'Bones' season 12 news and updates: Premiere date slated for winter 2017, serial killer from season 11 episode 13 to re-appear and 'psychologically mess with a lot of the characters'

Long-running hit TV series "Bones" season 11 still has two months before its finale, but it's never too early to talk about the upcoming season. After all, Fox already renewed the show for its 12th and final season.

Executive producer Michael Peterson recently sat down in an interview with Zap2it where he teased what plans they have in the books for the show's last season. "We're just kind of embracing it. It's been fun, the studio has been really supportive of us," the EP said. "Looking at Season 12, we're just saying, 'Make this an event. Make this something where every episode really counts.' We were able to pitch what we wanted to do with the characters – especially Boothe and Brennan. Going back and watching the early seasons, we just noticed there were certain arcs that hadn't felt like they were finished yet, so that's what we went in and pitched. That's why we ended up with Season 12. They were like 'You're right, that sounds good. That sounds like what the fans want.'"

In terms of how the plot will play out, Peterson gave an assurance that the storyline will be written according to how fans would like it to be. "We're writing it very much from the fans perspective. We're going to put you through a rollercoaster ride, but do trust these are fans writing for the show. We'll put you through a lot, but we'll come out in a very good place," he added.

A serial killer who previously appeared in season 11 episode 13 titled "The Monster in the Closet" will also re-appear in season 12. Peterson confirmed it via TV Guide, saying, "We'll probably look at them one more time in this season and one more time next season. If we're having fun we might go a little longer, but you can expect one more this season and one more [in Season 12]." He described the perpetrator to "psychologically mess with a lot of the characters" and a person who is able to "haunt your subconscious."

Fans of "Bones" might have to wait quite longer to say goodbye to their favorite series as the FOX network confirmed that the final season will premiere on winter 2017. It was initially set to air in the fall with a Thursdays-at-9 time slot, but it was replaced by freshman series "Pitch."