“House, M.D.” — Season Six

The sixth season of “House, M.D.” starts off with a phenomenal two-part episode that sets the tone for the rest of the year. After years of abusing prescription drugs (and colleagues), Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) finds himself in a psychiatric ward as a patient who is not so patient with his own doctor. Smart and manipulative, House tries to finagle his way out of the hospital. But his selfish actions set off a chain reaction of events that manage to shake even his own confidence–temporarily, at least.

“House, M.D.” — Season 5

“House” begins its fifth season on a somber note. With his girlfriend, Amber, dead, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) finds his friendship with the cantankerous Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) to be more strained than ever and temporarily leaves the hospital where they work. He eventually returns, which is a good thing, because Wilson is the closest thing House has to a moral compass. The writers of this drama do an admirable job of inserting elements of well-placed comedy into the often-intense vignettes.

“House, M.D.” — Season 2

The overall strength of the second season of House, M.D. proves that its first-year success wasn’t a fluke. This season starts with Dr. House (Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie) pursuing his ex-wife Stacy (Sela Ward) and ending with a tragedy that could potentially be deadly for himself and two colleagues. The premise of each show follows a set routine–a patient is brought in with unusual symptoms; House challenges his trio of underlings to diagnose the problem; they treat the patient, usually incorrectly the first few tries; and then at the very last minute–through a revelation that often has little to do with the patient–House figures out what’s wrong and saves the day.