Hart Hanson Pt. 2: the backstory on Bones

brioux.tv: the podcast

When we left off in our two-part conversation with TV writer/creator Hart Hanson, he was make the career jump from Canada to Hollywood. Part Two is packed with stories from the U.S. TV trenches.
After shepherding both Joan of Arcadia and Judging Amy, Hanson's decision to bail on Snoops baffled colleagues and managers. Not his boss David E. Kelley, however, who admired Hanson's writing and gave him his blessing.
When Hanson went on to create the series Bones, he did the unthinkable -- he infused comedy in a CSI-like procedural. Only Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman got it and she quit the network shortly after the series launched.
Hanson names names as he recounts the sometimes torturous paths shows take before they are embraced by audiences. He stuck to his guns on Bones and it became the longest-running scripted success in the history of Fox.
Hanson is grateful for being in the right place at the right time with Bones, one of the last worldwide hits of the broadcast network era. He sometimes feels as if he "caught the last chopper out of Saigon."
I'm indebted to Hart for his insight, his candor and his, yes, his heart. Celebrate both Canada Day and the 4th of July with this wonderful Canadian-American storyteller.