A New Staff for House M.D.?

Fox’s “House” pulled a daring move in the final episodes of Season Three. Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer have been playing Drs. Foreman, Cameron and Chase, Dr. Gregory House’s personal staff in the Diagnostic Medicine department since the show’s start, carrying out prestigious fellowships working under one of the world’s most renowned doctors, but by time the Season Three finale ended, Foreman and Cameron had resigned and Chase had been fired. Word is that the three will be returning, but if they are, it doesn’t seem that it will be as House’s staff. The Hollywood Reporter recently stated that Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn, Peter Jacobson and Anne Dudek will be playing new second fiddles to the modern Sherlock Holmes of medicine. The misanthropic character will be tormenting them apparently and there’s no word on how long they will be on the show, if they are permanently replacing the former threesome, or what life will be like when Season Four brings back the medical mystery with it’s favorite miserable mastermind at the helm with a different crew.

 

Wilde has played Alex Kelly, the female character Mischa Barton’s character had a brief fling with in Season Two of “The O.C.” Penn is most famously known as Kumar of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” but he also had a subtly significant role in “Superman Returns” as one of Lex’s lackeys. Most recently, he’s had an appearance on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and a role that lasted several episodes of this past season of “24” as Ahmed Amar. Jacobson has appeared in a slew of TV shows from “ER” to “Scrubs” to “Criminal Minds” so his on-screen credentials qualify for “House.” He also played Mr. Hosney in this summer’s blockbuster revival of “Transformers.” Dudek has also appeared in many shows including “ER,” “Friends,” “Six Feet Under,” “Invasion,” “Bones,” and “Psych.” Will audiences accept a new staff? It remains to be seen how these new cast members will be used and what will become of the ones we all know and love, so it seems entirely dependent on how they pull off this transition and where they intend to take it.