Since House, M.D. made it's debut on the Fox Network On November 16, 2004, it has been one of the most popular shows on television. While it has many rabidly devoted fans who think they know everything there is to know about the show, there are always details that slip through the cracks. Whether they be in front of the camera or behind the scenes, House has a slew of secrets and forgotten bits of trivia all real fans should be well aware of.
The first obvious tidbit is that House was developed to be a modern day version of Sherlock Holmes. While most fans catch on to this they usually don't specifically know the similarities the two share. Each are primarily friendless with a notable exception, House has Wilson, Holmes had Watson. Each is a musician, House plays the Piano and guitar while Holmes played the Violin. They are both drug users, Vicodin for House and Cocaine for Holmes, as well as both being egocentric and of course forensic geniuses. Both House and Sherlock Holmes have the same address which is 221-B, and they have encounters with similar characters. House was shot by Moriarty which happens to be the same name as Holmes nemesis, and in the first episode of house the show centered around a patient named Rebecca Adler which is very similar to a character in the first Sherlock Holmes short story Irene Adler.
The show was developed to be a procedural drama much like the Law and Order franchise, not something which was based on one specific main character. While most of the cast was already chosen before they ever auditioned; Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer and Robert Sean Leaonard, the choice for the role of House did not pan out as was originally hoped for. The character of House was developed with Denis Leary in mind who was the first choice, but he passed to work on a project of his own, Rescue Me. The second choice was Patrick Dempsey which seems completely illogical aside from the standpoint of name recognition. Rob Morrow was the third choice, and Hugh Laurie was even actually on their radar in the least bit. Initially it was thought that the actual star of the show would rotate from episode to episode, but while filming the pilot they realized House was the real protagonist and television history was born.
When House had to hire a new team after Cameron and Chase moved to different jobs in the hospital they originally planned to just add two new team members before developing the concept of a season that would mirror a reality TV like playoff to thin a group of 40 "contestants" to two winners would work with Foreman. As the filming progressed they realized they had four excellent characteres they wanted to keep in some capicity; "Thirteen" Hadley, Chris Taub, Amber Volakis, and Lawrence Kutner. The decision to keep that quartet wasn't set in stone though as three other characters were testing very well with audiences and offering good initial buzz; Travis Brennan, Jeffrey Cole, and Henry Dobson. What made this an interesting process is that none of the original 40 actors knew who would continue on the show. Each was given the opportunity to develop a character, the thespians that failed to were cut quickly, those who did stuck around a little longer. When the field was narrowed to the final four, Amber (Also known as cut throat bitch) was fired, but remained on the show as Wilson's girlfriend only because they didn't fell a team of four seemed plausible.
Another interesting tidbit is that the opening sequence of each show was not the original concept. Initially the names would appear over a background which featured a can and bottle of Vicodin, but Fox refused to allow it. As such a new opening was developed in which each character's name appears over a specific background; Hugh Laurie through an MRI, Omar Epps over a rib cage, Jesse Spencer over a spine, Jeniifer Morrison against a backdrop of Lake Carnegie, and David shore the creator of House over a neck. The name of the theme song is "Teardrop" by Massive Attack, and it does contain lyrics in its full form sung by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. The exterior shots of the Hospital are not of a hospital in reality, but rather Princeton University's Student Center. No actual filming takes place there, it is all shot on a Fox lot in Century City, with the exception of the pilot which was filmed in Canada.
Chi McBride who played Edward Vogler in season one was intitially supposed to be a regular character, but as filming progressed they realized that the character killed the dynamic of the show and was cut after only five episodes. while much controversy surrounded the death of Kutner, that was not a planned event. The fact is he (kal Penn) was offered a position in the new Obama administration as a liaison to the actors community and asked to be killed off. Rather than have an actual murder, he committed suicide (on the show), but that was left with a question mark. After the fact, the producers disclosed it was in fact a suicide and not a murder as House believed on the show. A spin-off of House is planned which will feature P.I. Lucas Douglas (Michael Watson) in a Rockford Files styled show.
While this is the tip of the iceberg so far as random bits of forgotten information about House, M.D., it is primarily things few people know. A real fan that pays attention may know some of the other tidbits like Thirteen's name was removed from all scripts and associated material to maintain a level of mystery surrounding her, even with the crew. Cris Taub's number assigned by House during the "hiring contest" was 39, Kutner was 6 although when he was fired he turned it upside an pretended to be 9, and Amber was number 24. Sela Ward has the most guest appearances as Stacy Warner, House's former girlfriend. Jeffrey Cole, number 18, also know as Black Mormon And Big Love, was actually fired for aligning with Cuddy, and number 26 Henry Dobson also known as Bosley, Scooter, and Ridiculously Old Fraud, is referenced in later episodes as someone House stayed in contact with. Of course everyone should know House's pet rat is named Steve McQueen, and Cuddy is an epidemiologist by training.
Now that you know more about House M.D., than you ever thought you would, maybe you'll enjoy the show a little more or amaze your froends with your knowledge of useless trivia. If nothing else it is always good to win a quick bet!