The fourth season of "House, M.D." was one of its best seasons yet. This very entertaining (and popular) drama series has already three strong seasons behind it, and season four does not disappoint. I was kind of weary going into season four because of what happened at the end of season three, when everyone's favorite crabby TV doc lost his team. I wasn't sure if this show would still be as good as it was, but I'm glad I stuck it out for season four. Give the writers credit, because this time they decided to have some fun going into the season, and great fun it was. The show at times is very dramatic, and at other times it's very funny.

The season starts off in the first episode with Dr. House still without a team and trying to diagnose a patient on his own, while Drs. Cuddy and Wilson (House's boss and good friend, respectively) try to persuade him to put together a new team by hiring some new doctors. The humor in episode one is still very much intact, especially in the scene where House tries to get ideas from the hospital janitor ("You were bouncing ideas off a janitor", Wilson tells him hilariously). When House finally decides to give in, there are 40 candidates vying for 3 positions on House's staff. And that's where the real fun of season four begins. The next several episodes turn into a "Survivor" type game where House eliminates the candidates one-by-one until he finally makes his final decision in the ninth episode. These episodes worked very well and it was a lot of fun to watch House play off these potential candidates. In the middle of all this, House's three former team members (Drs. Foreman, Cameron, and Chase) all return to Princeton-Plainsboro, but now working in new positions. The latter episodes deal with the three new doctors trying to deal with House as well as the patients they're diagnosing. And in an interesting subplot, Dr. Wilson finds a new love interest who just happens to be one of the same doctors who was trying to get onto House's staff and lost out. The final episode ends with a heartbreaker as House and company try to save the life of a person who was the victim of a bus crash, and House's inability to find out what really happened since he was also a victim of that same bus crash and has come down with temporary amnesia which makes the other doctors' jobs a whole lot harder.

Hugh Laurie once again dominates this show as he has from day one. Lisa Edelstein (Dr. Cuddy) and Robert Sean Leonard (Dr. Wilson) provide great support as usual. Omar Epps (Dr. Foreman) is back and is given a pretty good amount of screen time since his character is now overseeing and watching the new team. Former real-life couple Jennifer Morrison (Dr. Cameron) and Jesse Spencer (Dr. Chase) are also back, but weren't given much to do this time around. This is due to the three new cast members whose characters were the ones that House picked to make up his new team. Peter Jacobson (Dr. Taub), Kal Penn (Dr. Kutner), and Olivia Wilde (Thirteen) were the best ones for the job, and if I were a doctor and I had to chose some new team members, I would have picked these same characters. However I would have picked an additional fourth member to be on the staff: and that would have been Amber. Anne Dudek was a major standout in season four as Amber, who has a personality that's just like House. This character ended up being the last to go when House made his final decision on who he wanted for his team, but she was back (surprisingly) in the later episodes as Wilson's new girlfriend.

Because of the writers strike that shut down television production on all TV shows, the fourth season of "House" is shorter. Only 16 episodes this time around, but they're some of the best episodes that this terrific show has to offer. I hope it gets multiple Emmy nominations this year because it deserves them, and maybe this time out it'll win some Emmy Awards. My fingers are crossed.

First let me start by saying House my my favorite show, I couldn't think any more highly of season 1 through 3 - intense, compelling, funny, great camera angles, writing, just everything about those seasons is perfect in my eyes. Even today watching those episodes for 5/6th time, I'm still so impressed.

Season four took a drop, I can't see myself watching the episodes over and over like I could the first three seasons. Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer are no longer in the show (much, anyway) and all the great chemistry between House and his team is gone, replaced by three new boring one dimensional characters. The writing seems like it's slacking, resorting to ridiculous lines that feel as if they're only there for shock value.

If you're new to House, I recommend picking up the first three DVDs before considering this one. It is still a great show compared to what else is on TV, but it doesn't stand out like it used to.

House has always been one of the best dramas since its premiere which is not because of the medical drama, but because of the unique characters that make this show so much fun to watch.
Of course, Hugh Laurie is simply fantastic in the role of the grumpy, sarcastic and unconventional Dr. House, but not only does Laurie give amazing performances throughout the series, in fact all the other actors do the same and have helped to create characters that one truly cares for, that are interesting and have an edge.
The writing on this show is exceptional and the performances by the cast-members are some of the finest to grace TV and get even stronger the more the story-lines start to get more personal towards the end of this strike-shortened season.
At the beginning of Season 4 House is alone, without his team Chase, Cameron and Foreman who were fired (by House) or quit. But it doesn't take long and he is running something like "House's Idol" to fill the three fellowship spots that Cameron, Chase and Foreman left.
This part of the season is loads of fun and has incredible writing as well as interesting medical cases to maintain the typical House feeling from previous seasons.
This Season gets stronger with each episode and the addititon of a certain female character promises lots of extremely funny and, for House unusual and challenging moments.
Finally in the two-part season finale, which is "House, M.D."'s best to date the season ends on a very, very strong note that is both emotional (slightly unusual for this show), touching and fascinating to watch as House's Head and Wilson's Heart are examined and a story that has you at the edge of your seat is brought to life on your TV screen by actors whose performances in these two episodes alone literally scream "Emmy". (Robert Sean Leonard should definitely be nominated!)
If you are already a fan of "House" then this Season set is, of course a must-have and for people who were a little disappointed in Season 3, Season 4 is way beyond better, although it is different to the previous ones. However for somebody new to "House, M.D." I'd recommend getting one of the earlier seasons as this Season relies heavily on the dynamics from Season 3 and creates a new House which is still the same though.
House's best season yet and one of the must-buys for every TV junkie who cares for a great drama series with a stellar cast, a show that is intelligent and extremely witty at the same time as providing great medical and character drama.