TV News: Current Season of FOX Hit ‘House’ to Be Last

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CHICAGO – Well, this isn’t TOO surprising — after a few years of dwindling ratings and rumors that it might even shift networks to survive, FOX announced today that the current season of “House” would be the last for the hit show.

By the time the show ends, one of the longest-running programs currently on TV will have notched 177 episodes and eight seasons, remarkable numbers that I don’t think anyone would have predicted after the premiere in 2004. The numbers have eroded over the years, especially the last few, but this show still has a loyal following that I imagine will be disappointed in this news. At least now they can end the show on their own terms.

An excerpt from the press release from Executive Producers David Shore, Katie Jacobs and Hugh Laurie:

“Since it began, House has aspired to offer a coherent and satisfying world in which everlasting human questions of ethics and emotion, logic and truth, could be examined, played out, and occasionally answered. This sounds like fancy talk, but it really isn’t. House has, in its time, intrigued audiences around the world in vast numbers, and has shown that there is a strong appetite for television drama that relies on more than prettiness or gun play.

But now that time is drawing to a close. The producers have always imagined House as an enigmatic creature; he should never be the last one to leave the party. How much better to disappear before the music stops, while there is still some promise and mystique in the air.

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.

The makers of House would also like to thank Fox Broadcasting and Universal Television for supporting the show with patience, imagination and large quantities of good taste. The Studio-As-Evil-Adversary is one of the many clichés that House has managed to avoid, and for that the cast and crew are deeply grateful.”

Now the guessing game begins as to what FOX does on Monday nights. Neither “Terra Nova” nor “Alcatraz” has been a smash hit, but maybe if they’re paired together?

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]