (Eric Milligan), and Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne). Each has their little piece of expertise that, when used in tandem with Brennan's knowledge, reconstruct the crimes of those who almost got away with it.

What's different about this series though, and I have to give them credit for slightly breaking the mold, is that they don’t rely so much on the glitzy close-ups of corpse's wounds to tell the story. They instead interact more with those involved, making the show more about the victims and their families than the actual crime itself. But make no mistake; the series does not shy away from the occasional shot of decaying corpses and the like. There are times when the series won’t appeal to the squeamish.

"Bones" was another of the many series I missed during its initial airing. In truth, I hoped Boreanez would be good, so I did watch the first episode when it aired. I wasn't really impressed and decided to skip it instead of giving it a chance. As I've been wrong before (Shock! Gasp!), I was wrong this time. The series gained fans quickly and it's already returned for a second season. So when Fox opted to release the entire first season on DVD, I went ahead and dove in.

The 22 episodes are offered on four double-sided discs (my only complaint), and though I still thought the Pilot episode was rather weak, the rest episodes just got better and better. The characters began to 'click' and by about the 6th episode, Boreanez had completely left Angel behind. His character is so different, which only serves to prove he is a better actor tan even I had thought he was. His rapport with Deschanel elevates the series in ways I hadn’t thought possible. By the end of the season, I was hooked. Even when they had an episode dealing with the death of a young boy, which was very tough to watch, I couldn’t look away.

The DVD includes a couple of commentaries, the first on the "Pilot" by series creator Hart Hanson and executive producer Barry Josephson. Admittedly, this commentary was kind of on the boring side. I don’t know if it was because the episode wasn't very good to begin with or just because these guys aren't very animated speakers (pssst, I think it’s the latter). They share some decent info, but their voices were hypnotically putting me to sleep. The second commentary is on the episode "Two Bodies in the Lab", and is delivered by Boreanez and Deschanel. This was a much, much better commentary as the two kept the conversation very light, full of jokes, and lots of great little anecdotes.

In the featurette department, the DVD has a little bit of a promo piece that includes interviews with the cast, a look at the terminology used on the series, some profiles on the characters, and a feature on the how the cast prepares to handle dealing with the science used on the show. Admittedly, its not a whole lot, but I imagine if the series lasts a few more seasons, future sets will have more to offer.

Episodes:
Pilot
The Man in the S.U.V.
A Boy in a Tree
The Man in the Bear
A Boy in a Bush
The Man in the Wall
The Man on Death Row
The Girl in the Fridge
The Man in the Fallout Shelter
The Woman at the Airport
The Woman in the Car
The Superhero in the Alley
The Woman in the Garden
The Man on the Fairway
Two Bodies in the Lab
The Woman in the Tunnel
The Skull in the Desert
The Man with the Bone
The Man in the Morgue
The Graft in the Girl
The Soldier in the Grave
The Woman in Limbo

Starring: David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel
Extras: Audio Commentary on the Pilot Episode and "Two Bodies in the Lab", Character Profiles, Squints, The Real Definition, Bones - Inspired by the Life of Forensic Anthropologist and Author Kathy Reichs
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 11/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Bones: Season 1 a B-.