Bones finale: Michael Peterson teases cop killer game-changer

Bones fans, set your “Do not disturb” messages now: You won’t want to miss a minute of Thursday’s two-hour midseason finale.

“Don’t leave the episode early,” warns Michael Peterson, co-showrunner and executive producer. “It’s a shocker from beginning to end.”

EW caught up with Peterson to discuss the pivotal second hour of the finale and what it means for the show moving forward. “This is a game-changer,” he says. “It’s a big case. It’s a case that we had considered doing as our season opener, actually. It involves a cop killer, and it’s one which will change the course of the series, especially concerning Aubrey, Hodgins, and Angela.”

But even though the twist itself is one that no one will see coming, the fact that Bones is still shaking things up should come as no surprise at this point. The procedural stalwart has been taking big leaps this year under the guidance of Peterson and fellow new showrunner Jonathan Collier. “We never wanted to get to season 11 and just make it a normal season,” says Peterson, who’s looking forward to exploring the fallout from Thursday’s episode. “It’s opened up a whole bunch of possibilities for future storylines, and our actors are just running with it.”

The two-part fall finale of Bones airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Check back here after its conclusion for Peterson’s full breakdown of the episode. UPDATE: Read Peterson’s postmortem here.