Creator behind new CBS show apologizes for ripping off 'Bones'
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery -- unless you're talking about straight up ripping off someone else's show.
Michael Rauch, showrunner behind the new CBS crime procedural, addressed accusations of plagiarizing from the well-loved and recently canceled Fox crime show, Bones. You see, when Episode 3 of Instinct (not to be confused with the 1999 Anthony Hopkins crime thriller of the same name, or the 1992 crime thriller Basic Instinct) premiered, fans expressed indignation at its uncanny similarities to a plot from an episode of Bones in 2009.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
On Twitter, Rauch apologized to the Bones community, claiming the similarities were "distressing" but "100% unintentional." Yet the plotlines are so obscure and alike that it's hard not to feel some skepticism about Rauch's alleged ignorance.
Both episodes follow a fish-out-of-water victim narrative starring young Amish men who move to the city and wind up dead. As pointed out by one Redditor, it only gets worse from there.
In both, the Amish victims had secretly built their own makeshift pianos (out of popsicle sticks in Instinct and out of rocks in Bones). The discovery of these pianos leads both sets of detectives to a piano teacher, which helps them solve the case. Oh and for good measure, both depict mothers who go against their strict religious rules to keep pictures of their dead sons, and also both episodes end with the families watching a video of their son playing the piano.
I mean ... that's pretty specific!
But the answer to this mystery within a mystery comes down to one of three possible suspects: 1) a serious case of cryptomnesia, 2) the inherent redundancy of crime procedurals, or 3) blatant plagiarism.
I guess it's up to you to solve the case! **crime show music starts playing*
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
