Every season of Bones ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Bones!

Pilot episode. After returning to Washington, D.C., renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan is called in by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth to aid an FBI investigation involving a set of bones found hidden in a lake.

Pilot

When a man is killed driving an SUV registered to a Middle Eastern man, Dr. Brennan and her team find themselves tracking a terrorist.

The Man in the S.U.V.

When the decaying corpse of the Venezuelan Ambassador's son is found hanging from a tree on the campus of an exclusive private school, a simple suicide case quickly turns into a web of lies, sex and scandal involving the school's staff and students.

A Boy in a Tree

Brennan and Booth travel to Washington to investigate a human arm that was found in the stomach of a black bear.

The Man in the Bear

Booth asks Brennan to help locate and identify the remains of a six-year-old boy, Charlie, who went missing from a local park.

A Boy in a Bush

When Brennan and Angela get caught in a fight in a dance club, Brennan kicks someone into a wall, which causes the wall to break open and reveal a mummified corpse and a meth stash.

The Man in the Wall

A death row inmate asks for Booth's help to prove his innocence before he is scheduled to be executed. Booth agrees and asks Brennan and her team to help him out.

A Man on Death Row

Brennan is about to go out for dinner with her old professor and ex-lover when Booth asks her and her team to help identify the remains of a young woman found in a refrigerator.

The Girl in the Fridge

Brennan and her team are brought in to identify the body of a man found in a fallout shelter. While cutting into the bones of the man, Zach accidentally  releases a deadly fungus, causing the team to be quarantined over Christmas.

The Man in the Fallout Shelter

Brennan and Booth investigate the body parts of a woman found near L.A. International Airport.  Their investigation is slowed due to extensive cosmetic surgery the victim had done.

The Woman at the Airport

When a woman’s burned body is found in a car with signs that her child was kidnapped, Brennan and Booth suspect the father, Carl Decker. But things get complicated when Decker turns out to be in the Witness Protection program.

The Woman in the Car

Brennan and Booth investigate the origins of a decomposed body that's been found in a local alley and determine it's the remains of a shy teen with an alter ego.

The Superhero in the Alley

Booth and Brennan investigate when a dug up corpse is found in the back of a gang member's car.  While being questioned, a drive-by shooting allows him to escape.  Booth and Brennan follow the clues, which lead them to an empty grave and another body in a grave at a wealthy senator's house, where the gang member used to work.

The Woman in the Garden

Brennan and Zach investigate a small jet crash that was carrying some Chinese diplomats and a woman.  At the crash site, Brennan finds some bone fragments that do not belong to any of the passengers, but might belong to a man who has been missing for five years.  Although ordered to work only on the diplomats, Brennan and her team go rogue to try to discover the identity of the extra bones.

The Man on the Fairway

When Brennan decides to give online dating a try, she ends up the target of a shooting at the local restaurant where she's meeting her date. The resulting investigation reveals that the shooter could be connected to either of the two cases she's currently working on.

Two Bodies in the Lab

Brennan and Booth stumble upon a subterranean world of homeless people when they find the remains of a filmmaker in the ventilation shaft of an underground tunnel.

The Woman in the Tunnel

While on vacation, Angela's boyfriend goes missing . When a skull shows up, she asks Brennan for help in identification, concerned it might be her boyfriend or the female guide who went missing with him. The investigation leads the team to a violent boyfriend, the local sheriff and ultimately to a counterfeiting ring setup in the desert.

The Skull in the Desert

A human finger bone found in the clutches of a drowning victim leads to a search for buried treasure.

The Man with the Bone

A trip to New Orleans leaves Bones beaten, bloodied, and suspected of murder while plunged into the world of voodoo.

The Man in the Morgue

The team helps Deputy Director Sam Cullen's daughter, Amy, when she contracts a rare form of lung cancer after receiving a bone graft.  Booth and Brennan learn she is not the only victim with this rare form of cancer.

The Graft in the Girl

Brennan and Booth investigate an apparent suicide in Arlington National Cemetery, but soon discover it is a murder linked to a military cover-up.

The Soldier on the Grave

Brennan receives some bones to identify, but is stunned when she discovers that the remains are those of her mother who disappeared when she was 15 years old. The determined date of her mother's death leaves Bones confused and angry.

The Woman in Limbo

A train carrying a popular Senator is derailed by a car positioned on the tracks. Brennan works out why the dead body of a rich businessman was placed in the car, and the search continues for her father. The team has a new boss.

The Titan on the Tracks

When the remains of a young pregnant woman and fetus are found in the Delaware Bay and identified as a newlywed who disappeared a year earlier, the investigation is aimed toward her husband, but takes a surprising turn. Booth is upset that his ex-girlfriend is letting their son spend time with her new boyfriend.

Mother and Child in the Bay

When the body of a young man, who's been missing for nearly three weeks, is discovered, the investigation leads them to his girlfriend, who is a foster child. Bones becomes emotionally involved in the case since, she too, became a foster child after her parents disappeared.

The Boy in the Shroud

After digging up the skeletal remains of a young girl, the investigation points to a convicted serial killer on death row. The team follows cryptic clues that lead to another body, an accomplice, and a victim who may still be alive.

The Blonde in the Game

There are two suspects with the same motive when Booth and Brennan investigate the murder of a man found in a bathtub full of chemicals. They soon discover that he had two wives and a girlfriend.

The Truth in the Lye

Booth and Brennan investigate a death due to an explosion in a Miami hotel. The clues lead to foreign diplomats with diplomatic immunity.

The Girl in Suite 2103

The team investigates the death of a 10-year-old beauty pageant star. The other contestants, their parents, and their siblings all become possible suspects. Hodgins and Angela go on a date that actually goes well, despite what everyone else predicted.

The Girl with the Curl

When the skeletal remains of a federal prosecutor who disappeared five years earlier are found in the desert outside Las Vegas, the team suspects it to be tied to the mob. Booth and Brennan go undercover as Vegas high-rollers in an attempt to uncover the mystery, Booth risks his life.

The Woman in the Sand

The bodies of twin boys, kidnapped five years earlier, are discovered. The investigation lead Booth and Brennan to a notorious kidnapper known as the Grave Digger. During the investigation, Brennan and Hodgins become the Grave Digger's next victims.

Aliens in a Spaceship

While investigating the death of a film student who was working on a documentary about the legend of a headless witch who haunted the woods in the 1700s, Brennan develops a strong bond with the victim's brother.

The Headless Witch in the Woods

Booth and Brennan are called to the scene where a man's body was found hung like a scarecrow, gutted, and burned on the roof of a building used by the FBI to hide witnesses.

Judas on a Pole

The notorious serial killer, Howard Epps, sets his prison cell on fire as part of a daring prison escape. Brennan is his target and her entire team is placed in danger.

The Man in the Cell

Brennan has to work with another agent while Booth needs to see a therapist. The duo investigate the death of a college freshman, who took part in a 'Girls Gone Wild' type of video.

The Girl in the Gator

Booth and Brennan investigate the death of Terence Bancroft, one of the Jeffersonian's major donors, found dead at his home. Hodgins' relationship with the wife of the deceased years earlier, compromises the case.

The Man in the Mansion

Brennan and Booth have to solve three murders that are identical to the murders in Brennan's new bestselling book.

Bodies in the Book

The team investigate the death of an Asian woman found without any bones left in her body.

The Boneless Bride in the River

A broken water main uproots multiple coffins in an old graveyard. When the team is brought in to identify the bodies for re-interment, they discover a newer skeleton that should not be in the graveyard, which has not been used for 50 years.

The Priest in the Churchyard

Booth and Brennan investigate the case of a partial skeleton found in cement. Booth thinks a member of a crime family is responsible.

The Killer in the Concrete

Brennan and Booth are called to the scene where a dead man has been found in a crater. The investigation leads them to the National Space Agency.

Spaceman in a Crater

The team investigate a glowing body. Hodgins proposes to Angela -- several times.

The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House

When Angela draws the face of an old woman to go with the decomposed skeleton of someone much younger, they soon learn the victim had Progeria, an aging disease. Booth and Brennan investigate to discover who would want to kill such a fragile person. Meanwhile, Hodgins and Angela's walk down the aisle doesn't go as planned.

Stargazer in a Puddle

After a skull smashes into the windshield of a teenager's car, the investigation reveals the skull has been gnawed on by human teeth, which implies cannibalism and marks the beginning of the Widow's Son case. Meanwhile, Angela and Hodgins hire a private investigator to find her husband. Bones searches for Zach's replacement and the team gets a wonderful surprise.

The Widow's Son in the Windshield

Brennan and Booth investigate the death of a soccer mom who was blown up in her mini-van. They soon discover that the victim was part of a group of radicals from the 70's, adding several names to the list of possible suspects.

Soccer Mom in the Mini-Van

Things get kinky when Booth and Brennan follow murder clues that lead to a lodge used as an S&M retreat for "jockeys" and their "horses."  Meanwhile, Angela tries hypnosis in an effort to figure out her elusive husband's name so she can finally divorce him.

Death in the Saddle

When a body that appears to be cooked is discovered, the clues lead Booth and Bones to an organic farm co-op. Meanwhile, the two of them must meet with Lance Sweets, an FBI psychologist who must determine if they should continue to work together.

The Secret in the Soil

On Halloween, two mummified bodies are discovered and found to be people reported missing the past two Halloweens. When Booth and Bones learn about a missing girl, linked to the suspect of the previous murders, the race is on to save her life.

Mummy in the Maze

The team suspect their own colleagues after the burnt remains of an intern at the Jeffersonian are discovered. Meanwhile, Booth poses as Cam's boyfriend at her family get-together.

Intern in the Incinerator

On the 20th anniversary, the Foothill High School, class of '87 alumni unearth the time capsule they buried to discover the remains of one of their classmates inside. Booth and Bones investigate the past lives of his classmates in an effort to discover the truth.

Boy in the Time Capsule

After the body of an archbishop is found, missing the kneecaps, the team concludes the murder is related to the Widow's Son case.

The Knight on the Grid

Booth and Brennan investigate a mall Santa named Kris Kringle who was found dead by two elves.  A series of clues makes the murdered mall Santa seem like he's the real deal.

The Santa in the Slush

A body discovered in a hot spring turns out to be that of Tripp Goddard, a sexy motorcycle racer who had disappeared two weeks earlier. Sweets talks Booth and Bones into going out with him and his girlfriend.

The Man in the Mud

All team members are working to identify the bones from a college athlete who suffered a lot of fractures. After the body is identified they talk to his sister and somebody who acted as a sort of an adviser for the deceased. Angela and Hodgins have an important talk. Zack is overwhelmed by having to reconstruct the crushed bones to form a skeleton.

Player Under Pressure

A woman's car is run off the road and she is killed, but her baby miraculously survives the accident.  Booth and Brennan go to the woman's hometown to try to find out who's responsible for running her car off the road. Bones, with help from Booth, takes care of the baby until the team finds out who killed the mother.

The Baby in the Bough

Brennan's father Max Keenan is on trial for the alleged murder of FBI Deputy Director Kirby.  Everyone on the team, except for Brennan, is called as a witness for the prosecution during the trial.  Brennan on the other hand is the forensics advisor for the defense, and she must rely on both her dedication to her family and her skill as an anthropologist to help free her father.

The Verdict in the Story

A wannabe singer Tommy Sour was found on a grassy location. The investigation leads Brennan, Booth, and Cam to the Checker Box Restaurant where Tommy used to sing. There are several suspects who took part in the open mike contest there, with talent scouts in the audience. The group comes together with a startling revelation for Brennan.

The Wannabe in the Weeds

The Gormogon serial killer is back again, and the silver skeleton from the basement vault has gone missing.  All the Jeffersonian employees become suspects, with the scary possibility that one of their own is working with Gormogon.

The Pain in the Heart

Season four begins all the way in England, with Booth speaking at Scotland Yard and Brennan guest-lecturing at the prestigious Oxford University.  Knowing of Booth and Brennan's expertise in their respective fields, local officials ask for their help with a high-profile murder investigation that involves a British heiress.

Yanks in the U.K. (1)

With the case of the murdered heiress solved, Booth and Brennan prepare to head back home, but are shocked to learn of another murder - and this time it's someone they know.  Meanwhile, with Birimbau unexpectedly coming back into Angela's life, things get complicated between her and Hodgins.

Yanks in the U.K. (2)

The body of the host of a popular reality TV show is found partially decomposed in an outhouse, and Booth and Brennan must find out who the killer is. Meanwhile, Booth learns that Brennan is juggling two relationships.

The Man in the Outhouse

Parker, Booth's son, discovers a corpse's finger in a bird's nest, causing the team to launch an investigation to try to find the rest of the body. After finding the corpse, the team discovers that the death was caused by a dog, leading them to an illegal dog fighting ring and a search for the killer dog and its owner.

The Finger in the Nest

The pieces of a dismembered body are found lying in a purple pool of water, except the head is missing. The team finds that the body belongs to Jared Addison, a science fiction writer who had several mental problems.  With Sweets' help, several suspects are hunted down, however the team has trouble finding enough evidence with the victim's head still missing.

The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond

The remains of a despised office manager are discovered in an elevator shaft, and Booth and Brennan must figure out which employee killed him. After some investigating, they find that the manager had more than a fair share of complaints on file. Meanwhile, Angela and Hodgins try to make peace in the lab after their break-up.

The Crank in the Shaft

Booth and Brennan go to investigate a body found in the Chesapeake Bay. After arriving, they find only the upper torso, giving the team little to work with other than remnants of the victim's breast implants. Brennan and Booth are led to a small church in Maryland, where they find that the victim was a pastor. When the team finds the lower half of the body, they learn that their initial assumptions may not been incorrect.

The He in the She

When the smashed remains of a well known artist are found in an impounded junkyard car, Booth and Brennan are on the case to find out if foul play is to blame for his death. With suspects ranging from the artist’s rival to his own assistant, the team must race

against the clock to find evidence of murder before the car is relinquished and put on exhibit as the sculptor’s ultimate display of self-sacrifice for the sake of his art.

The Skull in the Sculpture

Booth’s Brother Jared Booth and Brennan investigate the scene where a body was uncovered during a botched practice police raid. The team identifies the body as a struggling inventor’s father who had recently reunited with his son. But when a second body surfaces, the team is led on a trail of deception to find out who was the actual con-man in the inventor’s life. Clark Edison returns to the lab, and he and Hodgins work on piecing together blueprints from one of the inventor’s potentially valuable inventions.

Meanwhile, Brennan likes Booth's brother and goes out on a date with him. She learns a thing or too about Booth's past while out on the date.

The Con Man in the Meth Lab

While en route to China to identify prehistoric anthropological remains, Booth and Brennan are called upon to solve a murder in midair when the flight attendant discovers a fully cooked human body in the plane's microwave.

The Passenger in the Oven

Brennan's father Max lands a teaching position at the Jeffersonian. When he ends up helping out with the murder case at hand, Brennan is noticeably bothered by his sudden presence in her professional life.

The Bone That Blew

A shallow grave holds the remains of conjoined twins; Booth and Brennan infiltrate a circus community after they discover that the twins were jugglers there.

Double Trouble in the Panhandle

When a volunteer fireman is murdered at an ice rink, Booth and Brennan begin the investigation, but Booth must excuse himself due to a conflict of interest. When details come to light, Booth becomes a suspect in the homicide.

Fire in the Ice

While trapped and trying to escape from a ship in the middle of the ocean, Booth is haunted by strange hallucinations.

The Hero in the Hold

The team investigates a sci-fi convention when a woman in a medieval princess dress is found murdered. With Booth's back injured, Agent Payton Perotta steps in once again to help

The Princess and the Pear

When newlyweds encounter a corpse while bungee-jumping off of a bridge, Brennan and Booth are sent to investigate. After determine the cause of death was not suicide, the team at the Jeffersonian discover an unknown substance coming from the body. This sends the lab into lockdown and have only 24 hours to uncover the murderer before the body disintegrates.

The Bones That Foam

The body of a pregnant 16-year-old athlete found buried in a mound of salt in a city de-icing truck leads Booth and Brennan to the discovery that many of her teammates are pregnant or have babies after a pregnancy pact.

The Salt in the Wounds

When the half-eaten body of Cam's former fiancee is found in the tiger cage at the zoo, Booth and Brennan uncover that his death was far from accidental. Now the team must put the pieces of the fiancee's final day back together, including hypnotizing a suspect in order to spark his memory.

The Doctor in the Den

Booth and Brennan are sent to investigate when human remains are found during a photo shoot. When the team uncovers a meteorite in the victim's ear, they are led to the Collar Institute of Science in D.C.

The Science in the Physicist

Booth and Brennan are called when an image of the Virgin Mary is found in a bale of compressed cardboard.

The Cinderella in the Cardboard

When it is discovered that a stage prop used by a Norwegian death metal band is in fact a real human skeleton, the remains are sent to the Jeffersonian when authorities determine the victim was an American citizen.

Mayhem on a Cross

When a Jeffersonian coworker dies of heart failure, the entire team goes to the wake where, upon viewing the body, Brennan realizes the death was no accident.

The Double Death of the Dearly Departed

Booth's detective friend from Tokyo, Ken Nakamura, calls him when his sister, Sachi, goes missing while in Washington, D.C. With Brennan, Booth investigates her disappearance.

The Girl in the Mask

When a human body is found inside the strung up Otter mascot uniform of a rival school, Brennan and Booth investigate whether the body inside the costume was dead beforehand, or killed during a Middlesex University bonfire event. The body is identified as Jimmy “Beaver” Bouvier, a fraternity brother at Middlesex University. When Brennan and Booth question his fraternity brothers, they learn that Beaver had a money-making operation on the side and was making a killing of his own. Meanwhile, Booth offers to help his brother Jared find a new job after being dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

The Beaver in the Otter

The team is on the case when human remains are found inside a barrel of wine during a wine tasting. When the victim turns out to be a wine critic whose scathing reviews were capable of sending a vineyard to its ruin, everyone from the winery's owner to the victim's own wife becomes a suspect.

The Critic in the Cabernet

In the season finale, a dead body is found at a club called "The Lab." The team has to do some unexpected and unusual things that have to do with this club. Brennan and Booth may become a couple.

The End in the Beginning

It's been six weeks since Booth and Brennan have seen each other. Booth has been recovering from brain surgery, and Brennan has been on a dig in Guatemala. Angela's psychic, Avalon Harmonia reveals while reading Angela's tarot cards that there are multiple bodies buried under a Washington,DC fountain. Angela shares the information with Brennan and Booth, but they're both a little skeptical. The lead pans out, and the duo find the remains of 11 bodies exactly where the psychic said they would be. Meanwhile, Sweets has certified Booth mentally fit to return to duty after his brain surgery, but Booth is still experiencing some side effects from the coma.

Harbingers in the Fountain

Brennan and Booth are asked to investigate the death of a man who was murdered for the secret contents of his briefcase. They suspect that secret operatives are at work, and their theory is proven correct when they find the liquefied remains of a CIA agent in the trunk of a car. Meanwhile, Brennan's new best-selling book causes tension between her and Booth, and Wendell loses his scholarship.

The Bond in the Boot

When human remains are found alongside the railroad, Brennan and Booth are called to the case. The bones belong to Levi Yoder, a member of the Amish community who disappeared two months ago, during his Rumspringa, or exploration of the outside world. Brennan and Booth discover that Levi was a piano prodigy, and their investigation leads them to believe that his extraordinary talent may have lead him to an untimely death. Meanwhile, Cam copes with the stress that comes from being a new parent.

The Plain in the Prodigy

Brennan and Booth investigate human remains found at a neighborhood block party. Suburban politics and secret scandals give each neighbor in the cul-de-sac a motive, leaving Brennan, Booth and Sweets to sift through the drama to find their suspect. Meanwhile, Jeffersonian intern Arastoo comes clean about his background, and Booth's son attempts to find Booth a girlfriend.

The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Brennan and Booth are called to investigate what appears to be charred human remains on an electrical fence. The mysterious corpse is later determined to be a mummified Egyptian royal on loan to the Jeffersonian. The anthropological mystery has Brennan in a tizzy, and when the Jeffersonian curator prepping the mummy for exhibition is murdered, the team suspects foul play. Brennan’s investigation of the curator sheds new light on the life of the Egyptian royal, turning their case into one of historic proportions. Meanwhile, Brennan goes on a date with Booth’s supervisor and former intern, and Sweets’ girlfriend Daisy Wick (guest star Gallo) returns to the Jeffersonian.

A Night at the Bones Museum

Remains of a chicken farmer are found on the bank of a nearby river, and Booth and Brennan are called in to investigate. The farmer, who was an animal rights activist, was about to inherit a chicken factory and had many enemies with motive to kill him – leaving the team with a lot of murder suspects to sort through.

The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken

Stephen Fry returns as Dr. Gordon Wyatt. Booth, still suffering some lingering effects from his brain surgery, has to get re-certified for FBI marksmanship, but is not the accurate shot he was before going under the knife. He and Brennan investigate the death of a little person who was a former wrestling star.

The Dwarf in the Dirt

Booth’s grandfather comes to live with him and tags along as Brennan and Booth investigate human remains that were found by a real estate agent while showing a property to prospective buyers.

The Foot in the Foreclosure

When the remains of a competitive gamer are discovered in a grease truck, Brennan and Booth are called to investigate the case. The victim, Steve Rifton, is the only active player known in the gaming community to have received a perfect score on a famous video game. Steve turned his success into a lucrative partnership with a gaming referee and charged fans to play on the very machine that gave him the perfect score. But between sour business deals and bitter competitors, the team at the Jeffersonian must work to narrow down the many suspects with motive for ending Rifton’s reign as gaming king. Meanwhile, Hodgins, Sweets and Jeffersonian intern Colin Fischer take turns camping out for tickets to a movie premiere.

The Gamer in the Grease

When a man dressed as Santa Claus blows himself up during a botched bank robbery, Brennan and Booth work to identify the bomber and determine his motives. Meanwhile, Brennan makes plans to spend Christmas in El Salvador, but her father convinces her to spend the holidays with him and Margaret Whitesell, a newly discovered distant relative.

The Goop on the Girl

Brennan and Booth travel to New Mexico to investigate human remains with extraterrestrial attributes. Meanwhile, Angela and intern Wendell come clean about their relationship.

The X in the File

Mr. White and his team of government agents put the Jeffersonian Lab on lock down and demand that Brennan and her forensics team determine a cause of death for an unidentified, but highly classified set of remains. As the team gets to work, their findings lead them to suspect they are investigating one of the most famous presidential assassinations in history. Meanwhile, Booth's boss, Andrew Hacker, helps him break into the lab and determine the motive behind the mystery investigation, and a frustrated Cam worries that Michelle may be keeping a big secret from her.

The Proof in the Pudding

When a human skeleton is discovered in the trenches of an old Civil War battleground, Brennan and Booth are called to the case. Despite the historical location, Brennan quickly identifies the bones as belonging to Dan Pinard, a present-day local dentist. While Booth investigates suspects, including the victim’s former boyfriend, Hodgins and lab intern Vincent Nigel-Murray work doggedly to clean the bones of a stubborn clay residue which is preventing the team from determining a cause of death. Meanwhile, Booth’s brother, Jared, returns from his travels with some suprising news.

The Dentist in the Ditch

Brennan and Booth investigate a set of uniquely disfigured remains allegorizing biblical text. As they acquire more information about the victim, a former patient of Dr. Adam Copeland at Havenhurst Sanitarium, they are confronted with suspects who are hard to characterize as either good or evil. Meanwhile, Jeffersonian intern Arastoo Vaziri reveals a secret about his past.

The Devil in the Details

When a subway train is thrown off the track by 60,000 gallons of flood water, a partially skeletonized body emerges out of the overflow. While Dr. Sweets, a passenger on the derailed train, copes with post traumatic stress, the rest of the team and intern Daisy Wick get to work on identifying the victim as Martin Aragon, a professional ghost writer caught up in a deadly love triangle. Meanwhile, Brennan releases her second book to great success, but has to accommodate a nosy reporter, and Sweets' near-death experience leads him to make a drastic decision.

The Bones on the Blue Line

When Dr. Sweets' book gets published, both Booth and Brennan read it and tell him about the first time they met: 6 years ago. The episode will give a new perspective on Booth and Brennan's relationship, and will also give viewers the chance to see Zack Addy again, and Dr Saroyan as a New York Coroner.

The Best Seasons of Bones

The Best Seasons of Bones

Season 3

Season 2

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 1

Season 4

Season 12

Season 11

Season 9

Season 8

Season 10