Fox pulling the
plug on fading 'House'
Once hit doctor drama will wrap up in May after eight seasons
By Toni Fitzgerald
Feb 9, 2012
The doctor will soon be out.
Fox's medical drama "House" will end in May after eight seasons, the show's producers and star Hugh Laurie said yesterday, ending months of speculation about the fading drama's fate.
Once one of the highest-rated shows on television when it was paired with "American Idol" years ago, "House's" ratings have dipped sharply over the past two seasons.
Fox had been mum on its fate, however, after reaching a last-minute deal last spring to bring the show back for its eighth season.
The problem, as it often is with aging shows, was money.
Costs for the drama shot up as it aged, with cast members commanding more money and rights and production fees growing. Already one major cast member, Lisa Edelstein, exited last May after refusing to take a pay cut.
Fox and the show's producer, NBC's Universal Television, had been in negotiations for a ninth season but both sides had agreed that the show should be given enough time for a big sendoff if an agreement could not be reached.
The show's producers, including Laurie, released a statement yesterday saying they had decided it was better to wrap up the show now rather than continue to draw it out.
"House" is averaging a 2.8 adults 18-49 rating this season, according to Nielsen, less than half the 7.7 it averaged in 2006-'07, when it was the No. 2 show on broadcast behind "American Idol."
There is still an outside chance "House" could return for a ninth season, despite producers' insistence that this was their decision. Another network could pick up the show, with NBC the most logical fit since it also produces "House."
Though it would be an expensive proposition, "House" would go from one of the lower-rated programs on Fox to one of the highest-rated on NBC, where its top scripted series, "The Office," is averaging a mere 2.9.
"House" is the second of the incredibly strong group of shows that debuted in 2004 to announce its end this season. ABC is also ending the dramedy "Desperate Housewives," which, like "House," was once one of the top shows on TV.
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