Temperance Brennan is the protagonist of the American television series, Bones, which is very loosely based on the works of 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.
Brennan works at the Jeffersonian Institution in Washington D. C. and is paired with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to work on cases which require both their expertise. He nicknames her "Bones", referring to her job as a forensic anthropologist. The pair thus-far seem to have a fairly comfortable working relationship, despite the differences in their personalities and the sexual tension evident between them.
Along with her work at the Jeffersonian Institution, Brennan is a best-selling novelist and writes about a fictional anthropologist, Kathy Reichs. In the series' pilot, Brennan says that the closest other forensic anthropologist is in Montreal. Temperance Brennan mostly confides in her best friend and fellow co-worker, forensic artist Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin). Aside from Angela, Dr. Brennan has a band of 'squints' (a term given by Agent Booth to describe what scientists do - "they squint at things"), specifically entomology expert Dr. Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne), and Brennan's young assistant, Zack Addy (Eric Millegan).
Brennan graduated from Northwestern University.
