One Bones Set Was Borrowed From A Short-Lived Kelsey Grammer Sitcom
What does "Cheers" and "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer have in common with the cast of "Bones"? A shared set. The beloved Fox crime series shared a set with a short-lived, oft-forgotten show that Grammer starred in between 2007 and 2008 titled "Back to You." Because both shows were Fox productions, the network made good use of a set that was built for Grammer's show but was then re-used for an episode of the fourth season "Bones."
The episode in question is "Man in the Outhouse," the third episode of "Bones" season 4, which aired in 2008. As revealed by Entertainment Weekly, the TV set that we see in the episode for "Busted by Bill" was actually the same TV studio set that was used by Grammer and his co-star Patricia Heaton, of "Everybody Loves Raymond" fame, on their show "Back to You." Not coincidentally, that show wrapped up its very brief, one-season run earlier in 2008. Which meant Fox had a TV set just sitting there that the "Bones" crew was able to make good use of.
For those who may need a refresher, the episode in question picks up after a partially decomposed body is found in an outhouse. That body is identified as the host of a popular reality television show called "Busted by Bill." Brennan (Zoey Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) must identify the killer from a large pool of suspects, including many who were humiliated on the show. Sweets and Bones watch episodes of the show to search for suspects who fit a revenge killer's profile while Booth attempts to understand Brennan's romantic life.
Back to You's loss was a gain for Bones
As for "Back to You," the sitcom aired for just one season and focused on the co-anchors of a Pittsburgh news program who had great on-screen chemistry, yet they quarreled constantly off-screen. Unfortunately, the show suffered for a few reasons. For one, it was caught up in the 2007 writer's strike that ended up throwing a wrench in production. It was just one of many shows that were impacted by the strike at that time.
That was just the beginning of a rough road for the show. The ratings weren't where the network wanted them to be and Fox canceled the show after just one season. The experience was bad enough that when co-creator Christopher Lloyd (not the same Christopher Lloyd from the "Back to the Future" films, by the way) had his next show ready to go, the massive hit "Modern Family," he was averse to taking it to Fox.
In an interview with The Wrap in 2010, Lloyd explained that ABC, CBS, and NBC were all interested in the show. "It was certainly gratifying to be pursued on a certain scale by all three," Lloyd said. "We didn't have any interest in having anything to do with Fox, after a bad previous experience." That experience he was speaking of was "Back to You." Speaking further, Lloyd was not kind in his assessment of the network:
"Fox is no place to go if you're in the comedy business, and you... (pause) I've probably said enough about it already. It's an unkind place for the comedy writer."
That was that. But Fox is a big enough network with enough shows that nothing goes to waste if it can be helped. So, Hart Hanson made use of the TV set that was once occupied by Grammer and Heaton, allowing Brennan and Booth to take it for a spin.
"Bones" is currently streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.