House: Season Eight

The eighth and final season of Fox's acclaimed medical mystery series opens with Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie)—TV's most famous misanthropic genius—serving time for his actions at the end of the last season (specifically, driving his car into Dr. Lisa Cuddy's living room, and then fleeing the scene). But House is soon back in his old hospital post with a new pair of young doctors (Odette Annable and Charlyne Yi), a new boss (Omar Epps, his former intern), and an ankle monitor. The show takes its valedictory lap with return visits from almost every character who served on House's team or was a serious part of his life (including those who passed away), although Lisa Edelstein's Cuddy is glaringly absent (Edelstein left the show with some animosity), so there's no closure to that central relationship, just fallout. The main thread here involves Dr. Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard)—who cuts ties with a still unapologetic House after a last betrayal—and his battle with cancer, which means that House has to cope with a drama where he's not the center of attention. While the disease-of-the-week formula and House's bad behavior grew stale a few years back, it's still entertaining to watch the doctor execute his little rebellions against authority. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2011–12 final season, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)