Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18337 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-10-27
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 22
• Running time: 3696 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Series One

He pops pills, watches soaps, and always, always says what's on his mind. He's Dr. Gregory House (Emmy nominee Hugh Laurie, Blackadder). Producers David Shore, Bryan Singer, Katie Jacobs, and Paul Attanasio haven't rewritten the hospital drama--at heart, it's a cross between St. Elsewhere, ER, and C.S.I.--but they've infused a moribund genre with new life and created one of TV's most compelling characters. More than any previous medical procedural, it resembles Attanasio’s underrated Gideon's Crossing, but House is lighter on its feet. As fascinating as he is, the show wouldn't work as well if it were all House all the time (that would be like Sherlock Holmes without Watson or Moriarty). Fortunately, he's joined by an intriguing cast of characters, portrayed by a combination of experienced vets (Omar Epps, Lisa Edelstein, Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard) and new faces (Jennifer Morrison, Jesse Spencer). Aside from the complicated cases they tackle each week, the sparks really fly when House's brilliant, if naïve, charges are put to the test--and as the head of a teaching hospital, it's his job to test them (although his tough love approach is constantly landing him in hot water with Edelstein's administrator). From the first episode, House attracted a talented array of guests, including Robin Tunney ("Pilot"), Joe Morton ("Role Model"), and Patrick Bauchau ("Cursed") as Spencer’s father. In addition, Chi McBride and Sela Ward appear frequently (with Ward returning for the second season). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Series Two

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. It would be easy for this set up to grow old fast. But because of the smart writing, nuanced acting, and believability of the characters (who're often dealing with unbelievable scenarios), the formula works. Viewers have been conditioned by the Marcus Welbys of the TV world to think of doctors as saviors. Even on ER, the most narcissistic physician was selfless at heart. But House is a different breed. When he's at an off-track betting parlor and a woman collapses, he doesn't miss a beat. Still eying his race on television, he asks, "Is anybody here a doctor?" He'll mock a sick patient's complaints with a sarcastic, "Boo hoo!" And, if there happens to be a dead body around, he has no qualms about shooting it if he believes that could help diagnose another gun-shot victim. Not that he's any more reasonable or compassionate to his boss Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), his oncologist best friend Wilson (Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard), or his young charges Foreman (Omar Epps), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Chase (Jesse Spencer). He instructs his doctors to break into patients' homes as if they're cat burglars. He does not know the meaning of the phrase "politically correct." But because he spits out insults (as if he has a mild case of Tourette's) equally to both his patients and colleagues, the latter never flinch at his constant stream of inappropriateness. When his three young doctors storm into his office to report the declining condition of a patient by blurting out, "We have rectal bleeding," House says, "What? All three of you?" To sensitive Wilson, who is trying to get some work done without being interrupted, House says, "I know you're in there. I can hear you caring." And when Foreman's father says, "My son says you're a manipulative bastard," House replies, "It's a pet name. I call him Dr. Bling." Of course House actually does care about his patients, but he views a good bedside manner as the luxury of a doctor who has a healthy patient. But dying patients with seemingly incurable diseases need something more. They need House. --Jae-Ha Kim

Series Three

The cantankerous and brilliant Dr. House (Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie) is back for a third season of the hit drama House, which picks up with his being shot at the end of season two and ends with his staff dramatically refusing to put up with his oddball (and borderline abusive) demands. Fans of the drama will be happy to hear that the formula remains the same: Each show begins with a medical dilemma that's so severe and life-threatening that only Dr. House can diagnose and fix the problem, even if it goes against conventional medical rules. His put-upon boss Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) is back, as are his young charges Foreman (Omar Epps), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Chase (Jesse Spencer). Oncologist Wilson (Tony winner Robert Sean Leonard), who is House's best friend by default, also returns to support (and infuriate) the cranky doctor. Speaking of cranky, House's difficult nature proves to bite him in the rear. In a six-episode arc, the Vicodin-popping House meets his match after he antagonizes the wrong patient, police officer Michael Twitter (David Morse, who played a compassionate physician on St. Elsewhere). Hell hath no fury like a patient poked and prodded like a guinea pig, and Twitter makes it his business to make House's life miserable. But since the show is called House, viewers are safe in assuming that House will not be rotting his life away in a jail cell. After all, the excitement of the show is driven by his unorthodox treatment of patients. As Cuddy succinctly points out, "You just keep on going until you come up with something so insane it's usually right." Look for a slew of excellent guest stars (rocker Dave Matthews, Charles S. Dutton, Piper Perabo, John Larroquette) to help stir things up. The episodes are as compelling as ever, focusing on a morbidly obese patient in denial, an autistic child, and a comatose man that House insists on "waking" up. --Jae-Ha Kim

Series Four

For Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), there's nothing like a good, tension-filled competition to pick his new team of doctors when his old trio of Chase (Jesse Spencer), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Foreman (Omar Epps) leave his fold. Among the 40 newbies vying to earn the coveted spots in the fourth season of House, M.D. are Dr. Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn, the Harold & Kumar films), Dr. Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson, Transformers) and Dr., uh, Thirteen (Olivia Wilde, The O.C.). Taking a cue from Flavor Flav, House dubs the latter with that nickname simply because he can. Though frequently politically incorrect, House is almost always spot on when it comes to diagnosing rare diseases and ailments. His boss Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) puts up with his unorthodox quirks, which include antagonising patients, berating his colleagues, and being an overall pain in the butt, because he's brilliant. The addition of the new doctors adds a bit of chaos early on. But once the contingent is whittled away to the select few, the storylines grow stronger and the chemistry between the old and new cast members gels. Though a bit of momentum is lost in the last third of the season, the writers do an admirable job of piecing together loose ends without sacrificing plot or structure. In a nice homage to the Prescription Passion, the General Hospital-esque soap opera he loves, House at one point is afflicted with amnesia. The humourous aspect of the story is offset by urgency as he tries to remember what needs to be done to save a patient. On a separate episode, House kidnaps the star of the daytime drama (played by Sex and the City hunk Jason Lewis) because he's convinced the actor is dying. The season finale is heartbreaking, as one of House's candidates is in a life-and-death situation that even the good doctor may not be able to cure. --Jae-Ha Kim

Synopsis
Part E.R. and part C.S.I., HOUSE is a medical mystery television show that's appealing due to its creative camerawork, interesting characters, and twisting plotlines. Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is a brilliant medical professional, but often alienates his patients and co-workers because of his abrasive manner and bitterness. In each episode House is faced with a person exhibiting a number of unusual symptoms, and along with his team of dedicated doctors and nurses, must discover what strange illness is afflicting the patient...before it's too late! The show moves at a rapid pace, spurred by its turning and suspenseful plotlines and the lively interaction between the characters, played by a strong supporting cast that includes Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps, and Sela Ward. This collection gathers every episode in the first four series of the show.

Customer Reviews

Excellent entertainment
In any box set there is a requirement for extras to give the full experience, and this one has it in spades. In addition to an interview with members of the cast there are outtakes, and an extremely amusing valley girl take on certain episodes.

The stories are rich and Hugh Laurie draws you in more and more as the episodes go on. His performance is well judged and a central point all of the other characters. He is the ultimate anti-hero and yet you do find yourself willing him on, even when it is apparent that he does not have any good intentions, just a drive to treat his patient. This trait sets it apart from the other medical dramas that are out there.

My only critism is the lack of subtitles available, this certainly would provide an issue for some viewers of the programme.

Overall I would say go get, unless you are waiting for the enlarged version that will inevitably come.

Clever and entertaining medical drama
This combination of `House' seasons 1-4 represents some of the cleverest TV drama that has been made in many years. Dr Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is miserable, rude and unprofessional but extremely insightful, intuitive and the best medical diagnostician around. You may hate him as a person but if you ended up in hospital you would want him on your case.

The supporting cast is also top notch; Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) as Dean of Medicine (House's boss), James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) as Head of Oncology and, more importantly, House's best and only friend, and Drs Forman (Omar Epps), Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and Chase (Jesse Spencer) who make up the training fellows on House's diagnostic team.

The episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 are mainly centred on solving the complex illness with House's personality issues being a secondary, though intriguing, theme. Seasons 3 and 4 spend more time covering House the individual, and relationships between the other characters. Below are brief highlights of each season:

Season 1 - i) Our first taste of House, his unorthodox methods and his young team, ii) Ed Vogler's (the new Chairman of the Hospital Board) unsuccessful attempts to restrain House.

Season 2 - i) House's struggle to come to terms with his relationship with Stacy (Sela Ward), ii) Wilson moving in with House and iii) Forman's near miss with death after catching a bug from a patient.

Season 3 - House's stand-off against Detective Tritter (David Morse) over his excessive use of Vicodin pills and ii) House falling out with his team, resulting in them all leaving.

Season 4 - i) House takes on FORTY new trainees and whittles them down to three, ii) House and his new team and iii) the dynamics between House, Wilson and Wilson's new girlfriend aka 'Cut-throat Bitch'.

In a nutshell, this is an excellent collection at a reasonable price. The only negative is that there are no subtitles but it is only a minor gripe for me.

Superb series poor dvd contents
I am a huge fans of the series . So i found this package to be a bargain . I speak english in a high level and understand it very well . But since the series is filled with medical terms i hoped it would have english subtitles at least for the hearing impaired . But guess what ? There were no subs ... My parents who love this show and needed the subs since they are so good at understanding spoken english were dissapointed because they could not easily follow the series . Its a shame to have such a series in a dvd in the year 2009 without any subs ...
And the producers complain about their series being distributed in divx format in the internet where you can find them with subs in all languages ...