The Real Reason House MD Bid Farewell After Season 8 (Shocking Revelation!)

Summary

House producers wanted to end the show after season 8 to keep the enigmatic appeal of the central character and maintain the show's mystique.

Universal Television expressed interest in continuing House for another season, however, Fox had reservations and only agreed to produce 13 episodes for season 9. Despite negotiations between the two parties, they ultimately reached a mutual agreement to conclude the show after season 8.

House ended in 2012 after its eighth season, leaving people wondering whether the show concluded naturally or if it was cancelled. Starring Hugh Laurie as the unconventional Dr. Gregory House, the series was based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels and centered around the diagnostic medicine department at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. With its global viewership exceeding 81 million, House became the world's most-watched fictional TV show in 2008 throughout its 177-episode run.

Towards the end, viewership declined and key characters such as Cuddy had departed. As a result, Fox (the network), Universal Television (the main production company), and the production team led by creator Howard Shore began discussing whether the show had reached its conclusion after eight seasons. However, these discussions were not straightforward.

House's Producers Wanted To End The Show Before It Got Stale

On February 8th, 2012, an open letter written by Shore, Laurie, and executive producer Katie Jacobs was published announcing that House season 8 would be its last. The decision was made after careful consideration, as the producers wanted to maintain the enigmatic nature of the show's central character, Dr. Gregory House. They believed that ending the show while there was still an element of mystery surrounding House would be fitting. The success of many of the show's central actors, like Olivia Wilde, after House ended further supported the producers' decision. However, it is worth noting that there were indications that a season 9 of House was a possibility.

House Was Not Always Going To Be Canceled

TV Guide reported in 2012 that Universal Television wanted to continue the show House for another season of 22 episodes. However, Fox, who was paying $5 million per episode to air the medical series, was hesitant and only committed to a 13-episode season 9. Negotiations between Fox and Universal Television dragged on until Howard Shore and Fox reached a mutual agreement to end the show after the conclusion of season 8. This aligns with comments made by Kevin Reilly, the president of entertainment at Fox at the time, who stated that the future of House was still undecided just weeks before the official announcement. While canceling the show made sense due to the reduced cast, there were still many who fought to keep it going.

The TV Guide report mentioned that Hugh Laurie, the star of the series, was advocating for its continuation. In fact, there were discussions about Laurie accepting a substantial reduction in his salary, as he was one of the highest paid actors on television at that time, in order to bring back the show. Although the ratings had decreased, they were still reasonably high, indicating a demand from fans for more episodes of House. Ultimately, the decision provided Shore and the production team with sufficient time to create a fitting series finale for the eighth season of House.