We won’t get to see Emily Deschanel playing a criminal profiler on NBC next season.
The “Bones” alum’s drama pilot “Key Witness” was one of four NBC pilots that failed to secure a series order, TVLine has confirmed. The news comes as NBC ordered four pilots to series for the 2026-27 TV season, including David Boreanaz leading a reboot of “The Rockford Files,” the Peter Krause law enforcement drama “Line of Fire,” and the Jake Johnson private eye comedy “Sunset P.I.”
“Key Witness” was set to star Deschanel — who played Dr. Temperance Brennan, aka Bones, on Fox’s “Bones” for 12 seasons alongside Boreanaz — as psychologist and criminal profiler Georgia Ryan, who “focuses on the victims rather than the traditional perpetrator-centered approaches” as she works with the FBI to help solve crimes. The pilot hailed from Dean Georgaris (“Quantum Leap,” “The Brave”) and John Fox.
Deadline reports that “Key Witness” possibly could’ve made the NBC schedule if it had one more drama slot to fill, and the project will now be shopped to other networks.
Taylor Schilling’s NBC pilot didn’t make the schedule, either
Along with Emily Deschanel’s “Key Witness,” three more pilots didn’t make the NBC schedule for next season, including the drama “What the Dead Know,” starring “Orange Is the New Black” veteran Taylor Schilling as a medical examiner who helps the NYPD crack their toughest cases. (According to Deadline, there is talk of the project “being retooled around Schilling’s character as its anchor.”)
Also not making the cut: the Damon Wayans Jr. drama “Puzzled,” centered on a pro sports gambler who suffers a traumatic brain injury that “gives him exceptional skills in puzzle-solving, higher math functions and pattern recognition”; and the Jane Lynch-Katey Sagal sitcom “Jill & Ginger,” about a pair of best friends and fellow therapists.
NBC says the pilot cuts are simply due to too many good projects in the mix. “Our creative teams, led by Lisa Katz at NBC and Erin Underhill at Universal Television, delivered an exceptional pilot slate, developing eight standout projects that reflect our ambition,” Pearlena Igbokwe, chairman of NBC Entertainment and Peacock Scripted and Television Studios, said in a statement Friday. “While we often hear the phrase embarrassment of riches, it truly applies in this case. This process allowed us to take big swings, and we landed on shows that we think can truly break through.”
Were you hoping to see any of these four on NBC next season? Let us know in a comment below!
