House M.D.: The Official Guide to the Hit Medical Drama

by Ian Jackman, Hugh Laurie (Foreword)

The authorized guide to the television phenomenon House, M.D.

For the last six years House, M.D. has been one of the most popular and captivating shows on television. Following the stories of a misanthropic genius doctor named Gregory House and his team of specialists, each week the show confronts medical mysteries that have baffled the best minds in medicine. Centered around one of the most compelling characters on television—brilliantly portrayed by actor Hugh Laurie—the Emmy Award–winning TV drama has been keeping millions of viewers intrigued and enthralled since it began, always offering an entertaining mixture of drama and humor.

Based on unprecedented access to the show's cast members and creative staff, House, M.D. is the first fully authorized guide to the hit medical drama, offering a close-up view inside the world of House. From the show's genesis to today, this companion provides unique insight into the TV drama, as the actors, writers, and producers who've created these characters describe in their own words what the show means to them. This book also delves into fascinating discussions of the show's medical science and controversial ethical issues, as well as includes exclusive photographs from the set and an intimately detailed look at the making of an episode. Essential reading for any House fan, House, M.D. is the ultimate behind-the-scenes guide to TV's most captivating show.

Genres: Nonfiction, American, Tv

321 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Loredana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5 🌟

This book was really good and I can assure you that if you like the series you will like the book. You get a part on each character, you get to know more about them, their story and the way they are dressed that way and why. But there is also a great insight of the actors, the little interviews really help to know more about them. And finally I loved to learn more about how the series actually worked, how it was made. We really learn about everything from the very auditions, to the scenarios, how scenes are made, with what materials and even the part of the edit.

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book like this, really takes all the magic out of the show. I mean, its informative, but there's a certain level of mystery you'd like to keep so that the series still interests you.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, this rating could be totally bogus, because to be perfectly honest, I barely remember reading this.

Okay, full disclosure? I was sorting through my books, desperately attempting to make more room on my shelves for incoming by weeding out the 'didn't likes', the 'it was okays', the 'hated it with a fiery passions', and the 'I'd like to burn this on a pyre made of garbage and horse manures'. I ran across this particular book shoved between Stephen Fry's Paperweight and Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller, all of which were hopelessly crammed behind a row of this-and-thats which have no real place on my shelves because I just have zero room left. There is a small but growing stack of books on my desk with nowhere to go, and it's horrible.

Getting distracted--anyway, I'd honestly forgotten I owned this when I stumbled across it. Naturally, I started thumbing through it out of curiosity--had I ever actually read the thing? Apparently, yes. Certain pictures and sidebars were vaguely familiar. A few random quotes here and there lit up the recognition centers in my brain. The foreword by Hugh Laurie lit them up quite brightly, so apparently, that was the part I enjoyed the most, since it stuck the best. It would make sense, as most of this is just...well, it's not a guide to the show, it's an offering at the altar of the show. It's a labor of love, appreciated only by those still deeply in the show's thrall, most likely.

I'm far, far out of the show's thrall. I stopped enjoying it around season 3, kept struggling to watch it for the few bright moments here and there, and finally, at the beginning of season 7, gave it up as something that was no longer causing me any joy, but instead a disproportionate amount of stress, anxiety, anger, and general dissatisfaction. I don't share the values and beliefs of the show's writers. We're fundamentally incompatible. Not the show's fault, but I really can't stand to watch even a few minutes of it anymore.

This book, however, is just a yawn-fest. Apparently even back when I was still struggling to like the show, since I barely remember reading it at all, and apparently didn't even remember to add it to Goodreads ever. Trying to skim it for a bit here didn't make me angry, it just made my eyelids heavy. I have no use for it. Honestly? The best bit of it remains Hugh Laurie's foreword, because...he's Hugh Laurie, not House, and remains endlessly amusing, sometimes seemingly despite himself. Read the foreword and pass it on, is my advice, because it's both out of date and a total bore.

On the other hand, it might make an excellent insomnia cure, from what little I recall of it and have skimmed out of it. Still. Two stars, simply because my incredibly vague memory of the book doesn't make it seem fair to only give it one, though that's the way I would lean. It's got a wealth of information for anyone who really, really wants to know every detail of how House was made, and I suppose that was its job. Carry on, then.

[notasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considering I lived and breathed House as a middle schooler, this show very much shaped my view of the world, which is both good and bad. Even having grown up in the entertainment industry, reading this book at 14 put my hyperfixation into context, and taught me a lot about the TV industry in the 2000s that I still reference today. I highly recommend it for fans of the show, whether that be ones who just caught it on Amazon this year and are curious as to what it's cultural context was, or fans who loved it while it was on and might want to revisit the magic behind it.

[Geraldine Cheung · Rating 3 out of 5]

It definitely does its best. Ian Jackman's guide is thorough to the extreme -- The show's main characters are all analyzed in great detail by both the show's cast and producers, which is a great bonus of this book. Jackman also devotes equal time -- if not more time -- towards examining the work that goes on behind the scenes, all in extreme depth and detail. Which is a good thing, if rare of a book to do. Hugh Laurie's foreword, as well as the behind the scenes photographs, makes this book all the better.

This would warrant 5/5 stars if it weren't for the fact that it was a bit of a long slog to get through all the information on how the show is made. Whilst every chapter (but particularly those dedicated to the costume and casting departments) was excellent and enlightening, the level of detail Jackman goes into occasionally feels a bit over the top. Those who watch "House" purely for its characters and story -- namely, the majority of those who'd probably pick up this book -- are just not going to be as hooked on this as those who (extremely) enjoy the technical aspect of TV shows.

Additionally, this guide only covered Seasons 1 to 6, which is a bummer. Comments from the cast and crew regarding the events of Seasons 7 and 8 were thus, unfortunately, missing; something which became painfully obvious when Jackman's interviews began to delve into "where do you see House, Wilson, and Cuddy in 20 years time?". One can (and sadly, must) only imagine what the cast's and crew's answers to these questions might have been. If, perhaps, this guide had been written two years later, it might have had a bit more meat to it (and another star, in my books).

That aside, there are parts of this book that reveal aspects of the show that you will almost definitely not read anywhere else. To those who love House, it IS a book that's worth reading, but it's probably better to skip parts if you're not into the technical side of the show.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this show so much! I have no idea how I did not find this gem when it originally aired! I truly don't even remember many people talking about it, but since finding it on Netflix in June (2024), I have not stopped thinking about it as I make my way through the 8 seasons.
Fair warning: Do not read this book unless you have completed season 6!! Thank god I listened to my gut and stopped after I bought the book several weeks ago.
I miss the days when they made companion books like this!
Beautiful forward by the man, the myth, the legend Hugh Laurie! What a talent!
If you loved House M.D goes without saying you should read this wonderful book!

[Edyta D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nie spodziewałam się, że przewodnik po serialu może być tak ciekawy :)
Znalazłam tutaj bardzo interesujące szczegóły dotyczące powstawania każdego odcinka, obsady-ludzi, którzy tworzą ten serial, wykorzystywane techniki produkcyjne, a także przemyślenia na temat bohaterów House'a i przedstawianych historii (główne łuki narracyjne oraz choroby)...
W książce jest też dużo zdjęć i co najważniejsze - mnóstwo, po prostu mnóstwo dialogów z serialu i wywiadów nie tylko z aktorami, ale i producentami, reżyserami i innymi.
Moimi ulubionymi rozdziałami były - oczywiście :p - opisy bohaterów - można się sporo ciekawych rzeczy o nich dowiedzieć. Szkoda tylko, że przewodnik obejmuje tylko 6 sezonów (ponieważ moim ulubionym jest 7 :D).
Polecam fanom House'a, a także tym, którzy chcą dowiedzieć się co nieco o powstawaniu serialu telewizyjnego :)

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite being a huge fan of the show, I couldn't really get behind this book.

I did enjoy most of the cast interviews and their thoughts on the characters they play but the information on production budgets, catering and scheduling just ran so dry. Normally, I'm pretty interested in this stuff - I really enjoy watching the segments that are a part of the season collections but it just didn't really hold my interest.

There is one bright spot which credits at least one of the two stars - the foreword, which was written by Hugh Laurie, was supremely entertaining. If anything, seek it out for that.

[Miloš · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the book, made me even a bigger fan of House. Lots of interesting things to learn about the show.

[Emily Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

for anyone who wants to be in show business, this is a great book. it goes into great detail of everyone's role on the set. the interviewer's questions were not terribly interesting and there were other little things like that that drove me crazy reading it. I like the show, but this book fell a little flat for me.

[Corpsecupboard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great topic sufficiently presented but not nearly as engrossing as it could have been or needed to be to demand sustained attention.

[Weliton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan!

[sourabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend it to anyone who likes the show. Great insights into what goes into making one of the best shows on TV.

[Francisco Rivera]

Good book, great memoir to House!

[Haley Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the language is a little weird but I appreciated the recap of past seasons since I wasn’t actively watching along with the book.

[Judie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this felt like browsing through a beloved yearbook you kind of forgot you have in the attic. There's probably nothing here that I didn't know yet. It brought back memories of a great show I once religiously followed. It was published right after season 6, and I personally consider it an acceptable end of its run. Don't get me wrong -- I also loved the episodes where we saw how House and Cuddy struggled to be in an adult relationship in season 7, but seeing how it fell downhill uncontrollably, in addition to other contrived plotlines to fit secondary characters, I'd rather leave it at the end of Help Me.

There's a warm, familiar feeling reading through the conceptualization of the show, the characters, and the medical cases. No matter how the series ended, I can proudly say it had its amazing times. And on network television nonetheless, around the same time when cable shows were slowly taking the supposed "bests". I would just like to share one of the funny bits (and there are plenty) from the show's Number One, Hugh Laurie, with regard to doing a network TV show in America:

"(He) knows that American television is a fiercely competitive arena, and that one-hour dramas follow the same actuarial arc as spermatozoa -- gushing towards the giant Nielsen ovum in a spasm of excitement, a few moments of frantic wriggling, then oblivion."

Of course, the frantic wriggling went longer than what a pessimist might expect. It garnered accolades and global viewership in the process, too. Those were good times.

After closing the book, I felt I miss the show. Thank heavens for boxed DVD sets.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of House, which was the reason that I decided to read this book. The forward, written by the show's star Hugh Laurie, was fantastic. He's funny in a very British way, but offers comical insight into the world of American television. I definitely would have loved if he had written the whole thing. Jackman's writting was on par with that of a 6th grader, which left me very unimpressed. Most of the interview responses were worth the read, though they often seemed awkwardly placed within the book. I did really enjoy learning how the show is produced, and all of the crew members that were mentioned seem really interesting. The unanimous thought that Hugh Laurie is a talented and hard working actor was pretty cool to see, as I'm a pretty big fan. All in all, not a terrible read, but as I said, the writing left quite a bit to be desired.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of House, and to be honest, I was a tiny bit disappointed by the book. I was expecting something along the lines of an episode guide with character profiles. Another thing I like is when websites, blogs, and books pick apart the medical mysteries on the show- whether they're plausible, how accurately day-to-day life in a hospital is portrayed, etc. This book didn't really touch on any of these things. The book is more of a behind the scenes guide, talking about casting, sets, directors, etc. That information is ok, but I expected a bit more from this book. I don't think I will be adding it to my bookshelf (I got it from the library.)

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

- such a brilliant show, reminded me how much of a fan I am
- sense of familiarity, nice to get additional information, pleasant read
- enjoyed character profiles, production details
- the way the book was sectioned could have been better structured
- incorrectly attributed quote i.e. it was actually House, not Foreman, who makes the quip about being British because the queen is on Australian money
- instances of grammatical errors & missing letters which is unfortunate because the quality of the official guide does not seem to be in accordance with the high quality of the show --> doesn't make it less credible but does suggest that the book serves as a money making spin-off of sorts

[Gisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course, this is a book for the fans of the TV shows. Anyone who might want chronological information about House M.D. should have a look at Wikipedia. Jackman's book gives the reader the opportunity to know more about the production process and the opinion of producers, actors, writers and technicians about the series - its characters and the impact it has on people. The focus of the guide is not on the success of the show and the accolades it received, but on the hard work it needs and the commitment cast and crew must have with it.

[Steven Hummer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction by Hugh Laurie is fantastic. The book answered a lot of interesting questions I had about the show and had some cool photos. The end of the book just droned on and on about the character of Gregory House how he thins and why he does what he does it was just very dry. Granted on the Kindle you're going to get black and white photos but I was hoping to see some in full color on my iPad 2.
I loved being able to highlight and share my favorite parts of the book that made me laugh or offered cool behind the scenes information with my Facebook friends and twitter followers.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it explored the characters on the show in depth and Ian Jackman also asked the actors about their own characters. I had some idea what goes into the making of a TV show only from my brief stint in broadcast TV, but the schedule for House, M.D. sounds exhausting. I love the show and the characters and House cracks me up. A great book for anyone who's a fan of the show.

[Zorica Zoric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samo za okorele fanove serije.Mozda ce knjiga malo ubiti magiju,ali ja sam od onih koji vole da znaju ''kako madjionicar izvodi trik''. Pregrst informacija,intervjui sa svim glumcima,opisivanje svakog i najmanjeg procesa stvaranja planetarno popularne serije...Ukoliko niko od vasih prijatelja nije pratio seriju,a voleli biste da imate nekoga sa kim biste potanko pricali o njoj i uporedjivali svoje utiske sa necijim drugim - topla preporuka.

[Tamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesantna samo okorelim fanovima serije...Predugacki dnevnik sa snimanja sa gomilom nepotrebnih informacija (ketering,rasveta i sl.). Ono sto je iole zanimljivo (stavovi glumaca, dogodovstine sa snimanja, spec.efekti) smo uglavnom vec saznali u ostalim medijima.Iako je serija odlicna mislim da vise necu citati slicna stiva.

[Caterinay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δυστυχώς το διάβασα στα ελληνικά. Έκδοση μέτρια με πολλά τυπογραφικά λάθη αλλιώς το βιβλίο είναι πολύ ενδιαφέρον έστω κι από την πλευρά τού πώς μια απλή ιδέα μετατρέπεται αργά και προσεκτικά με απίστευτα ομαδική δουλειά σε σήριαλ.

[Olivia Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

For people in the industry, this should be one of your favorite books. It not only explores the day-to-day life on the set of House, but explains why certain decisions were made by acting, film making and writing crew.

[Dayu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think most interesting is House like to solved the puzzle of patient, he doesn't trust the patient of his sentence "everybody's lie". And decide how he smart that his friend, like make his friends follow his steps and fool his friends.

[Alex VooDstok · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like this serial, this book will be impressive for you. You will understand how complicated create serials, you will know how many canes had House, and why producer didn’t what to see Hugh Laurie in this serial, and more…

[Amy Suto · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. It offers some surprising insight about day-to-day life on set, and is incredibly intriguing, for prospective filmmakers and fans alike.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's how never-ending interview! It's amazing . super!