No two procedurals are created equal, but the beloved Fox series "Bones" is especially unique, focusing on just one specialty within forensic science. Unlike Dexter Morgan's blood-splatter analysis on "Dexter" or the more traditional forensic pathology of shows like "CSI," Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and her team deal almost exclusively with, well, bones! Dr. Brennan is a forensic anthropologist at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute, based on the real-life Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and she uses her skills at identifying information about bodies through their bones to help the FBI solve crimes. "Bones" is based on the Temperance Booth books by former real-life forensic pathologist Kathy Reichs, who infused her own personal knowledge into the books and therefore the series — but how accurate is the science, really?

While Reichs is a producer on the series, the writers took some ideas in wildly unrealistic directions and there are a...