David Shore Movies

In exchange for her getting him off the hook with Detective Tritter, Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) forces House (Hugh Laurie) to take full-time clinic duty, resulting in some truly childish behavior from both of them. The main plot involves rape victim Eve (Katheryn Winnick), who bypasses psychiatric counseling in order to tell all her problems to House--who, in a pivotal moment, opens up to Eve in a way that he has never opened up to anyone else before. Meanwhile, a homeless patient (Geoffrey Lewis) suffering from terminal lung cancer insists upon playing mind games with Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), ultimately forcing her to confront her own past. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although he has recovered from the gunshot wound administered by the husband of a former patient at the end of House's second season, Season Three finds the unabashedly misanthropic Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) still suffering from a plethora of emotional wounds, wracked with self-doubt about his efficiency as a nephrologist specializing in unusual medical cases, and asking himself if he should actually start treating (and regarding) his patients as human beings. This self-reflection doesn't last long, and soon House is his old obnoxious self, the holy terror of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Nor does he let up on the overuse of prescription drugs like Vicodin and Ketamine to ease the agony of his leg pain (an experimental treatment to alleviate the pain this season only makes matters worse). In fact, one of the year's most omnipresent--and ominous--storylines involves a detective named Michael Tritter (David Morse), who enters the clinic as a patient and ends up as Inspector Javert to House's Jean Valjean, dogging the doctor's trail and persecuting his colleagues in hopes of ultimately throwing House in the slammer for drug abuse and falsifying perscriptions. In other major Season Three developments, a romance blossoms between House's longtime associates Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer) and Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison). And after a medical misjudgment which totally shatters his self-confidence, Princeton-Plainsboro's ace neurologist Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) abruptly resigns. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Foreman (Omar Epps) has begun suffering the same symptoms as wounded police officer Joe Lauria (Scott Michael Campbell), who after being seized by uncontrollable laughter suddenly went blind. . .and just as suddenly died. As Foreman's condition worsens, a desperate House (Hugh Laurie) must rely upon his pet rat to find the source of Joe's fatal euphoria by rummaging through the dead cop's filthy apartment. In the midst of this crisis, Foreman's father Rodney (guest star Charles S. Dutton) shows up to be with his son in his final moments--leading to a bitter quarrel over religious values, even as Foreman is on the brink of death! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While taking the AP Calculus exam, high-school student Matt Davis (John Patrrick Amedori) collapses. Discovering that Matt has been lethally poisoned, House (Hugh Laurie) suspects that the boy has been doing drugs at home. When another student exhibits the same symptoms, however, it is obvious that the source of the poison is the school testing room--but how can this be? Meanwhile, another clinic patient, 82-year-old Georgia Adams (Shirley Knight), suddenly develops an uncontrollable sex drive...and an insatiable lust for Dr. House! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sela Ward makes her first appearance as Stacy Warner, former lawyer for the Princeton-Plainsboro clinic--and ex-girlfriend of Dr. House (Hugh Laurie). Stacy's husband has fallen mysteriously ill, and she hopes that House can find out why. But House seems more preoccupied with delivering a lecture to three medical-school diagnostics--an assignment he was forced to accept, but one which he tackles with his usual mean-spirited gusto. As he presents the trio with a hypothetic medical dilemma involving three patients with aching legs, we are treated to a succession of bizarre fantasy sequences. Carmen Electra appears as herself in this episode, which won both an Emmy award (for "best writing") and the Humanitas Prize. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The alternate title for this pilot episode of House is "Everybody Lies", which neatly sums up the philosophy of the brilliant but thoroughly obnoxious Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), infectious disease and nephrology specialist at Princton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Convinced that none of his patients will ever tell him the truth, House responds in kind by refusing to talk to them beyond the bare necessities--and he certainly wastes no time being friendly, comforting or supportive. Right now, House's patented indifference is being directed at 29-year-old kindergarten teacher Rebecca Adler (Robin Tunney), who for no discernible reason has begun suffering seizures and speaking gibberish. With no one else able to figure out what's happening to Rebecca, House dismisses it as a brain tumor. It turns out that he's wrong--and also that he'll spend a lot more time than he'd originally intended trying to save Rebecca's life, and to ascertain the real cause for her behavior (which, as often happens in this series,turns out to be a malady that no one could possibly have anticipated). But though House emerges as the hero of the piece, he remains his old gloriously repulsive self. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Arguably the most irritating, infuriating and insufferable TV-series hero of all time, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), infectious disease and nephrology specialist at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, brought a whole new spectrum of meanings to the words "obnoxious", "abrasive" and "misanthropic". Mercilessly ragging and browbeating colleagues and patients alike (when he actually condescended to speak to them, that is), House trusted absolutely no one, least of all himself. While it could be argued that his incessant anger and sarcasm grew from the fact that his leg was in constant pain, he had only himself to blame for much of the agony because he insisted upon using his cane incorrectly--mainly because it annoyed people when he did so (riding a motorcyle to and from work didn't help his physical wellbeing any either). Add to this the fact that House didn't seem to know what proper grooming was, and that he was addicted to Vicodin and other painkillers and wasn't above forging prescriptions to keep the drugs flowing, and you have a classic example of a sociopathic jerk who under normal circumstances wouldn't be worth the time it took to mention is name. Except for one thing: Dr. House happened to be a genius in his field, his brilliance shining brightest when solving complex medical cases that had thoroughly baffled all the other experts, and correctly diagnosing rare, obscure and highly lethal diseases, literally snatching his patients from the jaws of death at the last moment in many case. There is probably nothing more irksome that someone who thinks he's always right, and who turns out to BE always right: That was House. To his credit, he inspired great loyalty and admiration from his long-suffering staff, including neurologist Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), immunologist/allergist Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and intensivist Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer). And incredible though it seemed, he could boast a good and faithful friend in the form of oncologist Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), perhaps the only person to whom House ever turned for advice. Even his chief antagonist, hospital adminstrator and dean of medicine Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), grudgingly admitted that House always got results, despite her abhorrence of his behavior and methods. Though officially based on an article about a real-life diagonstician who specialized in unusual medical cases, star Hugh Laurie has admitted that the weekly, hour-long medical drama House was also heavily beholden to the "Sherlock Holmes" stories, and certainly the series contained numerous Holmesian elements: The similar surname of aloof, antisocial "detective" who doggedly scrutinized each and every detail of the case at hand, the Watsonlike best friend, and the reliance upon narcotics. As a bonus, several of the supporting character's names were lifted from the Holmes canon: In the very first episode, House's patient was named Adler (as in "Irene"); and when he was shot and wounded by the disgruntled husband of another patient at the end of the series' second season, his assailant was a Mr. Moriarty! Debuting November 16, 2004 on the Fox network, House (official title: House: M.D.) was the recipient of several industry awards, as well as the prestigious Peabody award for "Best of Electronic Media." As if Dr. House gave a damn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A police officer is killed while on an undercover stakeout. Investigating, the detectives come to the grim conclusion that the death may have been caused by someone close to the victim. The outcome of the case hinges upon the abusive relationship between the decedent and his former partner, NYPD officer Marisse Hastings (Jenny Bacon). Originally scheduled to air on March 17, 1999, this episode was moved forward to March 24. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A "black widow killer" is at the center of this episode. First, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt). Next, A.D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Carmichael (Angie Harmon) shed the spotlight of suspicion on Dennis Pollock (Matt Keeslar), a young man who is romantically involved with two considerably older women. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Could the death of a 12-year-old quadriplegic, who suffocated in his own home, have been deliberate? The suspects range from the dead boy's parents to his older sister. Once revealed, the perpetrator claims to have been an angel of mercy -- a statement which might actually be a smokescreen for a "thrill killing." Telecast April 24, 1998, "Burden" was one of the few Law & Order episodes to be seen on a Friday evening, rather than its customary mid-week time slot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fans of Law & Order -- and there were many, many more than there had been in previous years -- were somewhat surprised that the series entered its eighth season with no changes in the regular cast. detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) were still upholding the "Law" at the behest of their NYPD boss Lt. Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson), while ADAs McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Ross (Carey Lowell) continued to maintain "Order" on behalf of their superior, DA Adam Schiff (Steven Hill). In other carryovers from past seasons, the series staged its second crossover with the NBC crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street with the episode "Baby, It's You;" as before, selected Homicide cast members appeared on Law & Order, and vice versa. Also keeping in the tradition of its past, the series took home its third Emmy award for Outstanding Cinematography. In addition, the series continued tackling issues that were very much in the news. For example, the episode "Castoff" addressed the culpability of TV violence in fomenting real-life violence. Much more so than in previous seasons, the series boasted a number of narrative throughlines that enhanced its sense of reality and continuity. McCoy's questionable tactics in prosecuting a drunk driver in "Under the Influence" came back to haunt him in the season finale. Likewise, in that same episode, Cliff Gorman was introduced as a politically ambitious judge named Gary Feldman, who hoped to win the DA's office from Schiff in the upcoming election. Feldman received unexpected support in the form of powerful (and paranoiac) millionaire Carl Anderton (Robert Vaughn), who would not forget being "betrayed" by Schiff in the episode "Burned." Both Feldman and Anderton would converge upon the DA in the aforementioned series finale, which also boasted a subplot involving ADA Jamie Ross. To accommodate the fact that actress Carey Lowell planned to leave the series, Ross decided to retire to private practice so that she could devote her spare time to her second husband -- and to an ongoing child-custody battle with husband number one. And in more glimpses of the characters' private lives, Jennifer Bill appeared in a brace of episodes as Cathy Briscoe, the troubled, estranged daughter of detective Lennie Briscoe. The brevity of Bill's contribution to Law & Order was due to a devastating plot twist which threatened to push Briscoe over the edge and back into the bottle he'd successfully abandoned years earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Working undercover for the Feds to nail Joey Salvo, Simone (Jimmy Smits) realizes that he can rely on absolutely no one when he is investigated by the IAB for his alleged criminal activities. Just shy of 30 years on the force, the gravely ill Gotteli (Carmine Caridi) "hijacks" and crashes a bus. Fancy (James McDaniel) tries to work out a deal whereby Gotelli can escape prosecution and take a medical retirement. A rape-murder occupies most of the other detectives. And Diane (Kim Delaney) is left out of the loop just when she needs moral support the most. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Law & Order entered its seventh season on a note of uncertainty: Had Assistant DA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) been killed by that drunk driver at the end of season six? The answer would remain vague until it was determined by the producers that actress Hennessy had no intention of returning to the series; it was at this point that the unfortunate Kincaid was sadly and reverently referred to in the past tense. Her replacement was ADA Jamie Ross (played by Carey Lowell). The idealistic Ross, who struggled to balance her career with her home life as a single mom, proved to be an excellent opposite number for the jaded, unattached Executive ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). In addition to claiming Kincaid, death took its toll on another of the series' characters. Throughout season seven, the never-seen wife of DA Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) lay virtually comatose in a hospital bed, tenaciously hanging on to life. The final episode of the season concluded with a grieving Schiff sitting at bedside as the monitor attached to his wife flat-lined. Nor was the brief sojourn to Hollywood taken by detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) fraught with merriment. They had gone to Tinseltown to investigate the brutal murder of a female studio executive, a plot line which necessitated the series' first (and, to this point, only) three-part story. This expanded time frame afforded ample opportunity to probe the private lives of two of the series' principals: Curtis, devoted to his ailing wife (who had earlier been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis), nonetheless briefly drifted from his marital vows with a sexy Hollywoodite, and new ADA Jamie Ross was bedeviled by her ex-husband, scheming defense attorney Neal Gordon (Keith Szarabajka), both in and out of court. After several years worth of Emmy nominations but no wins, Law & Order closed out season seven with two new statuettes, for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide