Dr. Temperance Bones Brennan, Ph.D. (born Joy Keenan), is a fictional character and one of the co-protagonists of the US television series Bones (2005-present), very loosely based on author Kathy Reichs and 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.