A man stands at the edge of Antarctica’s glacial expanse, breath crystallizing in -20°C air. It’s Hart Hanson – not on vacation, but chasing the same raw curiosity that birthed Bones, the forensic drama that outlived every other Fox show for 12 damn years.
“Extremes clarify things,” he’d later tell me, eyes crinkling with the warmth of someone who’s survived Hollywood’s blizzards since 1989.
We’re sipping coffee in his sunlit LA office, surrounded by Bones memorabilia – a grinning skull paperweight, framed scripts with coffee stains. Our conversation? A masterclass in turning creative chaos into gold.
From Canadian Soap Operas to Crime-Solving Duos
Let’s rewind.
Before Temperance Brennan’s bone analyses and Seeley Booth’s FBI badge, Hanson cut his teeth on North of 60 (1992), a gritty Canadian drama about Indigenous communities. “I learned to write snowstorms as characters,” he chuckles. “Literally – our filming budget was three parkas and a sled dog.”
His career snowballed:
- 1997-2002: Stargate SG-1 scripts (aliens taught him “world-building through technobabble”)
- 2003: Judging Amy episodes (“courtroom drama is just family therapy with gavels”)
Then came the pitch – one that nearly froze his career solid.
Bones: A Love Child of Creative Combat
“Fox wanted CSI with cleavage. I wanted Moonlighting with corpses.”
The 2005 development room was a battleground:
- Network Notes: “More autopsy close-ups! Fewer will-they-won’t-they moments!”
- Hanson’s Counter: “Without Brennan and Booth’s banter, we’re just glorified coroners.”
The compromise? A revolutionary hybrid:
- Procedural Spine: Weekly cold case structure
- Character Heart: 223 episodes of unresolved sexual tension
- Comic Relief: “Hodgins’ conspiracy theories were my middle finger to grim crime shows”
The result? A ratings glacier – slow-moving but unstoppable.
The Artist vs. Craftsman Smackdown
Here’s where Hanson gets fiery:
“Artists starve. Craftsmen get BMWs. I’m the guy who paints murals on garage doors – commercially viable but still art, damn it!”
His Antarctic metaphor nails it:
- Artistry = The risky trek inland (personal vision)
- Craft = Building storm-resistant shelters (audience engagement)
“Bones’ 100th episode had Brennan reciting Poe during an exhumation. That’s the sweet spot – morbid poetry that still sells shampoo ads.”
35 Years Not Out: Hanson’s Survival Toolkit
Lean in, aspiring screenwriters:
- The 60/30/10 Rule
- 60% what audiences expect (crime solved)
- 30% fresh twists (zombie virus in S7)
- 10% “screw it, this makes me laugh” (Stephen Fry’s psychic cameo)
- Conflict Harvesting
“Network notes are gold. When they said ‘no more dream sequences,’ we invented the ‘alternate reality’ episode. Suckers.” - The “Antarctica” Mindset
“Go metaphorically numb. When studio execs say ‘kill the lab assistant,’ protect your Hodgins like he’s your last oxygen tank.”
The Novels He’ll Never Discuss (But You Should Read)
Between showrunner duties, Hanson penned:
- The Driver (2017): A limo driver’s LA underworld tour (“My Taxi Driver fanfic”)
- The Seminarian (2024): Clerical school mysteries (“What if Monk joined the priesthood?”)
Why the secrecy? “Books are my Batcave – where I go to remember writing’s supposed to be fun.”
Your Homework (Yes, Really)
Before you binge Bones again:
- Watch S3E15 “The Pain in the Heart”
- Note every time scientific jargon overlaps with emotional beats
- Thank me later
Hanson’s final wisdom? “Stay curious enough to risk frostbite – creatively speaking.” Now go thaw your imagination. ❄️
