Bones and other "serialized procedurals"

[DigificWriter]

FOX aired the first season of Bones drastically out of sync with its serialized nature, and the PTBs didn't bother to make adjustments when the DVD for the season came out. Of the season's 22 episodes, there were only 4 (episodes 1, 8, 9, and 22) that aired in their 'proper sequence'. Episodes 2 and 3 were flip-flopped, episode 7 should've aired as episode 4, episodes 4, 5, and 6 should've aired as episodexs 5 (4), 6 (5), and 7 (6), episodes 10 and 11 were flip-flopped, episode 16 should've
aired as episode 12, episodes 12 and 13 should've aired as episodes 13 and 14, episodes 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 should've aired as episodes 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, episode 15 should've aired as episode 20, and episode 14 should've aired as episode 21.

I'm assuming the order on Netflix instant is the same order as it aired on TV (so, the incorrect order)? That is the order in which I watched the shows.

Yes, the Netflix order is the original airdate order, and would've been the order in which I would've watched the season if I hadn't done some research and/or reasonable deduction based on the individual content of certain episodes.

I found out about the true viewing order for episodes 2, 3, and 7 from Wikipedia, and found an episode guide for the season online that provided the alternate viewing placement for episodes 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, and 13. I then made some reasonable deductions myself and moved the remainder of the episodes around based on their individual content in relation to one another (specifically flip-flopping episodes 14 and 15 because of Booth being shot in episode 15, which provides an explanation for the references made in episode 14 about Brennan working several cases by herself without Booth's help, and moving them to late in the season because of Brennan giving Booth her parents' case file in episode 14, which leads very organically into the events of episode 22, which is all about her parents).

BTW, I'd like to add another angle to this this whole thing. Last night, I found out that Hart Hanson, the man who created Bones, modeled the show's version of the Temperance Brennan character after a friend of his who has Asperger's Syndrome.

Since I myself was diagnosed as high-functioning autistic as a child, I'm now wondering the following: does anyone know of any series that fit the 'serialized procedural' format and feature characters who demonstrate high-functioning autistic and/or Aspergers-like behaviors and personality traits?

 

[sojourner]

Considering Aspergers is the flavor of the month, probably half the shows on TV.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I remember when 24 was on a lot of people thought that Chloe O'Brian had Aspergers.

 

[bigdaddy]

Considering Aspergers is the flavor of the month, probably half the shows on TV.

As soon as Boston Legal had Jerry have it Aspergers seems to show up everywhere. Parenthood has a kid with it.

 

[DigificWriter]

24, Boston Legal, and Parenthood aren't procedurals, and, while I never watched Boston Legal, I did a search and can unequivocally say that the character on that show who was supposed to have Asperger's/be high-functioning autistic was actually written with characteristics and behavioral quirks that are typical of individuals who are low-functioning autistic.

 

[Ood Sigma]

There's a character in Fringe's 3rd season that does.

Spoiler: Identity of the character

It's the alternate universe version of Astrid.

 

[Random_Spock]

Considering Aspergers is the flavor of the month, probably half the shows on TV.

As soon as Boston Legal had Jerry have it Aspergers seems to show up everywhere. Parenthood has a kid with it.

To a point, and it isn't a bad thing . It's great that they're bringing it out into the open and showing that just because a person/character has this, doesn't mean that they're incapable of having a job, having a life, etc.

@ DigificWriter: Didn't know that. Figured that Brennan had Aspergers or something like it, but never knew that she'd based the tv version off of a person she knew that had Asperger's.

Well I think that they're handling things pretty well on Bones when it comes down to it (aside from having Brennan be a little too robotic like at times). Seen too many other shows that portray Asperger's and Autism in a way that doesn't really help those who have it or help to show others that it isn't just one way or another.

It's a broad spectrum.

 

[DigificWriter]

Random Tofurky: I assume by 'she' you're referring to Kath Reichs, the woman who originally created the Temperance Brennan character. However, it was Hart Hanson, not she, who is responsible for choosing to portray the TV version of Brennan as a person with Asperger's/high-functioning autism.

BTW, Brennan isn't the only character on Bones who is/was written to have Asperger's/HFA characteristics; Zack Addy was as well, although he demonstrated certain characteristics of Asperger's/HFA to a larger degree.

One more thing: I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but the character of Brennan as written for the show is someone that I can very closely identify with because her Asperger's/high-functioning autism shapes and affects her behavior in ways that are very similar to how my own autism shapes and affects my behavior.

 

[DigificWriter]

I have to apologize for double-posting and bumping my own thread, but I wanted to make an observation that only enforces Bones' nature as a serialized procedural. Hart Hanson and the other writers have liberally borrowed and used storytelling methodology such as you'd find on a show like Lost or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, employing time jumps and even putting together a pretty blatant channeling of Joss Whedon's signature storytelling style with the fourth season finale 'The End in the Beginning'.

Note: I haven't yet gotten as far in my viewing as S4 yet, but I did some research and kind of spoiled myself.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm still just not seeing it. Despite some mentions of previous character moments, seasons 1,2,4 and most of 3 are all cases of the week from what I have seen. There's nothing resembling a highly serialized show.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I'm still just not seeing it. Despite some mentions of previous character moments, seasons 1,2,4 and most of 3 are all cases of the week from what I have seen. There's nothing resembling a highly serialized show.

I wouldn't call it "highly" serialized, but still definitely a serialized show. I actually didn't really get into the show for much of the first season because it wasn't serialized enough for me, but by the end of season one and beginning of season two I was hooked purely based on the character arcs over time. That's how I would really define procedural shows; instead of calling them serialized or not, I would call them character-driven or case-driven. There are of course weekly cases in Bones, but I would definitely call it a character-driven show. You come to grow and love the people that make up the show, and you tune in each week to see where their stories go. As opposed to, say, Law and Order, where you may like the characters but they aren't the primary reason you come back each week to watch.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

One great serialized show that I haven't seen mentioned is Wiseguy. You should check it out if you can.

 

[DigificWriter]

I'm still just not seeing it. Despite some mentions of previous character moments, seasons 1,2,4 and most of 3 are all cases of the week from what I have seen. There's nothing resembling a highly serialized show.

Serialized narrative structure doesn't just manifest itself in the form of ongoing story arcs that span an entire season. It can also manifest itself in terms of the way things proceed and evolve from episode to episode, and the way in which characters and character relationships develop and evolve.

As of the current 7th season, Bones has been 'split' between seasons (2, 3, 4, and 6) that rely heavily on serialized story arcs, and seasons (1 and 5) that manifest serialized narrative structure more in terms of character interaction and development. I haven't seen any of the current season, so I don't know how serialized narrative structure manifests itself there, but from what I've heard, it seems to be leaning more towards the 'Seasons 1 and 5' end of the spectrum.

I mentioned Las Vegas earlier as another 'serialized procedural', but what I didn't mention is that it is very similar to Bones in the ways in which it utilized serialized narrative structure. Like Bones, Las Vegas relied on serialized narrative structure in the ways in which its characters interacted with each other and the ways in which each character developed and evolved over the course of the series, as well as in the form of ongoing storylines that would seem to be resolved in one episode but would be revisited in later episodes.

 

[the G-man]

One great serialized show that I haven't seen mentioned is Wiseguy. You should check it out if you can.

A great serialized show but not really a serialized procedural.

 

[the G-man]

Considering Aspergers is the flavor of the month, probably half the shows on TV.

As soon as Boston Legal had Jerry have it Aspergers seems to show up everywhere. Parenthood has a kid with it.

To a point, and it isn't a bad thing . It's great that they're bringing it out into the open and showing that just because a person/character has this, doesn't mean that they're incapable of having a job, having a life, etc...

I don't know. From what I see (and I admit to having not watched 'Parenthood'), most TV shows have turned Aspergers into a 'superpower' and/or made it the all purpose explanation for a smart character being awkward or quirky.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

One great serialized show that I haven't seen mentioned is Wiseguy. You should check it out if you can.

A great serialized show but not really a serialized procedural.

That's why I just said it was a serialized show. I figured that if the op mentioned Las Vegas (which isn't a procedural) that they might like Wiseguy.

 

[DigificWriter]

One great serialized show that I haven't seen mentioned is Wiseguy. You should check it out if you can.

A great serialized show but not really a serialized procedural.

That's why I just said it was a serialized show. I figured that if the op mentioned Las Vegas (which isn't a procedural) that they might like Wiseguy.

Actually, Las Vegas IS a procedural. It very much adheres to that format, but it's not a 'traditional' procedural.

 

[Random_Spock]

As soon as Boston Legal had Jerry have it Aspergers seems to show up everywhere. Parenthood has a kid with it.

To a point, and it isn't a bad thing . It's great that they're bringing it out into the open and showing that just because a person/character has this, doesn't mean that they're incapable of having a job, having a life, etc...

I don't know. From what I see (and I admit to having not watched 'Parenthood'), most TV shows have turned Aspergers into a 'superpower' and/or made it the all purpose explanation for a smart character being awkward or quirky.

You bring up a good point there. The whole have it be a superpower thing reminds me of something I saw on a talk show recently... they had this expert on talking about how people with Asperger's are geniuses. That's nice to say, but it isn't always the case.

The whole Autism spectrum is a wide ranging one, and it kind of bugs me that they try to lift people's hopes up that much. Not every child or person who has it will grow up to be a genius sadly.

As for the awkward or quirky thing, they need to stop doing that as well.

It seems as if some shows don't have a way to incorporate characters like that.

The best one was in Boston Legal. The worst was in Cold Case.

The Cold Case one showed the usual cookie cutter Asperger's kid and the people reacting in the same old stereotypical way. Drove me crazy .

I liked how they handled the lawyer in Boston Legal. For the most part, they treated it with respect.

 

[DigificWriter]

To a point, and it isn't a bad thing . It's great that they're bringing it out into the open and showing that just because a person/character has this, doesn't mean that they're incapable of having a job, having a life, etc...

I don't know. From what I see (and I admit to having not watched 'Parenthood'), most TV shows have turned Aspergers into a 'superpower' and/or made it the all purpose explanation for a smart character being awkward or quirky.

You bring up a good point there. The whole have it be a superpower thing reminds me of something I saw on a talk show recently... they had this expert on talking about how people with Asperger's are geniuses. That's nice to say, but it isn't always the case.

The whole Autism spectrum is a wide ranging one, and it kind of bugs me that they try to lift people's hopes up that much. Not every child or person who has it will grow up to be a genius sadly.

As for the awkward or quirky thing, they need to stop doing that as well.

It seems as if some shows don't have a way to incorporate characters like that.

The best one was in Boston Legal. The worst was in Cold Case.

The Cold Case one showed the usual cookie cutter Asperger's kid and the people reacting in the same old stereotypical way. Drove me crazy .

I liked how they handled the lawyer in Boston Legal. For the most part, they treated it with respect.

I said this earlier, but that guy on Boston Legal didn't have Asperger's. He might've been intended to, but the way he was portrayed was inconsistent with that particular Autism spectrum disorder. His behavior and personality quirks and traits, at least according to everything I could find, were much more indicative of a person who was borderline 'low-functioning' autistic. Individuals with Asperger's are generally the complete opposite.

 

[23skidoo]

There is an excellent show in the UK called Scott & Bailey that debuted last spring that definitely fits the OP's bill. It's a Manchester-based procedural about two female cops, but while the stories are standalone there are threads that continue throughout the season. It's only 6 episodes (as per usual for the UK) so it's "easily digestible" for lack of a better term. But the writing and performances are top-notch. Unfortunately it's also a very "local" show - meaning the odds of it showing up on even PBS is pretty slim. It's on DVD in the UK and who knows, it might turn up over here, but I'm not holding my breath. I was able to view it using alternative methods.

It's about two female detectives who solve crimes - one a more experienced, worldly officer, and the other a more recent recruit who is still impulsive and prone to think with her "other brain" (women have "other brains" too).

My interest in the show was initially due to it starring Suranne Jones, who who made a splash playing Idris in the Doctor Who episode The Doctor's Wife. I also found out she co-created the show. Lesley Sharp (another DW alumnus, from Midnight) plays Scott to Suranne's Bailey. The show was a fairly big hit in the UK so has been renewed for a second season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beJGiFnqCP0

I got a similar vibe watching a trailer for Rizzoli & Isles, the American show, but that one doesn't play in Canada either and I've never had a chance to check it out so I don't know if it's a serial or not.

Alex