Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan Ph.D (born Joy Keenan), is one of the co-protagonists of the American television series, Bones, which is very loosely based on author Kathy Reichs. She is portrayed by Emily Deschanel. Although the character is named after the heroine in Reichs' crime novel series, her characterization was based on Reichs herself rather than the books' protagonist. The only similarity the two characters share is their occupation as a forensic anthropologist.