Everybody lies. But in this particular situation, the creators of the long-running medical drama House are not. In a joint statement released today series creator David Shore, executive producer Katie Jacobs, and star Hugh Laurie announced that the current eighth season of House will be the show’s last. Here is an excerpt from the statement (jump after the break to read it in full):

The decision to end the show now, or ever, is a painful one, as it risks putting asunder hundreds of close friendships that have developed over the last eight years – but also because the show itself has been a source of great pride to everyone involved.

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.

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said this: “While it’s with much regret, and a lump in our throats, we respect the decision Hugh, David and Katie have made. A true original, on the page and amazingly brought to life by Hugh Laurie, there is only one Dr. House. For eight seasons, the entire House team has given us – and fans around the world – some of the most compelling characters and affecting stories ever seen on television. They have been creatively tenacious and collaborative throughout this incredible run, and they are amongst the most superior talents in the business. For all the above, we wholeheartedly thank them, and the fans who have supported the show.”

Though House‘s ratings have been on a decline since last season, the show is still creatively strong and like Reilly I have much respect for Shore and his team and their decision to end the show on their terms and before things get too stale for viewers. Now that Shore knows that the show will end this May, he has plenty of time to imagine a proper series finale to satisfy fans. “I want to do [the ending] right,” he told TVLine. And now that the end is in sight, he can.

As a fan from nearly the beginning, I must say that no House next year is going to a strange feeling to overcome. Even network head Reilly admitted that it’s going to be hard to imagine FOX without veteran drama House. But like they say, out with the old and in with the new. House‘s departure will make way for new pilots and give shows like Terra Nova, Alcatraz, and Touch an opportunity to land a place on next fall’s schedule.

In the end, what I think people will remember most about House is House himself played by the brilliant Hugh Laurie. All the drama born out of the patients of the week and the rotating diagnostic team have been entertaining (to say the least), but the show has always hinged on House and Laurie’s breathtaking portrayal of an emotional, curious, broken genius. And that is what I will fondly remember when I look back on House.

[Via TVLine] Continue reading The current season of ‘House’ will be its last →