Emily Deschanel is probably at her best as the titular forensic anthropologist inBones, but I have a special place in my heart for her cameo in this underrated sitcom.Emily Deschanel rose to prominencethanks to her starring role in the hit Fox proceduralBones, where she co-stars as Temperence “Bones” Brennan opposite David Boreanaz’s Seeley Booth. For 12 seasons, Bones and Seeley solved crime together using Seeley’s detective skills and Bones' nearly supernatural powers of anthropological deduction. Of course, they also spent that time falling in love.
It’s the best role of Emily Deschanel’s career, whichhas included parts inAnimal Kingdomas Angela,Devil in Ohioas Dr. Suzanne Mathis,Big Boysas Nicole, and then mostly smaller, one-episode performances in shows such asThe Rookie,Drunk History, andCrossing Jordan.Deschanel has had an interesting career, particularly when compared to her sister, Zooey, who has had a much more traditional Hollywood career. Whatever she appears in, Deschanel nails, and that includes a brief cameo in this very funny sitcom.
Emily Deschanel Narrates The Audiobook Of The Cloud 9 CEO’s Autobiography In Superstore
The Staff Loves Bones And Emily Deschanel
Emily Deschanel appears inSuperstoreseason 5, episode 16, “Employee App”, or at least, her voice does. In the episode, the employees ofSuperstoreare forced to learn a frustrating new app. Though no one enjoys the app, they are excited about one thing. The app includes an audiobook of the CEO’s autobiography titled “Who Run the World? Me” and it’s narrated by Emily Deschanel, playing herself.As huge fans ofBones, the characters quickly download the new app, in part to listen to Deschanel’s voice.
It’s a very quick scene, but it’s just so funny to imagine that the folks ofSuperstoreare hugeBonesfans and their love of the star actress and the show is enough to convince them to download an app that they would hate otherwise. It’s a cameo that also shows Deschanel is willing to mock herself. The joke is that while Emily Deschanel is famous, she’s not that famous, and yet it’s still exciting enough for the cast ofSuperstore. It takes confidence and the ability to be self-deprecating to effectively pull off a cameo like this one.
How Deschanel Ended Up Cameoing In Superstore, Explained By The Series Creator
The Series Creator Was Longtime Friends With Emily Deschanel
Superstore’s creator, Justin Spitzer, explained how the cameo came to be (viaGiveMeMyRemote). Spitzer said, “Emily’s husband (David Hornsby) used to wait tables with my wife (Jenna Bans) at a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan called Santa Fe. And we’re all friends to this day. So when we were trying to think of a celebrity to read the CEO’s autobiography, I suggested Emily and the room liked it.” It was as simple as that apparently.
With approval from his writing team, Spitzer said, “So then I texted Emily and offered her this role of a lifetime.” Of course, he was making a joke, and corrected himself, saying, “Actually, it was more like I begged her to drive all the way across town to say two sentences in a sound booth, but she was cool and agreed.” Before Spitzer recalled that the CEO of the store was a woman,he originally pitched Rainn Wilson as the narrator,
“In terms of other names, I had at first forgotten that it had been established that the CEO was a woman, so my initial suggestion was Rainn Wilson. That’d have been fun too, but it’d have been weird to have a male reading a female’s autobiography.”
It’s a great, quick joke, and someone like Emily Deschanel is exactly who a CEO would pick to read their autobiography in an attempt to be relatable and hip with their workers.
What Else Emily Deschanel Has Done Since Bones Ended
Emily Deschanel has had an interesting career since the end ofBones, and she seemingly picked her parts carefully since the series ended in 2017. In terms of movies, Deschanel only appeared in the Corey Sherman coming-of-age comedy,Big Boys, as Nicole. On TV, she’s had one-episode roles onThe Simpsons,The Rookie, andSuperstore. More notably, she costarred inDevil in Ohioas Dr. Suzanne Mathis, a doctor who takes in a young girl who escaped from a devil-worshipping cult, and brings her demons home with her.
Her other major role came inAnimal Kingdom, where she played Angela Kane in season 4. Angela was Julia Cody’s best friend before Julia died, and returns from prison in season 4. Deschanel is an excellent actor, whether she’s playing a leading character like inBonesor has a few lines like inSuperstore, and hopefully, she’ll have another big role soon.
Bones
Cast
Bones is a crime drama series centered around Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian’s Medico-Legal Lab, who, along with Special Agent Seeley Booth, solves murder cases involving severely decomposed remains that defy standard identification methods.
