OK, so I AM a big fan of Kathy Reichs books, and was intrigued to see what this show would be like. The addition of David Boreanaz also was a big draw, as he is a very charismatic actor(and I adored Angel!) For fans of Ms Reichs books, this is a slightly odd amalgam of Kathy herself and her main character Temperance Brennan, who on the show is also a crime author (like Ms Reichs - a top forensic anthropologist and author.)
The characters are all new, apart from Brennan's ex-husband Pete (although we only got a glimpse of him in the season premiere) plus it is set in Washington DC rather than Canada and Virginia as in the books.
Tempe herself is rather different than the book character. Emily Deschanel is fine, but rather young and headstrong compared to the book Tempe. Even in the one episode, we have seen her rushing into things quite recklessly. I guess they wanted to make her a little more dynamic for TV.
The chemistry between Brennan and Booth (Boreanaz) was pretty good from the start, although they need to handle it properly. Maybe the Mulder and Scully reference is a hint of how they might handle things. However, the crime was a little flimsy. This first episode seemed to focus far more on establishing character and tone than on plot. Probably something that will change with future episodes.
On the whole, Riechs fans can have fun being snooty and complaining about Tempe's drinking and the lack of her cat, but I thought the show had definite possibilities. I know I'm keen to see how things unfold.
