Before we get into the delectable House premiere details, it was reported recently that lead star Hugh Laurie is set to become one of Hollywood's highest paid stars, reaching the $400,000 per episode mark (that translates to around $9 million a year) as the show goes to its fifth season.  What started out as a modest five-figure salary per episode when House first went on air four years back in November of 2004 was last raised to the $250,000 to $300,000 mark during the summer of 2006.  Laurie's per-episode paycheck, however, still lags behind 24's Kiefer Sutherland ($500,000) and CSI's William Petersen ($600,000).

A few days before its season 5 premiere, Fox released some posters and a two-minute preview of what House fans can expect from the medical drama.  Predictably, the sneak peak revealed the still great rift between House (Laurie) and Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), whom at one point appeared in a couples' therapy-like scene courtesy of Cuddy.  Wilson threatens to spoil one of television's most well-known bromances and leave Princeton-Plainsboro altogether.  All these seem to not matter to House, who even accuses Wilson of “milking this bereavement thing.”  According to initial reactions, their interactions lead to a “staggering scene” that can prove to be “one of the strongest in the show's history.”

Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) forces the two men to talk and pushes House to apologize, to which he replies, “I didn't kill her.”  When House finally follows her advice, the first thing he tells Wilson is, “You're being an idiot.”

Of course, other than the intriguing drama that happens between the cast, also central to any House episode is the medical case for the episode.  For the season premiere, House appears to not be his usual self, thinking about something else while the rest are busy diagnosing, not dishing out brilliant explanations to “the kind of case (House) likes, contradictions piling up left and right.”

Catch Laurie and House on its new timeslot, Tuesdays at 8pm on Fox.


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2it, Blog Critics, Orlando Sentinel
(Image Courtesy of Fox)