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House (TV series)
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"House M.D." redirects here. For the titular character, see Gregory House.

House

Also known as House, M.D.

 Medical drama
Genre

Created by David Shore

Starring  Hugh Laurie

 Lisa Edelstein

 Omar Epps

 Robert Sean Leonard

 Jennifer Morrison

 Jesse Spencer

 Peter Jacobson

 Kal Penn

 Olivia Wilde

 Amber Tamblyn

 Odette Annable

 Charlyne Yi

Opening theme "Teardrop" by Massive Attack (U.S.)

"House" by Scott Donaldson and Richard

Nolan (Europe, season 1 only)

"House, M.D. Main Theme" by Jon Ehrlich and

Leigh Roberts (International (from season 2

on), and Netflix)

Composers  Jason Derlatka

  Jon Ehrlich

 Christopher Hoag (pilot episode)

Country of origin United States

Original language English

No. of seasons 8

No. of episodes 177 (list of episodes)

Production

Executive producers  Paul Attanasio

 Katie Jacobs

 David Shore

 Bryan Singer

 Thomas L. Moran

 Russel Friend

 Garrett Lerner

 Greg Yaitanes

 Hugh Laurie

Cinematography  Newton Thomas Sigel

 Walt Lloyd

 Roy H. Wagner

 Gale Tattersall

 Tony Gaudioz

Running time 41–49 minutes[1]

Production  Heel and Toe Films

companies  Shore Z Productions

 Bad Hat Harry Productions

 NBC Universal Television Studio

(2004–2007)

(seasons 1–4)
 Universal Media Studios

(2007–2011)

(seasons 4–7)
 Universal Television

(2011–2012)
 (season 8)

Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution

Release

Original network FOX

Picture format  480i

 HDTV 720p

Original release November 16, 2004 –

May 21, 2012

Chronology

Related shows  Nurse Jeffrey[2]

 Dr. Richter[3]

External links

Website

House (also called House, M.D.) is an American medical drama television series that

originally ran on the FOX network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May
21, 2012. The series's main character is Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), an
unconventional, misanthropic medical genius who, despite his dependence on pain
medication, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro
Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. The series's premise originated with Paul
Attanasio, while David Shore, who is credited as creator, was primarily responsible for
the conception of the title character.
The series's executive producers included Shore, Attanassio, Attanassio's business
partner Katie Jacobs, and film director Bryan Singer. It was filmed largely in a
neighborhood and business district in Los Angeles County's Westside called Century
City. The show received high critical acclaim, and was consistently one of the highest
rated series in the United States.
House often clashes with his fellow physicians, including his own diagnostic team,
because many of his hypotheses about patients' illnesses are based on subtle or
controversial insights. His flouting of hospital rules and procedures frequently leads him
into conflict with his boss, hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa
Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). House's only true friend is Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean
Leonard), head of the Department of Oncology.
During the first three seasons, House's diagnostic team consists of Dr. Robert
Chase (Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Dr. Eric
Foreman (Omar Epps). At the end of the third season, this team disbands. Rejoined by
Foreman, House gradually selects three new team members: Dr. Remy "Thirteen"
Hadley (Olivia Wilde), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson) and Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal
Penn). Chase and Cameron continue to appear occasionally in different roles at the
hospital. Kutner dies late in season five; early in season six, Cameron departs the
hospital, and Chase returns to the diagnostic team. Thirteen takes a leave of absence
for most of season seven, and her position is filled by medical student Martha M.
Masters (Amber Tamblyn). Cuddy and Masters depart before season eight; Foreman
becomes the new Dean of Medicine, while Dr. Jessica Adams (Odette Annable) and Dr.
Chi Park (Charlyne Yi) join House's team.
House was among the top ten series in the United States from its second season
through the fourth season. Distributed to 66 countries, House was the most-watched
television program in the world in 2008.[4] The show received numerous awards,
including five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Peabody Award,
and nine People's Choice Awards. On February 8, 2012, FOX announced that the
eighth season, then in progress, would be its last. [5] The series finale aired on May 21,
2012, following an hour-long retrospective.

Contents

 1Production
o 1.1Conception
 1.1.1References to Sherlock Holmes
o 1.2Production team
o 1.3Casting
o 1.4Filming style and locations
o 1.5Opening sequence
 2Series overview
 3Cast and characters
o 3.1Main characters
o 3.2Recurring characters
 4Episodes
 5Reception
o 5.1Critical reception
 5.1.1Critics' top ten lists
o 5.2U.S. television ratings
o 5.3Awards and honors
 6Distribution
o 6.1DVD and Blu-Ray releases
 7Merchandise
 8Footnotes
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links

Production[edit]
Conception[edit]
In 2004, David Shore and Paul Attanasio, along with Attanasio's business partner Katie
Jacobs, pitched the series (untitled at the time) to Fox as a CSI-style medical detective
program,[6] a hospital whodunit in which the doctors investigated symptoms and their
causes.[7] Attanasio was inspired to develop a medical procedural drama by The New
York Times Magazine column, "Diagnosis", written by physician Lisa Sanders, who is
an attending physician at Yale–New Haven Hospital (YNHH); the fictitious Princeton–
Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH, not to be confused with the University Medical
Center of Princeton at Plainsboro) is modeled after this teaching institution.[8] Fox bought
the series, though the network's then-president, Gail Berman, told the creative team, "I
want a medical show, but I don't want to see white coats going down the hallway".
[9]
 Jacobs has said that this stipulation was one of the many influences that led to the
show's ultimate form.[9]
We knew the network was looking for procedurals, and Paul [Attanasio] came up with this medical idea that was like
a cop procedural. The suspects were the germs. But I quickly began to realize that we needed that character
element. I mean, germs don't have motives.
—David Shore to Writer's Guild magazine[10]

After Fox picked up the show, it acquired the working title Chasing Zebras, Circling the
Drain[11] ("zebra" is medical slang for an unusual or obscure diagnosis, while "circling the
drain" refers to terminal cases, patients in an irreversible decline). [12] The original
premise of the show was of a team of doctors working together trying to "diagnose the
undiagnosable".[13] Shore felt it was important to have an interesting central character,
one who could examine patients' personal characteristics and diagnose their ailments
by figuring out their secrets and lies.[13] As Shore and the rest of the creative team
explored the character's possibilities, the program concept became less of procedure
and more focused upon the lead role. [14] The character was named "House", which was
adopted as the show's title, as well.[11] Shore developed the characters further and wrote
the script for the pilot episode.[6] Bryan Singer, who directed the pilot episode and had a
major role in casting the primary roles, has said that the "title of the pilot was 'Everybody
Lies', and that's the premise of the show".[14] Shore has said that the central storylines of
several early episodes were based on the work of Berton Roueché, a staff writer
for The New Yorker between 1944 and 1994, who specialized in features about unusual
medical cases.[7]
Shore traced the concept for the title character to his experience as a patient at a
teaching hospital.[15] Shore recalled: "I knew, as soon as I left the room, they would be
mocking me relentlessly [for my cluelessness] and I thought that it would be interesting
to see a character who actually did that before they left the room." [16] A central part of the
show's premise was that the main character would be disabled in some way. [17] The
original idea was for House to use a wheelchair, but Fox rejected this. Jacobs later
expressed her gratitude for the network's insistence that the character be reimagined—
putting him on his feet added a crucial physical dimension. [14] The writers ultimately
chose to give House a damaged leg arising from an incorrect diagnosis, which requires
him to use a cane and causes him pain that leads to a narcotic dependency.[17]
References to Sherlock Holmes[edit]
Sherlock Holmes serves as an inspiration for the series.

References to the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur

Conan Doyle appear throughout the series.[18][19] Shore explained that he was always a
Holmes fan and found the character's indifference to his clients unique. [16] The
resemblance is evident in House's reliance on deductive reasoning[18] and psychology,
even where it might not seem obviously applicable, [12] and his reluctance to accept cases
he finds uninteresting.[20] The name "Holmes" is a homophone of the word "homes", and
the words "home" and "house" have a similar meaning. [21] House's investigatory method
is to eliminate diagnoses logically as they are proved impossible; Holmes uses a similar
method.[11] Both characters play instruments (House plays the piano, the guitar, and the
harmonica; Holmes, the violin) and take drugs (House is dependent on Vicodin; Holmes
uses cocaine recreationally).[18] House's relationship with Dr. James Wilson echoes that
between Holmes and his confidant, Dr. John Watson.[11] Robert Sean Leonard, who
portrays Wilson, said that House and his character—whose name is very similar to
Watson's—were originally intended to work together much as Holmes and Watson do;
in his view, House's diagnostic team has assumed that aspect of the Watson role.
[22]
 Shore said that House's name itself is meant as "a subtle homage" to Holmes. [11]
[23]
 House's address is 221B Baker Street, a direct reference to Holmes's street address.
[12]
 Wilson's address is also 221B.[24]
Individual episodes of the series contain additional references to the Sherlock Holmes
tales. The main patient in the pilot episode is named Rebecca Adler after Irene Adler, a
character in the first Holmes short story, "A Scandal in Bohemia".[25] In the season two
finale, House is shot by a crazed gunman credited as "Moriarty", the name of Holmes's
nemesis.[26] In the season four episode "It's a Wonderful Lie", House receives a "second-
edition Conan Doyle" as a Christmas gift. [27] In the season five episode "The Itch", House
is seen picking up his keys and Vicodin from the top of a copy of Conan Doyle's The
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.[28] In another season five episode, "Joy to the World",
House, in an attempt to fool his team, uses a book by Joseph Bell, Conan Doyle's
inspiration for Sherlock Holmes.[11] The volume had been given to him the previous
Christmas by Wilson, who included the message "Greg, made me think of you." Before
acknowledging that he gave the book to House, Wilson tells two of the team members
that its source was a patient, Irene Adler.[29] Season 7 episode 3 includes a young
adult boyhood detective book series written by the patient, whose final unpublished
volume ends in an ambiguous end to the main character reminiscent of "The Final
Problem". The series finale also pays homage to Holmes's apparent death in "The Final
Problem", the 1893 story with which Conan Doyle originally intended to conclude the
Holmes chronicles.[30]