Medical dramas can vary wildly in quality. Some are really good and become instantly popular (e.g., ER), some are good and never get good enough ratings to stick around, and a handful never really take off. This one, fortunately, is in the first category. It stars Hugh Laurie as Dr. Greg House, a witty, acerbic diagnostician with no bedside manner who does everything he can to avoid patients. He is the head of diagnostics at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. He leads a team of three young doctors, Dr. Robert Chase (played by Jesse Spencer), Dr. Allison Cameron (played by Jennifer Morrison) and Dr. Eric Foreman (played by Omar Epps). His boss, the hospital administrator and Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa Cuddy (played by Lisa Edelstein) is constantly butting heads with him and is the only one who can sort of keep him in line and on his toes, and his only true friend is Dr. James Wilson (played by Robert Sean Leonard), head of the Department of Oncology.
The series is basically a case-of-the-week procedural, with some patient presenting with symptoms that nobody can figure out. Each episode, for the most part, is self-contained with House making a brilliant diagnosis by the end of the episode, usually saving the patient. There is a serial arc about midway through the season that involves Chi McBride's recurring character who immediately dislikes House and vice-versa. The season ends with a two-part episode that sets up part of the storyline going into season two. Because the series was written by David Shore and Bryan Singer (before he became one of the persona-non-gratis in Hollywood) the series was able to get a bunch of recognizable guest stars as well as several young actors basically just starting out. Those included Robin Tunney, Cress Williams (who would go on to star in House of Dixie and Black Lightning), Sam Trammell (from True Blood), Elizabeth Mitchell, Dominic Purcell (before Prison Break), Brandy, Harry Lennix, Leslie Hope (from the first season of 24), Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sarah Clarke (also from 24), the aforementioned Chi McBride, John Cho, and Sela Ward.
For those who get the DVD set, there are six short featurettes that total about 20-minutes, give or take, The Concept (which is basically an overview of the show), the Casting Session with Hugh Laurie, Medical Cases (which talks about selecting the cases for the team to work on), a Set Tour with Jennifer Morrison and Lisa Edelstein, House-isms (in which the case discusses some of the better one-liners that House delivers, and one that is just entitled Dr. House, in which the cast and crew talk about the character. So, not a ton of extras, but what is included is good.
Overall, the series is great. The acting and writing are both top-notch. It is not exactly a politically correct show, and I am not sure some of what made it to air in the first season would fly today. But, the characters all have layers and are definitely not one-dimensional. Almost all of the main cast members get time to shine this season, and the show does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast. The best episode is probably the second-to-last episode of the season in which House is forced to substitute teach a class presenting three cases of leg pain to the medical students trying to see who can figure out what is wrong with each of them (which also includes pretty hilarious appearances by Carmen Electra). So, if you are a fan of medical dramas, and are one of the few who have not seen House by now, it is definitely worth watching.
The series is basically a case-of-the-week procedural, with some patient presenting with symptoms that nobody can figure out. Each episode, for the most part, is self-contained with House making a brilliant diagnosis by the end of the episode, usually saving the patient. There is a serial arc about midway through the season that involves Chi McBride's recurring character who immediately dislikes House and vice-versa. The season ends with a two-part episode that sets up part of the storyline going into season two. Because the series was written by David Shore and Bryan Singer (before he became one of the persona-non-gratis in Hollywood) the series was able to get a bunch of recognizable guest stars as well as several young actors basically just starting out. Those included Robin Tunney, Cress Williams (who would go on to star in House of Dixie and Black Lightning), Sam Trammell (from True Blood), Elizabeth Mitchell, Dominic Purcell (before Prison Break), Brandy, Harry Lennix, Leslie Hope (from the first season of 24), Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sarah Clarke (also from 24), the aforementioned Chi McBride, John Cho, and Sela Ward.
For those who get the DVD set, there are six short featurettes that total about 20-minutes, give or take, The Concept (which is basically an overview of the show), the Casting Session with Hugh Laurie, Medical Cases (which talks about selecting the cases for the team to work on), a Set Tour with Jennifer Morrison and Lisa Edelstein, House-isms (in which the case discusses some of the better one-liners that House delivers, and one that is just entitled Dr. House, in which the cast and crew talk about the character. So, not a ton of extras, but what is included is good.
Overall, the series is great. The acting and writing are both top-notch. It is not exactly a politically correct show, and I am not sure some of what made it to air in the first season would fly today. But, the characters all have layers and are definitely not one-dimensional. Almost all of the main cast members get time to shine this season, and the show does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast. The best episode is probably the second-to-last episode of the season in which House is forced to substitute teach a class presenting three cases of leg pain to the medical students trying to see who can figure out what is wrong with each of them (which also includes pretty hilarious appearances by Carmen Electra). So, if you are a fan of medical dramas, and are one of the few who have not seen House by now, it is definitely worth watching.
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