‘Bones’ Season 11 Spoilers: When It Will Pick Up And Changes At the Jeffersonian

Bones Season 10 ended in such a way that it could have easily been the show’s series finale if FOX hadn’t picked it up for another season. That means when Season 11 begins, there are going to be some changes — and more changes will have to come, as well.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Angela and Hodgins were talking about moving to Paris. In fact, in the Bones Season 10 finale, they were packing for the move — Wendell was helping and Daisy stopped by to see them before they left, making them available to step in and help with the case — but after Angela realized that Hodgins’ life is still at the Jeffersonian, they decided to stay. (But hey, even just the possibility of the move did lead to the show finally revealing Angela’s real name, thanks to Hodgins finding her updated passport.)

Meanwhile, Booth and Brennan also contemplated their future — and they did go through with their decisions to leave the FBI and the Jeffersonian. The season finale ended with them saying their goodbyes and leaving the Jeffersonian, part of why the episode ended up feeling like a series finale. In fact, it’s because Bones had to write an episode that could also serve as final episode of the show (since it hadn’t yet been renewed) and Booth and Brennan left while Angela and Hodgins stayed, according to what executive producer Stephen Nathan told Entertainment Weekly.

“We couldn’t have everybody leaving — then it really felt the same as before. So we had to have them stay, and it seemed very logical. At the end of it, it seemed like there could have been no other outcome, and that made it feel very right. All the planning, all the desires, the dreams — but when you really look at your situation and you see what this change will cost, then you have to decide if it’s worth it.”

Remember, the Season 5 finale saw everyone going their separate ways, and they all reunited in the Season 6 premiere. There was a time jump then, and there will be one for the Season 11 premiere as well, Nathan revealed to TV Guide. How much of a time jump has yet to be determined.

Because Booth and Brennan have left, that sets up the big question for the premiere of what that means for Bones, and Nathan has said that “we’re not going to go to the Jeffersonian for 22 episodes without Booth and Brennan.”

“The challenge is: How the hell do we get these two people back while being true to everything that made them leave? That’s what will be interesting and surprising about the top of Season 11, and that’s why doing these big moves is always so interesting to us and so much fun. It forces you to see the characters in a new way. It forces you to realize that there are expectations that always fall short of reality.”

But when they do return, what will it look like at the FBI and at the Jeffersonian? When they left in the Bones Season 10 finale, it did seem like they were leaving the work in the hands of Aubrey at the FBI and everyone else at the Jeffersonian, just like you’d expect to happen in a series finale, but who will be taking over Brennan’s job? Nathan told TVLine that that answer will be revealed in Season 11, but he wouldn’t say if it will be a familiar face or a new character.

Bones Season 11 will air Thursdays at 8 p.m. on FOX in the fall.

[Image via FOX]