House, also known as
House, M.D., is an American television
medical drama that debuted on the
Fox network on November 16, 2004. The program was co-created by
David Shore and
Paul Attanasio; Fox officially credits Shore as creator. The show's central character is
Dr. Gregory House (
Hugh Laurie), an unconventional, maverick medical genius who heads a team of
diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton‑Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in
New Jersey. The show's premise originated with Attanasio, while Shore was primarily responsible for the conception of the title character. The show's executive producers include Shore, Attanasio, Attanasio's business partner
Katie Jacobs, and film director
Bryan Singer. It is largely filmed in
Century City.
Dr. House often clashes with his boss, hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine
Dr. Lisa Cuddy (
Lisa Edelstein), and his diagnostic team, because many of his hypotheses about patients' illnesses are based on subtle or controversial insights. 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); the latter was written out of the series toward the end of season 5. Chase and Cameron continue to appear in different roles at the hospital until early in season 6. Cameron then leaves the show, and Chase returns to the diagnostic team.
House is critically acclaimed and has high
viewership ratings. It was among the top ten rated shows in the United States from its second through its fourth season; in the 2008–09 season, it fell to nineteenth overall. Distributed to 66 countries,
House was the most watched television program in the world in 2008. The show has received
several awards, including a
People's Choice Award, a
Peabody Award, two
Golden Globe Awards, and three
Primetime Emmy Awards.
House's sixth season, in progress, began with a two-hour premiere on September 21, 2009.
