'House' series finale provokes fan tears

After eight seasons and several hundred brilliant diagnoses, there's no more "House."

And though Dr. Gregory House was cantankerous and arrogant and made his own share of enemies, the end of the series brought out its fair share of tears both off-screen and on.

Around 8.7 million viewers tuned in for "House's" final hurrah, up from the season average, which means many former fans returned just to see how the series would wrap up. (Warning: finale spoilers ahead.)

And what they got was a funeral. Dr. House's funeral, to be precise. House was trapped in a burning building and before he could get out, the thing exploded on him.

Hugh Laurie talks about his long goodbye to 'House'

When Hugh Laurie first came to Los Angeles nine years ago to star in what he assumed would be a short-lived medical drama called "House," he stayed, as befits a man of his musical and comedic tendencies, at the Chateau Marmont. There, he said, life felt as if "the grown-ups had left and the place was being run by teenagers." He liked it so much he stayed until, finally convinced of the show's success, he bought a house and moved his family over.

Now "House" is over, but for the exit interviews. So it seems only fitting he would choose the same hotel where it all started. Only this time he's just here for the day; in a bit he'll begin a world tour with his band Copperbottom and leave the world of Dr. Gregory House far behind.

"It's a proper world tour," he said, as if he might not be believed. "I mean people say 'world tour' and it's two stops, but we're going from Buenos Aires to Moscow."

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Laurie is a tall man, lanky, and though he looks, obviously, like House, he also doesn't. There's no limp, for example, but an easy laugh and he smiles a lot, his mouth hooking up at the corner like a boy's. Walking into the room with his motorcycle helmet in one hand and gloves in the other, he exudes such an air of genuine congeniality that you wonder how exactly he suppressed it on camera for all those years.

It's been a long goodbye, he said, with weeks of farewells as this actor or that crew member shot their final scene.

"I got very emotional when Omar [Epps] left," Laurie said. "I did his test with him.  Robert [Sean Leonard] was the only one who shot right to the end, so we had our last day together. And he took off like a scalded cat; I suppose he knew it would be emotional. And that we would see each other soon so ..."

Although Laurie is clearly looking forward to the next leg of his professional journey, he said he will miss Gregory House.

"I don't feel he was my character; he's not like me, or I'm not like him, but I do love him. I think it's part of an actor's responsibility to love the character you play, and I found him endlessly unpredictable and funny and self-loathing and unhappy. I was attracted to and moved by his unhappiness," he added, "and by unhappiness in general. Unhappiness is an unfinished state; happy people don't need our help."

Critic's Notebook: Farewell to 'House,' which remained true to itself

Time takes a toll on us all, no more so than characters of long-running TV shows. All narrative demands transformation of one sort of another and multiple seasons of revelations, realizations and shifting relationships work like the pounding surf against rock, softening the edges of even the most complicated personalities. By the final season of “MASH,” everyone was a good guy; it took only three seasons of “Glee” to turn Sue Sylvester into an applauding fan of New Directions.

So, as we prepare for the series finale, it is worth pausing for a moment to salute the people behind “House,” namely creator David Shore and actor Hugh Laurie, two maestros who have pulled off a near-miraculous feat: After eight long and occasionally crazy seasons, their title character departs with all his amazing faculties and flaws intact.

Dr. Gregory House is arguably the best and certainly the most influential character to appear on network television in the last decade. As played by Laurie, he answered the question many of us ask ourselves daily: What would life be like if you honest to God didn't care what anyone thought of you? Loosely based on Sherlock Holmes, House was brilliant and clearly broken (both physically and emotionally). He saved lives by solving cases, but his satisfaction came from the solution, not the salvation. “Everybody lies” was his mantra, proving it his life's work — the truth would out, no matter what the cost to him, to his patients, to those around him.

In the wake of the show’s success, that template became standard issue; every other TV detective (including a modern relaunch of Holmes himself on BBC) now comes equipped with a special ability to detect mendacity and a broken heart protectively rimed. But eight years ago, it was quite breathtaking; House was as instantly iconic as Tony Soprano.

Along with the limp, the Vicodin addiction and the refusal to shave, Shore and his writers wisely gave their medical detective a quick, black humor, which made Laurie an inspired casting choice. An accomplished comedian and musician, he not only nailed the punch lines and the pain, he infused them with an ecstatic soulfulness. House may have been an avowed atheist, but there were times when he looked like nothing so much as a hollow-eyed prophet, wandering the halls of Princeton Memorial waiting for the gods to speak.

Not every season of “House” worked as well as others. Chances were taken, with cast and story, and not all of them panned out. And there was a certain level of degeneration built in to both the genre and the character; even Arthur Conan Doyle famously got tired of all the brilliant deductions. More so than most shows, “House” often seemed to rest almost entirely on the strength of its main character, and one wondered just how long Laurie, and those writing for him, could keep things going.

Eight seasons, as it turns out, was just right. It isn't often that a show's final year is as good as its first, but it's true in this case, even with the rather crazy jail time (House in the big house) that opened things.

Hugh Laurie strikes back at media over 'House' finale claims

"House," the long-running Fox medical drama starring Hugh Laurie as the cantankerous but brilliant diagnostician Dr. Gregory House, is ending in May. No one disputes that.

But Laurie is disputing a report in the British newspaper the Telegraph, which quoted Laurie as saying, "There are very few things in life that are so deliciously enjoyable that you want to do them for 16 hours a day, every day -- including sex and fine dining. ... It's not the playing the character over and over again [that can get a bit much], it's the coming to work over and over again. You know, we have done 170 episodes now, I think. That's about 50 to 60 feature films' worth. You want a break. You really do."

In his response, sounding a bit like the grumpy doctor he plays on TV, Laurie says:

"Some newspapers, obviously dissatisfied by the statement we released last week, have suggested that 'the truth' -- a modern journalistic shorthand for 'not even remotely the truth but it's creepy enough so let's go with it' -- behind our joint decision was that I was sick of going to work.  The evidence for this was a remark I made five years ago about a different subject.

"Let me say unequivocally that I love my job, and work harder at it than most journalists work at theirs.  As we explained in our press release, we were trying to preserve some of the character's mystique; we never wanted to over-stay our welcome.  Very possibly, we could have continued with a re-worked formula -- House gets a job in a shoe shop and high jinks ensue -- but none of us could face that.  We wanted to keep the band together and go out with as much dignity as we could muster.

"I realize that plan is looking a little scruffy now, thanks to this petty rebuttal, but what the heck.  I had to put the record straight.

"As House himself has repeatedly said, 'everybody lies.' "

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Fox's 'House' will end after this season

'House' is ending and the fans seem OK with that

-- Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: Hugh Laurie in "House." Credit: Jordin Althaus / Fox

'House' is ending and the fans seem OK with that

There aren't as many "House" fans as there once were. During the show's eighth (and final) season, it's averaged 7.75 million viewers per episode. That's down from a season average of 19.95 million viewers during the show's third season in 2006-2007.

But now that the show is coming to a close, those fans are making their voices heard online. And for the most part, they're at peace with the decision. Despite their everlasting admiration for "House" and star Hugh Laurie, most seem ready for everyone to move on to the next thing.

Knitting and striped socks enthusiast Jessica Diamant tweeted, "Now that House is ending, I really want Hugh Laurie to do silly British comedy again. PLEASE?"

Current viewer Harle thinks the time is right: "House is ending... FINALLY. Don't get me wrong, I love the series... But it's getting too long and tedious, already."

Nashville, Tennessee resident KouBreeze wrote, "Patriots lost, Tarheels lost, Big KRIT pushed back, and House is ending. Worst week ever."

Cincinnati olfactory artist and creative juicer Liz Zorn wrote, "#House ending it's run this year. I knew the changing dynamic in cast and storyline was not sustainable, it's been a great ride though."

"House's" end means "Bones," now in its seventh season, will be Fox's longest-running drama. And "Bones" creator Hart Hanson might have been starting to feel the show's age when he tweeted, "I'm bummed about House."

"Bones'" star David Boreanaz also honored his fallen comrades with a tweet, "Thanks #House for all the years of brilliant story telling and compelling characters.Especially to Hugh Laurie and David Shore."

Meanwhile, "House's" executive producer and director Greg Yaitanes promised a good finale: "thank you to our crew and our fans for 8 amazing seasons of #House. the team as an amazing series finale in store for you."

Actress Odette Annable, who just joined the cast this season as Dr. Jessica Adams, tweeted the news with a hearty thank-you to everyone: "I just want to give a tremendous thank you to all of you for your continued support and love that you have shown over the years... to Dr. House and his team. I am so grateful to have been a part of what I believe is one of the best television shows of our decade... Thank you all so very much again. It has truly been a dream."

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— Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: Hugh Laurie in "House." Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox

Fox's 'House' will end after this season

The doctor is out: Fox's long-running drama "House" will end after this season.

In a joint statement, executive producers David Shore, Katie Jacobs and star Hugh Laurie said the following: "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."

The series, currently in its eighth season, is on track to complete 177 episodes by April. The viewership for the Monday night drama, though experiencing some dips, has remained strong, with the show averaging 9.8 million viewers in its 8 p.m. slot.

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The fate of the show on the network has been rocky. Last year's renewal came just days before Fox's upfront presentation. And in their parting statement, the producers offered a slight glimmer of hope, hinting that maybe the series could set up house some place else.

"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."

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--Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: Hugh Laurie in a scene from 'House.' Credit: Fox

SAG Awards: TV surprises and snubs

Melissa McCarthy of "Mike and Molly" and the Showtime drama "Homeland" were among the huge raves of the TV season, but both were surprisingly among the missing when the TV nominees for the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced.

McCarthy scored an upset in September when she won an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy series for the CBS sitcom, but on Wednesday she was left out of SAG Awards' outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series category (though she did get a movie nod for "Bridesmaids"). Those nominees include Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family"), Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie"), Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Betty White ("Hot in Cleveland").

Other prominent actresses that were omitted included Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation"), Zooey Deschanel ("New Girl"), Laura Linney ("The Big C"), Laura Dern ("Enlightened") and Christina Applegate ("Up All Night").

 PHOTOS: SAG Awards top nominees

Meanwhile, Ed O'Neill and Jesse Tyler Ferguson were the only adult cast members of "Modern Family" who did not score an individual SAG nod. In addition to Bowen's and Vergara's nods, Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell were nominated for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series. O'Neill and Ferguson were included in the comedy ensemble nomination for "Modern Family."

Also missing among major actors in the comedy categories were Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"), Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") and Louis C.K. ("Louie").

"Homeland," starring Claire Danes ("Temple Grandin"), Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, has been one of the critical highlights of the season, but the show and its performers were left out of the nominations.

A major surprise in the drama category was the nomination of Patrick J. Adams in USA's "Suits." Lewis beat out more well-known performers, such as Hugh Laurie ("House") and Kelsey Grammer ("Boss").

Who do you think should have been nominated? Vote in the poll below or let us know in the comments.

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The complete list of nominees

Complete list of TV nominations

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-- Greg Braxton 

Photo: Damien Lewis and Claire Danes in "Homeland." Credit: Kent Smith / Showtime

New and returning shows for the 2011 season

Here's a roundup of some of the highlights of the new and returning series in the 2011 fall TV season.

“Survivor: South Pacific” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, CBS: (season premiere) The contestants begin competing for a million-dollar prize. (N)

“H8R” 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, KTLA: (series premiere) TV personality Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi tries to win over a person who dislikes her; Jake Pavelka (“Bachelor”) faces his biggest hater. (N)

“America's Next Top Model” 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, KTLA: (season premiere) Fan-favorite contestants from past cycles return to compete; the women reenact memorable moments during the first photo shoot; guest judge Nicki Minaj. (N)

“Operation Repo” 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, Tru: (season premiere) Vehicle repossession pros deal with confrontations in California's San Fernando Valley. (N)

“Up All Night” 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, NBC: (series premiere) Reagan Brinkley tries to adjust to her new life as she returns from maternity leave to her job as a talk show executive producer to support her stay-at-home husband and their baby. (N)

“Hulk Hogan's Micro Championship Wrestling” 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, Tru: (series premiere) Hulk Hogan provides little wrestlers with advice, guidance and training; inside all of the insane action, conflict and drama that it takes to create a pro wrestling league from scratch. (N)

“Free Agents” 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, NBC: (series premiere) Two co-workers, both still reeling from their last relationships, try to sort out their relationship after a moment of weakness finds them in bed together. (N)

“The Vampire Diaries” 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, KTLA: (season premiere) In "The Birthday," Caroline plans a party for Elena's 18th birthday; Damon and Elena search for Stefan; Klaus and Stefan track a werewolf; Jeremy struggles with visions of ghosts. (N)

“The Secret Circle” 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, KTLA: (series premiere) After her mother dies in a mysterious accident, Cassie Blake moves to a small town to live with her grandmother. After a series of strange and dangerous events, Cassie's new friends reveal a secret. (N)

“Angels Among Us” 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, CMT: (series premiere) Commemorating the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. (N)

“It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, FX: (season premiere) In "Frank's Pretty Woman," the gang attempts an image makeover to uncover the heart of gold that exists deep inside Frank's prostitute fiancee. (N)

“Archer” 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, FX: (season premiere) In "Heart of Archness, Part I," Archer is finally tracked down in the South Pacific by handsome adventurer Rip Riley. (Part 1 of 3) (N)

“Ben 10: Ultimate Alien” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, Toon Disney: (season premiere) In "The Purge," Old George reignites a war against all aliens on Earth. (N)

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, Toon Disney: (season premiere) In "Water War: Gungan Attack," inhabitants of Mon Calamari are on the brink of civil war; the Jedi realize they need help from a powerful and amphibious ally to drive out Separatist invaders. (N)

“Need to Know” 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, KOCE: (season premiere) Reports on the economy, environment and energy, health, national security and culture. (N)

“20/20” 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, ABC: (season premiere) Investigative reporting. (N)

“Celebrity Nightmares Decoded” 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, Biography: (series premiere) Dustin "Screech” Diamond dreams of a faceless butcher; Danielle Staub wakes up hanging out of her bed after a nightmare; Nicole Eggert is tormented by snakes in her nightmares; Too Short dreams of meeting a ferocious dog. (N)

“How I Met Your Mother” 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, CBS: (season premiere) In "The Best Man," Barney and Ted reminisce about Punchy's wedding; Robin considers confessing her feelings. (N) 

“The Sing-Off” 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, NBC: (season premiere) Eight of the 16 competing groups unite to perform together. (N) 

'House' recap: The elephant in the room

Didja ever have one of those ex-boyfriends who wanted to reconcile, and when you refused, did something really, really ... well, dramatic, illegal and stupid?

Lisa Cuddy hears ya, girlfriend.

This week’s season finale opens on a chaotic accident scene, cherry tops ripping this holy night like a Bruce Springsteen song (well, it is New Jersey) and Cuddy and Wilson being interviewed by the cops.

Two women will test and tax House this week: ex-GF Cuddy and performance artist Afsoun Hamidi (played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, known for her gargles-with-gin voice and star turns in “House of Sand and Fog,” “House of Saddam” and now, “House.”)

We meet Afsoun during one of her pieces. She’s dressed in a wedding gown in a blinding-white gallery in which weapons of personal destruction –- an ax, scissors, restaurant-grade barbecue spatula, paint thinner -- are hanging from the ceiling. The public is invited to do whatever they want to her. One overly eager participant douses her in the paint thinner, then lights a match. That’s when her trusty assistant, Luca (James Hiroyuki Liao) staves off disaster. Afsoun collapses anyway.

At PPTH, she presents with arrhythmia and high hematocrit (high red blood cell count). Foreman thinks she’s nuts, but Thirteen believes her work “explores gender politics and self image.” I’m with Foreman on this one: She witnessed her mother commit suicide and in turn was abused by her stepfather. That’s got Last Train to Crazyville written all over it. 

Lisa Edelstein says she is leaving 'House'

Lisa Edelstein, who plays Dr. Lisa Cuddy on Fox's "House," says she is leaving the medical drama and will not be returning for the show's eighth season.

The actress said in a statement that "after much consideration, I am moving on with a combination of disappointment at leaving behind a character I have loved playing for seven years and excitement of the new opportunities in acting and producing that lie ahead."

Edelstein's character, a.k.a. "Cuddy," and Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) have had an on-off relationship. It remains to be seen how the new season will handle Edelstein's departure.

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-- Greg Braxton

Photo: Lisa Edelstein

Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press

 

'House' recap: Physician, heal thyself

 
And here I thought that in their off hours, doctors played some golf, took the yacht out for a little spin or maybe took in an opera now and then.

Turns out, they perform surgical procedures in the comfort and convenience of their own homes.

We have two Patients of the Week: Darrien (Amy Landecker), whom Thirteen knows from Cellblock No. 9, and House, who discovers that the experimental drug he’s been injecting has grown tumors in every rat in the trial and eventually killed them.

We meet ex-con Darrien as she hot-wires a car and pulls a “Fast and the Furious” straight to Thirteen’s apartment. She’s bleeding from a stab after an unfortunate run-in with a man at a crack house. She makes Thirteen promise not to take her to a hospital, as she’ll be busted again for associating with felons.

Thirteen sews her up but notices Darrien has no BP in her left arm, but her right arm’s fine. She phones Chase to ask him to check out a portable ulstrasound machine. She’s got a plumbing problem, she explains.

Chase brings her the machine but doesn’t fall for the plumbing story. Thirteen comes clean, and they try to diagnose Darrien’s issue. Maybe a lipoma (fat-filled sac)? Darrien’s fingers turn blue. Thirteen sends Chase back to PPTH for a bag of clotting factor. (I usually get mine at Trader Joe’s, but it closes at 9.)

'House' writers' room: The fix is in

Executive producer Thomas L. Moran co-wrote the teleplay (with creator David Shore) of Monday night's episode of "House." Here's the inside story. 

First, congratulations on the show being renewed for an eighth season. What’s the atmosphere like over on the lot?

TM: Thank you very much.  Right now the atmosphere on the lot is quiet because the "House" writing staff is on hiatus and hopefully enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation (and hopefully not renovating their house like I am).

House is a genius. I can understand a genius sliding into addiction (Vicodin), because, after all, he’s trapped in a human body like the rest of us. But it’s a big step for him to do something like experimenting on himself. That’s an intellectual choice, not a physical reaction. How did he get to this point?

TM: House is obsessed with keeping up to date on the newest medical breakthroughs and discoveries, even going so far as to read medical journals in foreign languages. He’s also clearly not someone who feels the need to wait for any “official” seal of approval before using what he concludes is a promising new theory or treatment, on his patient or himself.  So he’s been following Dr. Riggin’s research for a long time, fully understands the risks, and decided to roll the dice. And I’m not sure I blame him.  Thankfully, I have never had to deal with the kind of constant pain House has been struggling with for so many years, but I can guarantee if I had I would be willing to do almost anything to make it go away.