Casting the Bones

I'm a great believer in the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I wish the producers of "Bones" (Fox, 8 p.m.) followed suit.

The second season of the hit show opens tonight with the title character, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) investigating a mysterious train crash with FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). What makes the crash so mysterious is that among the victims is a U.S. senator and it was apparently caused by multi-billionaire businessman.

I enjoyed "Bones" quite a bit during its first season even though its plots often strained credibility. After all, Brennan spent more time out of the lab working cases with Booth than she did in the lab doing her thing. I've never read the "Bones" books, written by real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs (whose life inspired the Bones mysteries) so I don't know if Brennan is out actively solving cases in those.

What works in "Bones" is the strong development of the characters and the relationship between Brennan and Booth, driven by the terrific chemistry of Deschanel and Boreanaz. I also enjoyed the "squids," the nickname given to Bones' forensics team. But in the season two opener, the producers have added a new boss (Tamara Taylor). She, much like the title character, is a beautiful, super-smart investigator of dead things who is now Bones' boss. It just seems to me as the producers are trying to shake things up when they were already on the correct path. Taylor is fine in the part, though the writing seems to try to integrate her too quickly into the cast rather than let it develop naturally. (She gets to "save the day" when she stands up to a U.S. Attorney).

Fans of the show will know that the season ended last year with Brennan learning some startling truths about her presumed-dead parents and her own childhood. The producers address this throughout this episode, and it will obviously be a theme throughout the season.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BET: "Justice" (9 p.m., Fox) was reviewed here last week, so I won't rehash all of the details of the pilot. Led by "Alias" alum Victor Garber, it's a stylish, somewhat cynical look at the world of a high-profile law firm. What makes "Justice" different than other legal shows is that it goes through the entire process, such as media spin and jury selection. Each episode ends with a flashback to the crime to see whether or not the verdict was correct.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?: NBC is going in a radically different direction than ABC did with Monday Night Football. For its Sunday gridiron broadcasts, the Peacock brought in legendary composer John Williams to do the theme music. Instead of Hank Williams Jr., all of your rowdy friends will hear pop diva Pink perform a new theme song, "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night" which is set to Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You."