Why Bones’ Creator Wasn’t Surprised When The Spin-Off Series The Finder Tanked

The best TV spin-offs expand their fictional universes in interesting ways, but for every good one, there’s a dud. In some cases, though, fans aren’t receptive to off-shoots from the get-go, which might explain why “Bones” spin-off “The Finder” failed to replicate the success of its parent show.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “Bones” creator Hart Hanson touched on how “The Finder” received pushback from fans of the O.G. procedural. Why, you ask? Because the “Bones” fandom was always reluctant to embrace new characters in their show.

“It took a year for people to like Tamara Taylor (who plays Dr. Camille Saroyan). They didn’t like her. And when John Francis Daley came on, I told him, ‘Don’t look at Twitter or the message boards for a year because they are going to hate you. You’re coming into a very tight community.’ And, so, I thought there was a very good chance that would happen to ‘The Finder.'”

Hanson also recalled fans worrying that “The Finder” was out to replace “Bones,” as opposed to complementing it. Despite that never being the goal, “The Finder” seemed doomed from the start — but have fans warmed to the show now that they’ve had time to digest it?

“The Finder” tells the story of Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults), an army veteran with a special talent for locating things. The character debuts in a “Bones” Season 6 episode (also called “The Finder”), which wasn’t exactly warmly received across the board — and neither was the spin-off that spawned from it. “I don’t really like backdoor pilots, and though I gave the show a shot, it just fell flat for me,” one Redditor wrote on the show’s subreddit. “Meh. The few episodes I watched were ok, but not worth scheduling time to watch more,” another commented.

It’s clear that some “Bones” fans wish “The Finder” joined the endless list of canceled TV spin-offs that never made it to screens. A simple glance at the above Reddit post shows just how divisive opinions are over the “The Finder.” Be that as it may, there are defenders who believe outside factors ruined its chances of success. “Loved that series but Fox kept moving it around in the schedule in its first season so the ratings weren’t there for it,” another Redditor recalled. “Also about the same time Michael Clarke Duncan died.”

“The Finder” was ultimately canceled after one season due to low ratings and less-than-stellar reviews. So, Hart Hanson’s early concerns about the spin-off seemed to have been beyond valid.