Nathan explained that everything they put into “Bones” had to go through the network’s standards and practices for approval; they weren’t in a position to “sneak” things onto the air. And, as one might predict for a forensic pathology show like “Bones,” there are constant conversations as to what can be shown in terms of blood and death. “Bones” is a lighthearted investigation show, mind you, and not a horror program, so it’s likely Nathan got away with a lot by dint of the show’s comedic underpinnings and objective, scientific title character.
When it came to a human birria bathtub, however, it seems that the execs couldn’t handle it. Nathan said:
“They will oftentimes say ‘That’s just too disgusting. Please cut that back.’ I think the weirdest one we ever had, it was season two. Scott Williams (who’s one of the co-executive producers) wrote an episode where a guy was kind of decomposed in a tub of goo. So you kind of saw the top of the head … and goo. But you didn’t really see anything. You saw a couple of bones. And they said ‘Oh no, you can’t do that! You can’t do that!’ I said ‘Why? You don’t see a body or anything,’ and they said ‘Oh no! But what it makes us imagine!’ and I said ‘How can I cut what you imagine?'”
The scene is plenty gross. There is a lot of red glop, a pale disembodied flap of skin (maybe a leg?), and some floating pink unidentifiable giblets. It looks like something one might see in a local haunted house. Nathan is right, though. You can’t really see anything human in the vat of Brunswick stew. There aren’t skulls or ribcages or intestines. Just … goo.