Hart Hanson (born July 26, 1957) is an American-born television writer and producer, as well as an author. He is best known as the creator, executive producer, and writer of the TV series Bones.
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Biography
Hanson's family moved to Canada when he was a child. He received a BA from the University of Toronto and a MFA from the University of British Columbia, where he taught briefly. Hanson moved into Canadian television in the early 1990s, writing on a variety of dramas, including Neon Rider,The Odyssey, and Traders. He jumped to American productions later that decade, working on The Outer Limits and Stargate SG-1, among others.
Bones was developed during the latter part of the pitching season of 2004 when 20th Century Fox approached Hanson. Hanson was asked to meet Barry Josephson, who had purchased the rights to produce a documentary on forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. Hanson later also created and wrote its spinoff, The Finder.
In February 2013, Entertainment Weekly reported that Hanson would be writing about an "overweight, offensive cop" on FOX's television show, Backstrom.
Hanson wrote The Driver, a novel released by Dutton on August 8, 2017, and named by The New York Times as one of the best crime novels of 2017. It centers on limousine driver and war veteran Michael Skellig, who protects a sports mogul from assassins.
In 2019, Hanson joined a host of other writers in firing their agents as part of the Writers Guild of America's stand against the Association of Talent Agents and the practice of packaging.
He considers himself a lapsed Catholic.
Filmography
African Skies (1991), writer
Candles, Snow & Mistletoe (1993), writer
Trust in Me (1994), writer
Guitarman (1994), writer
Whale Music (1994), story editor
Nobody's Business (1995), writer
Expert Witness (2003), executive producer
Television
Neon Rider (1991), Writer
The Odyssey (1992–1994), writer, director, story editor
Road to Avonlea (1992–1996), Writer
Ready or Not (1993), writer
North of 60 (1994–1996), writer
Street Legal (1994), writer
Trust in Me (1994), associate producer
Traders (1996–2000), writer, supervising producer
The Outer Limits (1997), writer
Stargate SG-1 (1997–1999), writer
Cupid (1998–1999), writer, consulting/supervising producer
Snoops (1999), co-executive producer
Judging Amy (2000–2003), writer, consulting producer, executive producer
Joan of Arcadia (2003–2004), writer, consulting producer
Bones (2005–2017), creator, writer, executive producer
The Finder (2012), creator, writer, executive producer
Backstrom (2014), creator, writer, executive producer
Fiction
The Driver (2017) ISBN 978-1101986363
The Seminarian (2024) ISBN 979-8212234825
Awards and nominations
Hanson has won four Gemini Awards. He was awarded Austin Film Festival's Outstanding Television Award in 2011.
