After weeks of negotiations between FOX and Universal Media Studios over licensing fees, House has been renewed for an eighth season. According to Deadline, FOX had been looking for a reduction by nearly 20% in episode fees and ended up getting pretty much what they wanted. It’s estimated that the studio will be paying about $5 million per episode.
Hugh Laurie is already locked in for next season as part of a three-year deal. Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps have closed new deals for next season and Lisa Edlestein is expected back as well. Word is that the three actors were asked to take a pay cut to help trim the budget. Leonard is keeping his old salary while the other two are taking modest pay cuts.
House’s executive producer David Shore is expected to sign a new contract as well “to return and finish the series.” FOX hasn’t said as much but it sounds as if, unless the ratings start climbing, this may be the final season of House.
Here’s the press release from FOX:
HOT FROM FOX…
PROGNOSIS GOOD FOR “HOUSE” AS HIT SERIES IS RENEWED FOR EIGHTH SEASON
All-New Episode Airs Monday, May 16, on FOXFOX has renewed the hit series HOUSE for an eighth season, it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.
“Over the past seven seasons, HOUSE has redefined the medical drama and has given us one of television’s most compelling and iconic characters,” said Reilly. “From the producers to the incredible writers to the unbelievably talented cast and crew, the HOUSE team is fearless in its creativity and I can’t wait to see what they have in store next year.”
In the all-new “After Hours” episode, airing Monday, May 16 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, THIRTEEN’s (Olivia Wilde) ex-con friend, DARRIEN (guest star Amy Landecker), arrives at Thirteen’s apartment unannounced and in need of urgent medical attention. When she finds out that her friend has relapsed into drug use, Thirteen promises not to take her to the hospital where the cops could find her and instead turns to CHASE (Jesse Spencer) in desperation. Meanwhile, HOUSE (Hugh Laurie) deals with devastating information, and TAUB (Peter Jacobson) begins to come to terms with surprising news.
HOUSE is an innovative take on the medical drama in which the villain is a medical malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor who trusts no one, least of all his patients. The series is from Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions in association with Universal Media Studios. Katie Jacobs, David Shore, Paul Attanasio, Bryan Singer, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, Thomas L. Moran, Greg Yaitanes and Hugh Laurie are executive producers. Become a fan of the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/house and follow the series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/houseonfox (@houseonfox).
What do you think? Are you glad that House is returning? Should it possibly continue for a ninth season or should this be the end?
Image courtesy FOX.
SEASON 9 PRETTY PLEEEEEEASE !!!!
Season 9 please!!!!
House should stay. We love watching it and don’t want to see it end
House should stay on forever! He makes you laugh, cry and makes you mad. I love the show and they should keep the whole cast.
[…] season eight, Universal Media was looking for the same deal they got at the end of season four. FOX wanted a […]
Maybe at least if House gets canceled the same way as Medium, NBC might pick it up.
[…] this week, we reported that House had been renewed for an eighth season on FOX. The announcement came after weeks of negotiations between Universal Media (the TV […]
I think they should definitely continue the series, but the writers should give more to the script and also some of the team should be replaced. Season 4 was without doubt the best one, so they should walk on that path and make new funny stories, with possible new team members (the current team members’ jobs could be questioned?). We miss House’s inappropriate teases to Cuddy and Wilson. Plus, they should really bring back Masters and lose Thirteen and Taub (their stories don’t seem to go anywhere interesting and we’re so tired of them).
Keep House Wilson and 13 everyone elcse is replacible. More than that Omar and chase just bring down the show. I cant stand seeing Omar on the screen any more and chase is just starting to bore me. As for curry I used to Luke her but thwcway they gave written her I can take her or leave her.
It might be time for a new direction maybe house can become the Dr on a cruise ship an instead of helping people find love he can break them up
If anything I would recommend getting rid of some of the other guys, the supporting staff. The story with Cuddy is now getting boring since they had their relationship and it fell apart. I wouldn’t mind seeing the majority of his team replaced, they should have never axed Masters, she was an interesting addition to the team, but Chase and Eric are getting old.
House is without doubt the finest American made show I’ve ever seen, and for me it should without doubt return for series 9 and more, with perhaps an extreme swing in the plot? Maybe House should leave his current hospital and go to another, with new people and new personalities to spar with.