House - The final season? [episode 1 spoilers]

[Wezil]

If ratings sag they'll fix the 2nd half of the season.

That's actually what they are trying to do now. Their ratings have already sagged.

Since its premiere, House has been consistently popular. In its first season, when it ranked twenty-fourth among all television series, House was the ninth most popular primetime program among women.[154] Aided by a lead-in from the wildly popular American Idol,[155] the following three seasons of the program each ranked in the top ten among all viewers. House reached its peak Nielsen ratings in its third season, attracting an average of 19.4 million viewers per episode.[156] According to Jacobs, the production team was surprised that the show garnered such a large audience.[157] In its fifth season, the show attracted 12.0 million viewers per episode and slipped to nineteenth place overall. It remained Fox's most popular show other than American Idol.[158]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)#U.S._television_ratings

Either way the brand has enough cachet to go 1 more season beyond this, at the very least.

So long as they don't ruin the lead character, I hope you are right.

[Asher]

I mean sag to bad levels. Those are still very good levels.

[Wezil]

Sure, else it would have been canned already. The trend line is obvious however.

[rah]

Rah -

That's kind of my point. I suspect more viewers of the show want to see the sarcastic House that abuses all those around (and gets away with it) than they do the sensitive, in touch with his feelings House.

The episode was very good in its entirety, although the first half was more enjoyable. If the House character continues on this season in the way they finished that episode they will lose a lot of viewers.

Having that chick run out on him will make him even more frustrated and nasty

[Imran Siddiqui]

Sure, else it would have been canned already. The trend line is obvious however.

If it sags from 19th highest rated show to, say, 30th highest rated show, they are still going to be happy enough with the ratings to renew it for another season.

I think the other issue is that its half-season lead in, "American Idol" didn't have as great ratings as in prior years last season (though they still blew away anything else).

[Drake Tungsten]

Why do you think House is going to suddenly stop being sarcastic now that he's worked through a bit of his intimacy problems? There was no indication whatsoever in the episode that this is the case. What seems to be coming is the same old House who's a little less awful to his friends and a little more trusting of others. Will probably affect his relationships with Wilson and Cuddy, but have little to no effect on the patient-of-the-week aspects of the show.

[Wezil]

"less awful and more trusting" is the problem dammit! He's at his most entertaining when he's being awful.

[Asher]

I never found him to be awful. He's always been surprisingly sane. He serves as a foil to the rest of the lovey-dovey cast.

[Drake Tungsten]

He's been pretty bad to Cuddy in the past.

[Wezil]

Some of us have different standards than you Asher.

[-Jrabbit]

The first episode may have been the best ever. I absolutely loved it. (That "chick" BTW was Franka Potenta, the love interest from the first Bourne movie. )

And if you think the lack of an active Vicodin addiction is going to change House's basic nature, you know nothing of the addictive personality.

The key point you're missing, Wezil, is that this is still Fox's 2nd most-watched show. Prep your sig line for some new content.

[Wezil]

The first episode may have been the best ever. I absolutely loved it. (That "chick" BTW was Franka Potenta, the love interest from the first Bourne movie. )

She starred in the Lola running movie.

And if you think the lack of an active Vicodin addiction is going to change House's basic nature, you know nothing of the addictive personality.

I am an addictive personality my friend.

The key point you're missing, Wezil, is that this is still Fox's 2nd most-watched show. Prep your sig line for some new content.

Nah, my sig line is safe.

It's the avatar that is in jeopardy.

[Asher]

He's been pretty bad to Cuddy in the past.

She's a whore of a tease. Deserves it all.

[Drake Tungsten]

True.

[Asher]

They were going in the right direction by making her a narcissistic babymama. Stay at home and cooking instead of being in the office. Then they ****ed it all up by letting her work a man's job. Then she has the balls to show off all that cleavage while doing a man's job, the nerve.

Frankly I'm surprised she hasn't been clocked.