House

The executive producers of House, David Shore, Katie Jacobs and Hugh Laurie, have released this statement on Facebook regarding the future of the series:

After much deliberation, the producers of House M.D. have decided that this season of the show, the 8th, should be the last. By April this year they will have completed 177 episodes, which is about 175 more than anyone expected back in 2004.

The decision to end the show now, or ever, is a painful one, as it risks putting asunder hundreds of close friendships that have developed over the last eight years – but also because the show itself has been a source of great pride to everyone involved.

Since it began, House has aspired to offer a coherent and satisfying world in which everlasting human questions of ethics and emotion, logic and truth, could be examined, played out, and occasionally answered.  This sounds like fancy talk, but it really isn’t.  House has, in its time, intrigued audiences around the world in vast numbers, and has shown that there is a strong appetite for television drama that relies on more than prettiness or gun play.

But now that time is drawing to a close.  The producers have always imagined House as an enigmatic creature;  he should never be the last one to leave the party.  How much better to disappear before the music stops, while there is still some promise and mystique in the air.

The producers can never sufficiently express their gratitude to the hundreds of dedicated artists and technicians who have given so generously of their energy and talent to make House the show it has been – and perhaps will continue to be for some time, on one cable network or another.

The makers of House would also like to thank Fox Broadcasting and Universal Television for supporting the show with patience, imagination and large quantities of good taste.  The Studio-As-Evil-Adversary is one of the many clichés that House has managed to avoid, and for that the cast and crew are deeply grateful.

Lastly, the audience: some have come and some have gone, obviously. This is to be expected in the life of any show. But over the course of the last eight years, the producers of House have felt immensely honored to be the subject of such close attention by an intelligent, discriminating, humane and thoughtful – not to mention numerous – audience. Even the show’s detractors have been flattering in their way. Making the show has felt like a lively and passionate discussion about as many different subjects as could possibly be raised in 177 hours. The devotion and generosity of our viewers has been marvelous to behold.

So, finally, everyone at House will bid farewell to the audience and to each other with more than a few tears, but also with a deep feeling of gratitude for the grand adventure they have been privileged to enjoy for the last eight years.  If the show lives on somewhere, with somebody, as a fond memory, then that is a precious feat, of which we will always be proud.

Everybody Lies.

STATEMENT FROM KEVIN REILLY, PRESIDENT, ENTERTAINMENT, FOX BROADCASTING COMPANY:

While it’s with much regret, and a lump in our throats, we respect the decision Hugh, David and Katie have made.  A true original, on the page and amazingly brought to life by Hugh Laurie, there is only one Dr. House.  For eight seasons, the entire HOUSE team has given us – and fans around the world – some of the most compelling characters and affecting stories ever seen on television.  They have been creatively tenacious and collaborative throughout this incredible run, and they are amongst the most superior talents in the business.  For all the above, we wholeheartedly thank them, and the fans who have supported the show. 

She’s been voted one of the sexiest women on the planet and now House’s 13 (Olivia Wilde) is starring alongside Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in the new Hollywood blockbuster Cowboys and Aliens.

Check out the trailer:

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House actress Lisa Edelstein has announced that she will be leaving the medical drama. Edelstein, who plays Dr Lisa Cuddy, confirmed that she will not be returning for the show’s eighth season.

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Despite all the trouble Charlie Sheen has been in recently, he still has one thing going for him: he earns more that anyone else on TV.

The Two and a Half Men star has been named the highest-earning TV star, finishing ahead of the likes of House actor Hugh Laurie and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

Sheen pulls a whopping $1.25m per episode of the sitcom, which he recently resigned on to for more seasons. Why wouldn’t you?

His co-star Jon Cryer earns a mild $550,000 for the same amount of work- coming in at second place on the list.

Hugh Laurie is the highest-paid drama actor, earning over $400,000 per episode of House, with Law & Order: SVU actors Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay tied at second on $395,000.

Comedy stars Tina Fey pulls $350,000 per episode for 30 Rock while The Office boss Steve Carell’s pay cheque reads $297,000 per outing.

Source: Digital Spy

The House team will be without series regular Olivia Wilde for the majority of next season.

The 26-year-old actress, who plays Dr. “Thirteen” Hadley, will depart the hit series in order to shoot Iron Man director Jon Favreau’s new big-budget flick Cowboys & Aliens.

“She had this opportunity and she was really excited about it,” says House executive producer Katie Jacobs. “We’re very proud of her and very happy for her.”

“Olivia will be there at the very beginning of the season, and then she will not be there for a period of time.”

“The two things — the dates that she was going to be away and the story line [we wanted to tell] — worked out,” Jacobs adds. “When the story unfolds, it will [all make] sense.”

The production of the movie will overlap with that of House for at least two months and during this time her departure from the show is being disguised as a “leave of absence” for Wilde’s character.

Source: EW

Arriving on Sky1 HD earlier this year, HOUSE has cemented itself as a firm favourite with the channel’s viewers. Packed full of sarcastic witticisms from the eponymous grouchy yet genius medic, season five saw Dr Gregory House (Laurie) continue to unravel the most unusual of medical complaints (ruling out lupus each time); but a turning point came when team member Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn) took his own life. As House struggled with his feelings about the suicide, his addiction to pain medication began to spiral out of control. Soon he was hallucinating about conversations with the deceased Amber (Anne Dudek) and as the series built to its finale a drug induced episode led House to hallucinate he had a passionate sexual encounter with love interest and sparring partner Dr Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). As the season concluded, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) took House to a psychiatric institution.

Moving away from Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, season six begins with a two-hour episode based in Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital where the doctor is now the patient. “The beginning of the season is primarily focussed on House trying to find some semblance of sanity” says executive producer David Shore, “and he isn’t necessarily succeeding.” Events in the premiere episode take place over a two or three month period and Emmy® winner Andre Braugher is confirmed to guest star as House’s doctor.

As the season progresses, House’s transition back to normal life is far from easy. As the diagnostician moves in with Wilson on his release from hospital and begins his efforts to reclaim his medical licence, the relationship between House and his best friend is explored. And although taking a back seat in the series, according to Shore, House and Cuddy’s relationship will continue to spark. After all, as Wilson pointed out, House’s hallucination of sex with Cuddy was the reality he wants to exist.

Elsewhere, Foreman (Omar Epps) takes control of the diagnostics department in House’s absence, leading to tensions between himself and Thirteen (Olivia Wilde), while the newly married Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Chase (Jesse Spencer) return to more prominent roles in the team.

The voice of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones, will guest star later in the series as an African dictator who becomes a patient at the hospital.

Accompanying the brand new series of HOUSE will be an exclusive behind the scenes special filmed on location for Sky1 HD. HOUSE: ACCESS ALL AREAS (Working Title) will journey to Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital to see just what happens on the set of the world’s most watched TV show. With exclusive interviews with all the key cast and crew including Hugh Laurie and David Shore, plus a behind the scenes set tour from Dr Cuddy (Edelstein) HOUSE: ACCESS ALL AREAS will allow fans to get as close to the show as humanly possible in never seen before detail.

Executive produced by David Shore, Katie Jacobs and The Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer, HOUSE was the most watched television show in the world in 2008. With three technical advisors working on the show – led by Lisa Sanders an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine – the show’s medical credentials certainly stack up. In 2005, Laurie appeared on the cover of US Magazine TV Guide as “TV’s Sexiest Man” and, in 2008; House was voted the second sexiest television doctor ever, behind ER’s Doug Ross (George Clooney). The series also bares strong links with criminal detective Sherlock Holmes, and not just in House’s indifference to patients and addiction to drugs; his apartment number is 221B.

Brand new House, Sundays at 9pm from the 4th October on Sky1 HD.

With baffling medical mysteries, sarcasm and fashionable yet suggesting trouble stubble, the Emmy®, Screen Actors Guild®, Golden Globe® and Peabody® award- winning House, starring Hugh Laurie returns to Sky1 HD this October.

House has cemented itself as a firm favourite with TV viewers, becoming more than the cult classic many (ie Me) thought it would initially be.

Rammed full of sarcastic witticisms from the eponymous crank, season five saw Dr Gregory House continue to unravel the most unusual of medical complaints (ruling out lupus each time); but a turning point came when team member Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn) took his own life.

As House struggled with his feelings about the suicide, his addiction to pain medication began to spiral out of control. Soon he was hallucinating about conversations with the deceased Amber (Anne Dudek) and as the series built to its finale a drug induced episode led House to hallucinate he had a passionate sexual encounter with love interest and sparring partner Dr Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).

Yowzer.

As the season concluded, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) took House to a psychiatric institution. Moving away from Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, season six begins with a two-hour episode based in Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital where the doctor is now the patient.

“The beginning of the season is primarily focussed on House trying to find some semblance of sanity” says executive producer David Shore, “and he isn’t necessarily succeeding.”

Sounds rather exciting doesn’t it? Brand new House is on Sundays at 9pm from the 4th October on Sky1 HD.

Golden Globe® and Screen Actors Guild winner Hugh Laurie returns to UK screens as Dr Gregory House in the medical whodunnit HOUSE this summer with brand new episodes airing on Sky1 and Sky1 HD from Sunday 31 May, 2009.

Golden Globe® and Screen Actors Guild winner Hugh Laurie returns to UK screens as Dr Gregory House in the medical whodunnit HOUSE this summer with brand new episodes airing on Sky1 and Sky1 HD from Sunday 31 May, 2009.

HOUSE is a doctor devoid of bedside manner, whose behaviour often borders on antisocial, but he’s a brilliant diagnostician whose unconventional thinking and flawless instincts afford him a great deal of respect from his peers. An infectious disease specialist, he thrives on the challenge of solving medical puzzles in order to save lives.

As the fifth season begins, HOUSE’s guilt and Wilson’s (Robert Sean Leonard) grief over the death of Wilson’s girlfriend Amber sends ripples through Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Wilson, still in mourning, wants nothing to do with HOUSE given his tangential role in her death. As a result, HOUSE, desperate to win back his only real friend, looks to his colleagues from his diagnostic team including plastic surgeon Dr Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson); the enigmatic Dr Remy Hadley (Olivia Wilde) and enthusiastic radical Dr Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn) .

Hugh Laurie commented: “What we’re seeing this season is how vulnerable HOUSE really is. I think it’s fascinating to watch HOUSE pursue Wilson. He needs him, and I suppose he’s revealed himself more than ever this year because he’s so needy. Despite HOUSE’s vaunted independence and grumbled disdain for humanity, we’re seeing that he’s a man with real human emotion.”

But what does this mean for our curmudgeonly anti-hero? Will recent events have a lasting impact or will HOUSE return to his old self? Leonard commented: “Certainly Amber’s death has changed things between them and will continue to affect that relationship…he [HOUSE] doesn’t want Wilson to hate him. To me that’s the most naked HOUSE has been in five years.”

Laurie adds: “HOUSE needs Wilson for…vanity. He needs someone to laugh at his jokes. HOUSE needs an audience as much as he needs patients for his clinical skills…the jokes aren’t simple comic relief. They’re quite profound. HOUSE’s ability to find humour in the absurd, whether it’s during an influenza outbreak, let’s say, or in the privacy of his own mind, helps HOUSE cope with the daily traffic of human misery that runs through the hospital.”

And find humour he does, albeit of the acerbic, bitter and twisted nature we’ve come to expect from the Vicodin addicted, misanthropic medical genius, professing such classic HOUSE-isms in the season opener, Dying Changes Everything, as: “My patient’s still fighting in the feminist trenches, but the war is over. Yesterday’s sluts are today’s empowered women, today’s sluts are celebrities — if that isn’t progress.”

HOUSE also stars Lisa Edelstein as Dr Lisa Cuddy, the Dean of Medicine and Hospital Administrator, with whom HOUSE maintains a somewhat volatile relationship – the two are engaged in constant conflict over HOUSE’s duties and unconventional behaviour, though even she would admit that his brilliance is more-often-than-not worth the trouble; Omar Epps as Neurologist Dr Eric Foreman who serves as Cuddy’s eyes and ears on HOUSE; Jennifer Morrison as Immunologist and Head of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Allison Cameron; and Jesse Spencer as Surgeon, Dr. Robert Chase.

In Season 5, as well as celebrating the shows milestone 100th episode, we’ll witness Cuddy fulfilling her dream of motherhood after adopting an infant girl and Foreman starting a relationship with Dr. ‘Thirteen’ Hadley, who continues to battle the deadly Huntington’s disease, plus the creators will further explore HOUSE and Cuddy’s relationship to determine exactly what type of relationship they share — if any. Fans have been buzzing about the “Huddy” hook-up for some time, with the chemistry between the two palpable. Lisa Edelstein commented: “I don’t necessarily think it will ever be a satisfying relationship in terms of both of them kind of settling in and saying this is what we’re doing. But she has a complicated relationship with men…She likes the screwed up ones…It’s a beautiful, complicated adult relationship between those two characters.”

HOUSE Season 5 launches with a double-bill on Sunday 31 May, 2009 on Sky1 and Sky1 HD.

Sky1 has signed a deal with NBC Universal International Television Distribution to secure the first run TV rights in the UK to the hit medical drama series House, it was announced today. House will continue its second run in the UK on Hallmark, where it has been airing since 2005.

Starring Hugh Laurie as Dr Gregory House, the series has won the hearts of viewers and critics alike and has been honoured on numerous occasions with awards including three Emmys, two Golden Globes and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sky1 has acquired the series as it enters its fifth season in the UK and reaches the milestone 100th episode.

House, an innovative take on the medical drama, solves mysteries where the villain is a medical malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients.

BSkyB’s Sophie Turner Laing, Managing Director, Entertainment said: “I’m delighted to be bringing House to Sky1.  The series has long entertained fans with its highly original take on a medical procedural drama and wry humour.  Consistently excellent with a wonderful cast, House is the perfect addition to the channel that delivers the very best US drama to our customers.”

House is from Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Katie Jacobs, David Shore, Paul Attanasio, Bryan Singer, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and Thomas L. Moran are executive producers.  House is distributed internationally by NBC Universal International Television Distribution.