Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) as they solve crimes that usually include skeletal remains. Dr. Brennan is the head of anthropology at the fictional Jeffersonian institution, meaning she has the of many specialists who help her and Booth in their crime-fighting endeavors.

The Bones’ 12 seasons and Booth even refers to the squints at the Jeffersonian “his” squints. Throughout the show’s long run, Dr. Brennan almost always had an intern at her side, helping her catalog the injuries to skeletal remains and find clues to how these people died. These many interns would eventually be dubbed the “Squinterns.”

Bones Started Having a Rotating Cast Of Squinterns In Season 4

After the Departure of Eric Millegan’s Dr. Zack Addy

In Bones season 3, the Jeffersonian team along with Booth spent a lot of the season hunting the elusive “Gormogon,” a cannibalistic serial killer who had bodies piling up. In the Bones season 3 finale, it’s revealed that Gormogon had recruited Zack Addy, Dr. Brennan’s intern to be his apprentice. The reveal comes after Zack had permanently injured his hands in an experiment that was meant to distract security at the Jeffersonian. It had been previously established that Zack was a beloved team member and that Dr. Brennan struggled to replace him when he was sent overseas by the US government.

After Zack’s arrest, Bones had a variety of forensic anthropology graduate students rotate in and out of the show. While these characters were never main cast , many had their own character arcs that helped push along the other storylines. They were vital in helping Dr. "Bones" Brennan go out in the field to investigate alongside Booth. Sqinterns like Wendell Bray appeared in all seasons following Zack Addy’s departure. Audiences also got to see multiple Squinterns earn their doctorates like Arastoo Vaziri and Colin Fisher. Former Squintern, Dr. Clark Edison also went on to head the historical anthropology exhibit at the Jeffersonian.

The Many Squinterns Allowed Bones to Keep The Story Fresh for 12 Seasons

Different Squinterns Indicated Which Main Character Would Be the Focus of Episodes

Because of the Squintern's close relationships with other main cast , it was sometimes clear who the episode would focus on based on who appeared. For a while, it was clear that Lance Sweets would have a storyline dedicated to him in some way whenever Daisy Wick appeared, and the same can be said for Cam when Arastoo appeared. This allowed Bones to keep the stories fresh and constantly rotating throughout each season.

There have been rumors that Bones will be revived, but nothing has been confirmed.

Additionally, having Squinterns meant that when Bones wanted to pack a big emotional punch, they were able to kill off someone who wasn’t a main cast member. This happened at the end of Bones season 6 with the death of Vincent Nigel-Murray. Vincent’s death carried emotional weight but didn’t change the dynamic of the show, instead, it added a breath of fresh air to the show by adding a new intern. While Zack Addy is a beloved character, Bones made the right move by having a rotating cast of characters.