A Forensic Analysis with Emily Deschanel

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Grace Cohen-Chen

Society & Culture

4.6 • 534 Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Emily Deschanel spent over a decade portraying the brilliant and meticulous forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit crime procedural Bones. Yet, what many viewers never knew about was her personal battle behind that confident performance: diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia at a young age, Emily often struggled to master the intricate anatomical jargon week after week. Pushing through panic attacks on set and challenging moments with showrunner Hart Hanson, Emily persevered, going on to carry one of television's longest-running dramas. We look back at her career and unpack the very real demands of balancing constant filming with mental health, as well as raising a family, and we get into my experience directing her on Bones. I even toss my notecards aside to try to solve the true mystery of an authentic conversation. Fail Better is now on YouTube! Watch this episode here. You can watch and listen to Emily Deschanel and Carla Gallo rewatch and revisit episodes of Bones and interview past cast and crew members on Boneheads. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's morning in New York.
0:02.8	Oh, God.
0:06.2	Hey, everybody.
0:07.3	I'm Mandy Patinkin.
0:08.7	And I'm Catherine Grady.
0:09.8	And we have a new podcast.
0:11.7	It's called Don't Listen to Us.
0:14.1	Many of you've asked for our advice.
0:16.1	Tell me, what is wrong with you people?
0:19.2	Don't listen to us.
0:20.3	Our Take It or Leave a Advice show every Wednesday out now.
0:24.7	A Lemonada Media Original.
0:37.2	I'm David Decovney, and this is Fail Better, a show where failure, not success, shapes who we are.
0:44.3	Emily Deschanel is an actor who spent more than a decade of her life playing the brilliant and blunt Dr. Temperance Brennan on the hit Fox series Bones.
0:52.4	The show was one of the most widely recognized crime dramas of all time
0:56.0	and remains a popular comfort watch today. Emily currently co-hosts a rewatch podcast called Boneheads.
1:03.3	The critically acclaimed show is loosely based on the novels and career of forensic anthropologist and author
1:08.6	Kathy Rikes. It's often credited for helping inspire women
1:12.2	to pursue STEM careers, which was rare to see on TV at the time. Emily grew up a theater kid
1:18.5	and a family full of stars. I remember working with her dad, Caleb, who was a highly respected
1:23.4	cinematographer, but I worked with him as a director on Twin Peaks. And one of my very first projects that I did.
1:29.4	We talk about the success of a 12-season run, plus how she advocated for herself and
	...

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