House M.D.started 20 years ago and becameone of the best medical series in TV history. The premise is different from most doctor shows as it got inspiration from Sherlock Holmes. Here, the strange diseases are a mystery that must be solved as Holmes did with murders. That unique idea and the incredible performance by Hugh Laurie as House, a Vicodin addict who needed a cane after a leg operation went wrong and who was a medical genius without good bedside manners, did the rest.
The show lasted eight seasons and 176 episodes, where House and his revolving team of doctors (it wasn’t easy working with him) discovered every weird disease in the book, even if it was rarely lupus. Since the series' ending, the cast has kept working steadily on all kinds of projects and genres. Here’s where the cast ofHouseis in 2024.
House M.D.
Hugh Laurie — Dr. Gregory House
Hugh Lauriewas the heart and soul of this show, as he was its lead character and best actor. He played Dr. Gregory House, the head of the diagnostics team, with a sad past. He had a muscle infection in his leg, and the operation left him with a limp, chronic pain, and Vicodin addiction. The character was not a gentle soul, but he was the doctor you wanted to investigate your symptoms to save your life. Before the show, Laurie was known for comedies likeStuart LittleandA Bit of Fry and Laurie, but this TV series proved he could also be a dramatic actor. He got six Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe wins (and four more nominations) for playing the character for which the actor is most remembered.
Laurie Went Back to His Comedic Roots
When the medical show ended, the actor went back to his comedic roots to play Tom James inVeepas a backstabbing political operator (like every other political operator on that show). He also played the villain inThe Night Manager(the show that proved that Tom Hiddleston could do James Bond). His biggest role since playing House has been inAvenue 5,the latest show byVeep’s Armando Iannucci, where he plays spaceship captain Ryan Clark, a not-so-bright man who leads a not-so-great ship.His latest appearance was in the TV miniseriesAll the Light We Cannot See.
Robert Sean Leonard — Dr. James Wilson
Robert Sean Leonardmight’ve been the most well-known face whenHousestarted, as he was one of the leads in Robin Williams’ great filmDead Poets Societyand had a role in Kenneth Branagh’sMuch Ado About Nothing.In this TV series, he played the Head of Oncology, Dr. James Wilson, House’s best friend and confidant, Watson to House’s Sherlock, in one ofLeonard’s best performances ever.
Leonard Became the Perfect TV Series Guest Star
AfterHouse, Leonard became the perfect guest star for many TV series, fromThe BlacklisttoThe Good WifeandBlue Bloods,before getting a supporting role in the last two seasons of the alien sci-fi storyFalling Skies,where he played scientist Roger Kadar. His latest role was as Reverend Matthew Forte inThe Gilded Age’s second season.
Lisa Edelstein — Dr. Lisa Cuddy
On the show,Lisa Edelsteinplayed the dean of medicine and chief hospital administrator, Lisa Cuddy. She was the only authority figure the lead doctor kind of respected and listened to, and they had a will-they-won’t-they romantic relationship. The actress already had a long career in TV, although mostly as a guest star in shows likeThe West Wing, Felicity, andAlly McBeal, so this was her biggest role yet.
Edelstein Left the Show After a Contract Renewal Disagreement
The actress left after season seven because of a contract renewal disagreement for her to keep playing Cuddy in the show’s eighth and final season. She kept playing guest star roles in shows likeCastleand lending her voice acting talents to animated series likeThe Legend of Korrabefore landing the lead role in Bravo’sGirlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.Her latest appearance has been as Golda Rosemblum on the TV miniseriesLittle Bird.
Omar Epps — Dr. Eric Foreman
Omar Eppswas neurologist Dr. Eric Foreman, a part of House’s diagnostics team who was always against his boss’s methods, having a love-hate relationship with him. The actor got this role after already playing a doctor with a tragic ending inERand having been the actor they always went to for playing athletes, as he did inLove &Basketball andAgainst the Ropes.
Epps Has Played Many Authoritative Figures Since
The actor stayed on the show for its eight seasons and has kept working non-stop on that medium. Since the show’s ending, he’s been part of the cast of three different TV shows, playing authoritative figures. He played J. Martin Bellamy inResurrection,FBI agent Isaac Johnson inShooter,and nowhe’s one of themost important characters inPower Book III: Raising Kanan.
House: The 25 Best Episodes of the Series, Ranked
House is one of the most fascinating medical drama shows in the history of television. Here is a look back at its 25 best episodes.
Jesse Spencer — Dr. Robert Chase
Australian actorJesse SpencerstartedHouseas the young, pretty boy Dr. Robert Chase on House’s diagnostic team. His arc as a character might’ve been one of the best in the show, as Chase goes from a young, insecure doctor to brilliant at diagnostics, so much so that he ends the series running what had been House’s diagnostics team.
Spencer Now Plays a Beloved Firefighter in Chicago Fire
After leaving the show, Spencer became one of the leads ofChicago Fire,and he played the character for the next nine years and 200 episodes. Although he left the show after 18 years of acting on prime TV shows to take a personal rest and get married, he’s already made a couple of guest appearances on the firefighter show, and fans are hoping he’ll come back full-time.
Jennifer Morrison — Dr. Alisson Cameron
Jennifer Morrisonplayed immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron, the only woman on House’s diagnostics team, as someone who always wanted to help those in need, consequences be damned. The character left the team to become an ER attending as she couldn’t cope with the doctor’s methods and how heartbreaking their job was. This role was the actress’s big break in Hollywood, and she hasn’t stopped working since.
Morrison Has Become a TV Director
Morrison left the show after season six to become the lead character Emma Swan inOnce Upon a Time.Since then, she’s been part ofThis is Usand was a season romantic interest inHow I Met Your Mother—a show cut above its competition. Her latest role as an actress is in Will Trent, but her more promising career right now is as a director, as she’s done episodes ofEuphoria,Joe Pickett, and just directed four episodes ofDr. Death’ssecond season.
Peter Jacobson — Dr. Chris Taub
Peter Jacobsonbecame part of the show in the fourth season, playing private practice plastic surgeon Dr. Chris Taub. He first appeared when House created a kind of Olympics to choose who he would hire as doctors on his diagnostics team. Taub became the team’s voice of reason and someone who, by the end, had House’s respect. The actor had already been working for 15 years before the role, and yet this is still the one for which most people remember him.
A Jack-of-All-Trades Actor
AfterHouse, Jacobson became a jack-of-all-trades actor, appearing as a guest star all over the TV landscape until landing a spot onRay Donovan.His biggest roles since have been inColony, as one of the humans who made deals with aliens to better themselves and their careers, andinFear the Walking Deadas Rabbi Jacob Kessner. His latest appearance has been in a galaxy far, far away, as he was a guest star on theStar WarsTV seriesAhsoka.
Olivia Wilde — Thirteen
Another character that first appeared in the show’s fourth season,Olivia Wildeplayed Thirteen (Dr. Remy Hadley), a great doctor with Huntington’s disease who, surprisingly, becomes one of House’s best friends as they both feel broken and understand each other. The role is still one ofthe best performances by Wilde everon TV, where she was already known through her stint inThe O.C.’s second season.
Wilde’s Career Focus Is Now on Directing Movies
The actress has become a big name in Hollywood after leaving the TV series, as a performer and a director. She was one of the lead characters in bothTRON: LegacyandCowboys and Aliensand proved how great of an actress she was inDrinking Buddies.In the last few years, her focus has shifted to directing, with her first film,Booksmart,getting rave reviews from critics and fans. Her second movie,Don’t Worry Darling,where she also appeared as a character named Bunny,was surrounded by controversy and wasn’t on par with her debut. She has three projects as director in development, so in 2024 and 2025, audiences will see much more of her behind the camera than in front of it.
House: The Real Reasons Why Cast Members Left the Show
Throughout House’s run, several cast members left the series. Here are the reasons for their exits.
Kal Penn — Dr. Lawrence Kutner
Before appearing on House, for most,Kal Pennwas Kumar inHarold and Kumar Go to White Castle.On the show, he played Dr. Lawrence Kutner, a sports medicine and rehabilitation specialist who became the biggest teddy bear the diagnostics team ever had. He became a fan favorite before leaving the show in season five in what might be one of the saddest and most jaw-dropping episodesHouseever did.
Penn Left Acting and Worked at the White House
Of all theactors who left the show, Penn’s reasons are the most surprising, as he stopped his career as an actor to work in Barack Obama’s White House as associate director of public engagement. After his time as a public officer, Penn came back to his first love, acting, and worked on TV shows likeDesignated Survivor, How I Met Your Mother,andClarice.His latest role has been in the TV seriesThe Santa Clauses.
Odette Annable — Dr. Jessica Adams
Odette Annablewas the last addition to House’s diagnostics team. She played Dr. Jessica Adams, a prison doctor at the jail where House was being held. Once he left, he offered her a job at Princeton’s Plainsboro Memorial. The actress was a regular in the show’s last season, as she watched the doctor’s unique methods where there were no rules as long as they saved the patient.
Annable Has Played a Kick-Ass Action Character and a Super Villain
After the medical series ended, Annable played the kick-ass Nola Longshadow inBansheewith some impressive action skills and becameSupergirl’s third-season big bad as Reign, a kind of Mr. Hyde to her Samantha Arias’ Mr. Jekyll. Her latest big role has been as Geri Broussard in the last three seasons ofWalker, playing a family friend who might become much more for the lead Texas Ranger.
StreamHouseon Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
