KEY POINTS:
Emily Deschanel's Bones character is based on Kathy Reichs, the former forensic anthropologist-turned crime writer behind the show. But it's co-star Michaela Conlin who has the most in common with her.
Conlin, 29, plays Angela Montenegro, the flirty forensic artist who specialises in holographic composites and facial reconstructions. In real life, she's more the literary type.
"I write short stories, and I'm working on getting them published," says the actress, on the phone from Los Angeles. "I also write films and I'm helping friends with their short films. I write to stay busy. I think it's important to have other interests."
Bones may not satisfy her writerly needs in the same way but thanks to her character's bawdy dialogue, tendency to call everyone "sweetie" and ongoing love story with Jack Hodgins, she's become a fan favourite.
"It's like an actor boot camp. You get to go in every day and try something new and work with great actors. The show is so well-written. It's very funny and moving."
Bones isn't subtle in its approach. For two seasons it has successfully combined forensics with character and relationship drama, more so than your CSIs and Law and Orders.
When the third season returns, you're more likely to want to know if Zack is still in Iraq, if Jack and Angela get hitched and why Brennan is so messed up, than whose skeleton is under the microscope. Even initially wary critics have admitted the show has more going on than resident hottie David Boreanz.
Conlin is particularly grateful for the show's success after landing two lead roles in short-lived acronym-titled shows - as a doctor on the medical drama MDs in 2002 and an outspoken political consultant in The D.A. the following year.
Before Bones her film CV included the indie films Love the Hard Way, playing Adrien Brody's lover, and Open Window, as Robin Tunney's confidante. Since winning a role on Bones she has filmed a small part in Enchanted.
"I've seen how hard it is, not just to get on a show but to get that show on to network television and for it to last. So when [Bones] came along, I was very thankful. It's very rare. The show balances crime and relationships. It's a really great combination that you don't see very often.
"It's a lot to ask people to watch an hour of television. I don't think it's just the crime that people want to see."
What they want to see, she says, is more of her on-screen love life. Maybe it's the sexy dim lighting in the lab that has led to the smouldering tension between Angela and the show's sarcastic Hodgins. Fansites dedicated to the fictional pair are rife.
"I have so many people talk to me about the relationship, it's unbelievable. Especially this holiday season, I was travelling a lot, walking around airports, and people would stop and say, 'What's going to happen with you two? Are they going to find you a husband?' It's funny."
Conlin is also pretty intimate with another cast "member", even if viewers have a better idea of what it looks like than she does.
"I've mastered the fine art of imagining the invisible Angelator," she laughs.
"After three seasons I could give you a good lesson on that. Basically it's about focusing on a point between you and the other actor, an invisible line. I have to visualise it before the scene."
When she's not rolling out convoluted phrases about bodily tissue or cheekbones, she's calling her best mate Brennan "sweetie" and encouraging her to have a good time.
"I really liked Angela's voice from the very beginning. She's very irreverent. To have that quality in a young woman on screen to start with, I knew that I wanted to play her.
"The 'sweeties' are written but Emily's a very good friend so a lot of time it just comes out. You become the character and the character becomes you over the length of time we've been shooting.
"I like to think I have a lot of the qualities that Angela has but there are also the days where she's much bawdier and crazier than I am. She's a real hoot to play."
LOWDOWN
Who: Michaela Conlin, who plays Angela Montenegro on Bones
When & where: Monday, 8.30pm
