Summary

• House grew in popularity over time, showcasing how a series can learn from mistakes and evolve.
• House maintained its formula and characters' complexity, keeping viewers engaged through changing seasons.
• House's early episodes laid the groundwork, with later seasons taking risks and introducing new dynamics.

Having watched House season 1 when it first aired, I never thought it was going to become one of the most popular TV shows of its generation and still be relevant over a decade after it ended. While some TV shows only got worse after their debuts and should have ended in season 1, House is a great example of how a series can learn from its mistakes and become better as it progresses. Granted, House had highs and lows throughout, but the first season only scratched the surface of the show’s potential.

House premiered on November 16, 2004, and ran for eight seasons until May 21, 2012. The fact House’s earlier seasons are fantastic, but the pilot itself is not really a standout in hindsight.

House's Pilot Episode Is Good, But Only Hinted At The Show's True Potential

House season 1, episode 1, “Everybody Lies” Aired Almost 20 Years Ago

When House’s first episode aired, it made it clear what the show was going to be like – Gregory House, a Sherlock Holmes-inspired doctor, would solve the most difficult cases every week while proving to be a very difficult person to work with. Although the premise of the show never really changed, House evolved to be more than just a medical procedural with a gimmick. House’s character became more complex with each episode, and so did the of his team. Compared to season 1 episodes like “Histories” or “Three Stories,” “Everybody Lies” is not among my favorites.

House’s pilot is good, and it does the job of telling viewers what they can expect from the show. The cold open, a narrative resource used in almost every episode of House, sees a kindergarten teacher collapsing in front of her class. Dr. Wilson lies about her being his cousin so that House, who only takes on interesting cases, would treat her. “Everybody Lies” goes a long way to establish that Gregory House seemingly doesn’t care about the patients on a personal level, a concept that would be revisited and questioned several times throughout the show.

House Took Some Time Before Becoming The Show Everyone Loves

House’s First Few Episodes Are Not Among The Show’s Best

House season 1 had a couple of all-time best episodes, particularly “Histories” and “Three Stories.” Curiously, those only happened toward the end of the season. Although I was already enjoying the show, House got me hooked when it proved that it could do things outside its procedural formula. “Histories” does not have a happy ending, whereas “Three Stories” takes the idea of an unreliable narrator to its extreme and reveals a lot about Greg House’s character. Stacy’s arrival added an interesting dynamic to the show, and by season 2, House was not afraid to take risks.

House could only keep Cameron, Foreman, and Chase working for Gregory House for so long given that they were already experienced doctors, hence the introduction of a new team.

House season 4 is perhaps my favorite, partially because, as a fan of the original team, I never thought the show would be able to make me care about new characters other than Foreman, Cameron, and Chase. The fact that House continued to have great moments even after changing the show’s main lineup of doctors is a testament to how consistent the show had become by that point. House did start to drop in quality by the end of the show, but those weak moments don’t erase what most of the series accomplished.

House's Enduring Popularity Is Testament To Its Strong Original Premise

House Remains Popular Even 12 Years After It Ended

House never abandoned its formula, which is a testament to how strong the show’s premise and Hugh Laurie’s character were from the start. Even the most formulaic, repetitive House episodes were fun to watch simply because House was a fascinating character. That’s not to mention Wilson, Cuddy, and the of House’s team, all of whom could be very relatable in different ways. House’s creative medical cases were fun to watch, but I always loved how the show would never stop giving its characters complicated dilemmas and problems to face.

While House’s premise never changed, its characters did.

Every season of House has a unique charm to it, even the ones that I consider to be the show’s weakest. While House’s premise never changed, its characters did. Watching a conversation between Cameron and Chase in season 1 is a very different experience from watching their marriage fall apart in season 6. Lesser shows with a similar structure as House could have become boring very fast, further confirming how special the series was. Almost 20 years since I got into House, I’m glad I gave the show a chance and remain a fan to this day.