Bones is staying put on Fox for at least another year. The veteran procedural, one of the network's most steady ratings performers, has been renewed for a tenth season.
News of Bones' renewal coincides with a move back to its Monday time slot on March 10 and just two weeks after Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly said that he expected a tenth and likely final season out of the show. No news about season 10 being the show's last was made with the announcement.
STORY: 'Bones' Likely Ending With Season 10
“Over the course of nine seasons, Bones has grown from a hit crime procedural into a beloved pillar of our lineup that resonates with fans in a way that only the best of shows can,” said Reilly. “Our viewers have embraced Emily [Deschanel], David [Boreanaz] and the entire cast and characters of Bones as their very own, and I think they are going to love what Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan have planned for season 10.”
Frequently moving time slots, the show has retained its audience and provided stability in the drama portfolio. Bones shifted again late 2013, moving to Friday nights at 8 p.m. There it has continued to perform well, most recently hitting a time slot high with a 1.8 rating with adults 18-49 and 7.5 million viewers -- the biggest Fox showing on a Friday for some time. The current season is averaging a solid 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 and 8.6 million viewers.
Reilly spoke about Bones at the Television Critics Association press tour earlier in January. "We're negotiating on Bones for season 10, and I expect it will be back," said Reilly. After his Q&A onstage, Reilly spoke with a gaggle of reporters and said that it was "likely" Bones will end with a 10th season.
When Bones moves back to its Monday, 8 p.m. time slot on March 10, Gordon Ramsay returns to the hour with the sixth season of Kitchen Nightmares. Current Monday occupant Almost Human closes out its freshman season on March 3, making Bones the new lead-in for The Following.
Bones is produced for Fox by 20th Century Fox TV and comes from Far Field Productions and Josephson Entertainment. Fox recently gave a straight-to-series order to another show from creator Hart Hanson, Rainn Wilson vehicle Backstrom.
