1. Denial
On twitter today, Lisa Edelstein was a worldwide trending topic and still is. It's been trending for well over 7 hours. I don't know about anyone else, but I am in complete denial about her not being on the show. I still think that Fox can fix it. Maybe they just thought we wouldn't care as much, and oh hey, it turns out we certainly do. Can't they fix her contract? Is this really happening?
2. Anger
Well done, Fox. You've gotten rid of one of the strongest female characters on the show House and on television in general. What are you really expecting here? More viewers to tune in to a show that's flailing in the ratings already? I wrote an article on the best Huddy moments earlier this year that Fox put on facebook. 10,000 likes. People care. And the show will not survive without her. You can't just build up 7 years of a relationship and then just let it fall by the wayside. I don't want anyone else with House but her, and I'm beyond livid at this development. Fix it Fox. You should have treated her better. You should have explored House and Cuddy's relationship more. And you should not have cut her pay. Period.
3. Bargaining
Remember ER when George Clooney left for Seattle and Julianna Margulies stayed on for much longer even though the two characters were meant to be? In the end, she went to Seattle to be with him and as a viewer, I was satisfied with their ending. Perhaps Fox can do something similar. Maybe Lisa Edelstein can guest star?
4. Depression
I was reading on another blog that the show House experiences loss like no other show. In turn, it makes the viewer experience all those losses. Amber and Kutner both died in equally devastating ways. Cameron left the show and completely shattered Chase. House has suffered personal, professional, and physical loss and I've felt it all with him. With Lisa Edelstein leaving, the journey that I started with this show may be too much to bear. I always tuned in hoping for a scene with Edelstein and Laurie because their on-screen chemistry lit the screen up and even in a depressing scene, I was excited to watch. Without the hope of her in his life, what hope does he have? I can't imagine next season without her, and I can't imagine the void House will feel. Do we, as viewers, really want to continue watching the most depressed man on television?
5. Acceptance
I'm nowhere even close to this one. I need some answers. Hopefully Lisa Edelstein will give an interview that explains what happened.
Signed,
A faithful, but grieving viewer
Check out my twitter for more venting and more on House: @TVTherapy.
+1
ReplyDeleteword.
ReplyDeletei can't even speak.
This is the best way to say what are we feeling. Congratulations
ReplyDeleteBravo! Bravo! bRAVO!
ReplyDeletetotally agree !!!
ReplyDeleteRevolt and LITTLE I'M FUCKING WITH FOX is
ReplyDeleteFor me the series has now pretend that ended the episode whereHouse says 14x7
YOU WILL ALWAYS CHOOSE
@LISAEDESLTEIN YOU WILL ALWAYS CHOOSE
ReplyDeleteTVTherapy, you are reporting EXACTLY what many of us are feeling. I am so angry at the idiots who thought they could pull this bullshit on Lisa Edelstein and other actresses in Hollywood. The woman had to do goddamn nudity this season and they want to force her into a pay cut when both HL AND RSL didn't take pay cuts? Fuck'em. I'm SOOOO proud of Lisa Edelstein for walking away. Let the network morons watch a good show circle the drain now that viewers have MOVED ON to other shows. Seriously, I delayed ever watching House until season 3 because House's character was such an Asshole that I couldn't be bothered. Then I caught LE's scene as Cuddy one night while switching channels and found a good reason to watch the show for the rest of that season. I'm absolutely done with the show. Last night's After Hours episode had me wondering why would anyone want to even be with the idiot character House after all his high maintenance bullshit antics and now I realize the writers who were supposedly so wonderful have written House into "asshood" not worth watching without Cuddy's responses. Good luck with the bromance of House and Wilson and their fair little paychecks. I'm off to follow Lisa Edelstein's next move. This show has officially lost my interest. I'll watch the finale then I'm DONE. I'm only watching "Moving On" to see Cuddy kick House's ass to the curb. Lisa E, your fans support you. Hollywood can kiss our collective female asses! Ditto the damn FOX advertisers. I ain't buying any more of the shit they're selling. Thanks TVTherapy for covering this topic.
ReplyDeleteAMENNNN
ReplyDeletePerfeito. Disse tudo! :*
ReplyDeleteI think you just hacked my brain there.
ReplyDeleteBlame FOX, don't blame Hugh or RSL. Seriously. As long as the show goes, I watch it because I support the people who play the characters. And spoilerchicka, showing a bare back, and a "hint" of backside does not count as "nudity" IMO. Broadcast TV doesn't do nudity.
ReplyDeleteCan't say more... you explain everything...
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better. I am beside myself. I too am grieving and after my initial shock reaction, I am left with a feeling that can only be described as numb. WTF were they thinking? Wow Fox...just wow
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - not sure if i will be able to watch the show now!!!! Toooooo much loss without Lisa Edelstiein in the show - as too watch to see the interaction between her and Hugh Laurie. This is what makes the show such a great show. Two very HOT leads interacting the way they do makes the show soooo attractive to soooo many people around the world. I'm devastated and gutted with the news and don't know what to say or how i feel!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love how you blame FOX for this.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, it was her decision.
Um, she CHOSE to not come back. She could have accepted an offer of over 2 million, that's a nice bit of money. Omar Epps had the stones to accept a pay cut and he typically does more work than Lisa Edelstein. Robert Sean Leonard probably got to keep his salary since Wilson is a more important part of the show. House has always heavily relied on Wilson to be his conscience. Cuddy more often had the role of his sparing partner, enjoyable to watch, but not necessary. I wanted her to stay too, I just don't see her absence damaging the show beyond repair. It's interesting that it seems to mostly be the shippers that are flipping out over this. The show is not and never was going to be a romance novel with a fairy tale ending. Get over it. If that's what you wanted, you've been watching the wrong show from the start. And if that's what it was, I would have stopped watching ages ago. Out of curiosity, what did you guys do during the episodes she had no storyline or never even showed up in at all?
ReplyDeleteJust the business. A series that is past its prime is no longer worth what it was before. They no longer earn as much for the network and need to make cuts and restructure contracts so that the series can continue.... those cuts come from the supporting cast members If it doesn't become a cheaper series to make it gets cancelled.
ReplyDeleteLike House survived the original team loss, it will survive because it is about House.... not the supporting cast. Between the people that stopped watching because of Cuddy's overuse and the casual viewers that will tune in to see how the change affects the series, I won't be shocked if the ratings actually go UP honestly.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Perfectly said. I'm definetely not watching anymore without Cuddy there. The three-legged stool that House MD essentially is cannot function with one of its legs chopped off. I hope those network bosses start feeling their greedy idiocy in their wallets really soon.
ReplyDeleteSpeechless ... just in case, best of luck and thanx lisa .. I'm gonna miss Cuddy but show must go on
ReplyDeletesome idea for the writters: sabbatic year ...
also it may lead to some intresting storyline to unravel, will another boss put up with House? will he be able to pick up the pieces and move on by himself? I think it gives a way to wrap up
lets enjoy the last season, we didn't sapare 7 years for nothing
even when I'am pro-couple viewer
way to go Lisa not bending over to the big bosses ... what a woman!
"Out of curiosity, what did you guys do during the many episodes she had no storyline or never even showed up at all"
ReplyDeletedude, that's not even a question! what's the difference between take a trip or die? one, you are absent but eventually you'll be back .. and the other ... do I have to say?
I'm still in denial.
ReplyDeleteI've been following "CSI : LV" for a long time and in the past years, many actors thriten to quit to get a pay raise. This announcement occurs just before the season finale. So it's a good thing for FOX who will get all the fans who want to watch her last appearence. Maybe there will be more than 10 M° viewers. I can't imagine it's a final decision. I wonder if the fact Lisa has been involved in a campain promoting the right to get abortion has something to do with that or not. She said she get a call from FOX after the clip was aired. Do they have good relationship now. That's the question.
Is she waiting for a pay raise (or this has been already asked and refused) or does she really want to stop working with the FOX ?
A+
ReplyDeleteYou`re absolutely right :-D.
ReplyDeleteI didn`t know that so many people loved Cuddy/House relationship, the second thing is that so many people hated Cuddy. So it`s interesting and I can`t wait to see the rating next fall :-D.
Personally I`ve never watched it for Huddy. In the first three seasons we were supposed to hate her. When you watch those episodes again you`ll see. Writers made her stupid cause she was against House`s "medical procedures".
And last season when they put them together I was like: "Well, if you have to... I know it`s not gonna last very long." It was naive to think they would stay together. How many times did the creators told in interviews over the years that House is a sad man and happiness would kill the character. He is what he is because of being sad and happiness would ruin him. And we all see that he`s so miserable that it`s ruining him too. But that`s just a part of life.
And I don`t get that whole paradigm about putting together the main male character with the main female character. Is it possible that people are so unhappy with their relationships that they have to be so invested in putting together those characters? Even though there is no rational reason to do so? I don`t mean just House but every TV show with male and female leads. In House it started like making fun from his boss with sex jokes. And I think that`s the barrier where it needed to stay. There are tons of other things on House that could be investigated a little more that just Huddy. Right now they are focusing on the other characters too and I like it.
But yes...House was never supposed to be a fairy tale. And it won`t end up as one. I hope so. Just one show without happy end (at least I don`t know about a show that did end with sad end).
I could not agree more about shows (and fans) feeling the need to have their male and female leads get together.
ReplyDeleteIt's cliche and just plain boring most of the time. It's worse when the leads are not together, never have been together and may never be together in the future, but they still get linked as couples by nothing more than proximity or fan imagination.
Personally, I have never understood the need to insert my personal thoughts or desires onto a series. I enjoy them as they are... as the creators of the series intended them. If a viewer transfers their delusions or desires into plots and relationships that don't exist, they have no one to blame but themselves if the series doesn't go in the direction they want. Seeing as the viewer themselves took it in a direction the writers did not want.
TV series are about what the writers want them to be about. They evolve and mature, but they are what the writers want them to be.... not what the fans want them to be. If fans are allowed to influence a series it means the writers and creative team never had a true vision for the show in the first place.
(Pardon the rant. Obviously House and Cuddy were together. In the latter points I meant TV series in general not House specifically. Although House is about House himself and how he relates to the world in around him in general... not one person around him.)
Well, I'm not grieving at all (it's not like anyone died), just wanted to say: Welcome to the world of us Cameron fans, now you finally know what we went through. I guess we can all agree now that it's not a nice feeling. With a small difference: Lisa decided to quit, Jennifer was forced to quit.
ReplyDeleteWhy the blame? As someone else said, it was HER CHOICE. No one fired her. No one kicked her out. She just DECIDED not to come back. Just like Melina Kanakaredes on CSI:NY. Seriously, some fans are bonkers. I get your sadness and disappointment, I really do, but immediately with the finger pointing? Really?
ReplyDelete*Gives KatiKat 100 bonus points for getting the spelling of Kanakaredes correct...
ReplyDeleteI usually don't!
That depends on what you call not to force, but everything I've read she was forced to make that decision, conditions not know, but she never cared dimensions of their role and the minutes on it, a character that with their good work for him seven years to develop and grow. That is an undisputed fact and therefore it ought to have recognized the merit and not try to impose a pay cut.
ReplyDeleteSpeechless! You covered just about everything! :)
ReplyDeleteShe was the character I liked least. I'm glad she's gone. I seem to be the only one, but hey. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteOr there is an other reason why we should be disappointed by the loss of LE : we just like the actress and the character.
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell do people always believe this is all about ships ?
As it was said, she would've still gotten 2 mil. bucks. Omar Epps accepted a pay cut. We don't know how much RLS gets - compared to LE - and maybe they plan to expand his part and up his time and that's why he wasn't asked to accept a pay cut, there's little info about his negotiations. I'm just saying she wasn't written off, she decided not to renew her contract. And with the show's ratings sliding, they had to save money somewhere - and usually, it's saved when contracts are being renewed.
ReplyDeleteEnglish isn't my native tongue and in my language, the name Kanakaredes is read the way it's written, so it's easy :P Mostly, I have a problem with double L's and T's and so on, those don't exist in my language.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should read that again. I was pointing out the ridiculousness of the claim from so many people that they ONLY watch the show for a character that wasn't in it all that much. They must have been bored to tears 90% of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are a few of you. It just seems pretty clear a lot of the backlash is Huddy-based, like the original article.
ReplyDeleteWord to everything you wrote. Fox sucks and they'd better bring Lisa back for the very last episode.
ReplyDelete"Do we, as viewers, really want to continue watching the most depressed man on television?"
ReplyDeleteMuch as I love Hugh... THIS. I know the show is about House, but both Wilson and Cuddy represent aspects of his character. Wilson is House's conscience, his Greek chorus; Cuddy is his heart. Without Cuddy, House is 2/3 of a character. I, too, am tired of David Shore's "Life Sucks, People Don't Change, and Happiness is Illusory" worldview. Enough, already.
I want to shake the honchos at NBCU & Fox; if they're that concerned about the show's budget, why not ask Olivia Wilde, or another less-vital actor, to take a pay cut? I like OW and I like Thirteen, but the network seems to be sending the message that the character is more important than Cuddy. Why should Lisa E. be asked to take a pay cut, and not RSL? There has to be more to this story.
Well, I still will watch it, no with even more joy than before. And where is Cuddy his heart?! Bullshit. Cuddy is not as important as you seem to talk yourself into.
ReplyDeleteDo you fangirls even realize how SICK it is to GRIEVE for a TV character?! Sorry, I've seen a lot in this fandom but this is just insane.
RT @HuddyOnline: Friendly Facebook page to support Cuddy. Please ' like' this page http://on.fb.me/m7jMAW #LisaEdelstein
ReplyDeletePlease "like' and link to your Face Book Page & add a comment . We should be able to generate thousands of hits, then hit FOX. [H]ouse without LE is like a stool left with only 2 legs...HL & RSL>
Lol, to be fair, ratingswise, House never really survived the loss of the original team. Season 4 was novel and exciting and ended on what I feel was their strongest season finale (and that says something because House season finales are almost always phenomenal).
ReplyDelete"Do we, as viewers, really want to continue watching the most depressed man on television?"
ReplyDeleteI do! I have a similar perspective on life as David Shore and House (and it seems Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard, I'm the Eeyore in a group as well). It's nice to see that a writer created a character that is allowed to be a downer rather than having the ultimate goal be fixing him to turn everything into sunshine and lollipops. It's like those lame ugly duckling movies where invariably the homely librarian gets contacts, lets her hair down, puts on some makeup, finds a prince charming, and they both live happily ever after. I couldn't imagine a worse fate for a brilliant interesting character like House.
holy speech.
ReplyDeleteOMG You have read my mind!!! Great post. Everyone is going through this 5 stages of grief.
ReplyDeleteOH it's annoying when characters you like leave a series. Everyone has the right to be saddened, but angry? Meh....
ReplyDeleteI mean for LE, she gets paid to do a job and it's not her life.... it's just a job. I don't understand why those not paid to be Cuddy are affected more than she is.
LE made he decision... the money or time off or chance to be creative in a different role was more important to her than the series itself..... Nothing wrong with that. Seven years is a long time for an actress/actor to do one role. Some actors dread the commute to where a series is filmed and be away from your family (like HL).Some like taking on a variety of roles ... challenging themselves. Her reasons are her own and she had every right to choose to leave.
At contract time actors have every right to want the same contract and the same money or even more money.... just like the people running the series have every right to offer the actor less money. It's just a job.
I know I totally agree. I cannot begin to describe how I feel. I'm gutted apart from Hugh Laurie she is the reason I watch this show. Next season is gonna suck!
ReplyDeleteI don't want, nor do I expect, sunshine and puppies- just redemption. I don't want him to "fix" himself. I do hope that he learns to cut himself some slack and I hope his nearest and dearest do the same.
ReplyDeleteDo you (fanboy/fangirl) even realize how SICK it is to GLOAT over the loss of a major character, who, whether you like it or not, has been instrumental in revealing aspects of House's character over the past seven years? I don't care if you think Cuddy representing House's heart is bullsh!t or not- that came straight from David Shore and Katie Jacobs.
ReplyDeleteYes, Lisa CHOSE not to come back... to a 50% salary reduction. No, seriously ($165K at 24 eps vs. $110k at 18 eps). No matter how much a person gets paid, getting their paycheck cut by 50% a year after the series showrunner calls you its 'female lead' is insulting. Robert Sean Leonard took an episode cut but not a pay cut.
ReplyDeleteAs for Cuddy's importance on the series, that's a matter of personal preference and opinion. I will say, though, that the producers thought her important enough to increase her screen presence in season 7 without a bump in pay, and now that the relationship is over, whether it was planned to be temporary or permanent, they request a reduction as high as 50%? I'd probably choose not to re-sign, too.
i agree with you on this so much! this show is too depressing already. first they completely change cuddy's character to have her be a sad angry disappointed shadow of herself, then she's gone altogether? that's too much depression for a person to want to watch. i have enough going on in my life, i don't need to get depressed by a television show.
ReplyDeletei am proud of lisa for having the guts to leave, but i worry how this departure will affect house. but, at the same time, i can't really allow myself to be bothered by that, because, as david shore insists, house is never going to be happy anyway.
as for the OP's detractors... she's offering her opinion on how SHE feels about the loss of cuddy and lisa. she doesn't expect you to feel the same way. please stop attacking her for how she feels. that's not your problem.
T________T
ReplyDeleteThat's a 33% pay reduction since they're paid by the episode. Plus, getting $110k for few scenes still looks pretty sweet to me. Being the female lead doesn't mean much if there are two male leads ahead of you and your character is no longer attached to either of them. It would be a different story if this was the end of season 6. The pay reduction wasn't a slam against her. Omar Epps was able to suck it up and accept it. Wilson vs Cuddy is not just opinion. House still needs and uses Wilson. He has to be there to help tell the story of what is happening in House's head whether you like that element of the show or not. But, since Cuddy and House broke up, he won't go to her as much anymore. She was the last person he called in After Hours. Yes, they could do more with House and Cuddy and it would be great, but they can also just let it go and have Cuddy move away because she can't be around House after their break up. It would be nearly impossible to explain Wilson suddenly disappearing at this point. Plus, House can collide with another boss, but they couldn't get him another best friend that knows him better than anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but any actor who is quits a show because they got a paycheck is GREEDY. I'd love to get paid just a quarter of what they'd be making, let alone a full paycheck. 2 million dollars is nothing to balk at.
ReplyDeleteI disagree on Cuddy's importance to the series. Even Wilson said House needed her in his life. Wilson is his conscience, but she is his strength, his support. She hired him, she focused him, she keeps him in check. He needs her to tell him when to stop. He trusts her. She is, IMO, every bit as important to his life as Wilson.
ReplyDeleteAs for the salary, you're right. 33% per episode but with between 4-6 fewer episodes a year, that is over 50% less annually. And these are big figures, but these actors are paid for their experience. New actors don't make this much. Lisa and Bob have been in the business over 20 years and have earned the right to these salaries. Decreasing salary isn't just damaging to them now, it affects any future potential job offers they receive, because in Hollywood, you're only as good as your last quote. It's good that she quit; I just think people underestimate the effect this will have on the dynamic of the show and it's characters.
Cuddy also said "I can't help him with his problem. I
ReplyDeleteam his problem." Anyway, I'm not talking about her importance to House the
character, but her importance to House the show. Cuddy is
only his support when they are a couple, that's over. He nearly always went to Wilson first, whom he also trusts. Without Cuddy around, they'll still have a new boss, his team, and Wilson to keep House in check and tell him when to stop like they always have. Cuddy never took on that role alone. She was just the only one with any actual power to refuse him access to equipment and patients, any new boss will automatically have that. Plus, they'll be willing to fire his ass. She's not
exactly good for him either. She's probably done more damage than just about
anyone else by attempting a relationship she knew wouldn't work. There's no
denying he will be absolutely wrecked by Cuddy leaving, but she doesn't uniquely serve a necessary
function in the show anymore and her character has an out.
That's fine if she didn't take the offer because she didn't
want to hurt future financial negotiations. It's just business, in the same way
a show with reduced ratings needs to cut its costs.
I honestly think that Lisa is moving on with her career from a supporting role to something bigger. Even though I am a bit upset, I partially agree with her decision. And I really don't think it has much to do with a pay cut
ReplyDeleteOk, drones.You don't borrow from one of the best episodes of House (`Acceptance`) without getting it. So here is acceptance: the actress wants bigger pay? Good for her, hope she finds it. She was anyway a great whining presence, and never an equal to House (at least not the way Stacy was). Next, House is not about relationships, it's not Grey's Anatomy. Go watch weddings there, and also root for Sam and Addison. House is about puzzles, it's about diagnostics, and all the best episodes were relying on those themes. Another big thing: people can't change. He tried, he failed. Move on. Finally, there was no relationship build up...or were you watching Bones, or some daytime soap? They never were right for each other. He had a soul mate, and he chased her away before the first season started. In conclusion: She is gone and won't be much missed. Aside from occasional 'long judging looks' she wasn't bringing much to the table. If I am pissed at anything, it's that they pretty much reduced Wilson to Cuddy-esque whining machine.
ReplyDeleteLisa Edelstein's Cuddy is an important character on the show. She balances him and makes him more normal. Without Cuddy House is just a selfish, self-destructive middle-aged loser. He's not even funny any more. Just pathetic. Who wants to watch that week after week?
ReplyDeleteGood for you, I don't care about you fangirl opinion either. You see everything through your shipper glasses, it's ridiculous. And I didn't gloat, I just pointed out that she's not as important as you think. And the only sick think here is that YOU are GRIEVING as if someone died. GROW UP. GET A LIFE. Or see a psychiatrist, whatever suits you better.
ReplyDeleteAnd spare your breath to answer, I won't answer you anymore anyway.
"you see everything through your shipper glasses" WTH ? She didn't say anything about any ship at all ! She just said she liked Cuddy and her role in the series.
ReplyDeletePlease, stop being so obsessed by those "ships" ! I think YOU are seing everything through some antishippers glasses.
The ships obsession really is pissing me off..
"grow up" "get a life" - says the one whose name is the name of a TV character
ALL OF THIS. You said exactly what I'm going through.
ReplyDeleteEverything people need to know/do to help bring Lisa Edelstein back to House
ReplyDeletehttp://bringlisaedelsteinbacktohouse.tumblr.com/
AND SEND YOUR EMAILS/COMPLAINTS HERE. LET THEM KNOW VIEWERS WANT CUDDY FOR SEASON 8!!
Kevin Reilly, Entertainment President, Fox Broadcasting Company
Phone: (310) 369-3066
E-mail: kevin.reilly@fox.com
and askfox@fox.com
Kathy Kelly-Brown, Senior Vice President, Media Relations
NBCUniversal
Kathy.Kelly-Brown@nbcuni.com
Well I certainly don't want to watch a tv show about your life if that is how it is. I guess I will stop watching House as well
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sure I would equally hate a TV show about your life if you can't see what is wonderful and refreshing about David Shore's style. If what you were looking for was House to be "fixed," you've been watching the wrong show from the start. It's a little odd you never noticed since the writers were always very honest about their perspective. Go watch pretty much anything else and let me have the one show that actually speaks to me without ultimately pandering to people like you.
ReplyDeleteBy slack do you mean they should accept his actions instead of trying to change him all the time and he shouldn't let himself be tortured by his own emotions? Many of his actions are highly damaging to himself and the people around him. He can't have slack because he's nearly killed himself and others several times without it. As for cutting himself some slack, I think that could only happen by fixing him. The emotional damage, loneliness, negativity, misery, and questionable decision making is who he is and those individual elements feed into each other making them largely inseparable, especially in the long run. You take them away, and you're left with a cured, stable, sunshine and puppies version of House.
ReplyDeleteActions speak louder than words: http://on.fb.me/m7jMAW
ReplyDeleteThis is EXACTLY how I'm feeling for the last 6 days!
ReplyDeleteYes, Lisa CHOSE not to come back... to a 50% salary reduction. No, seriously ($165K at 24 eps vs. $110k at 18 eps). No matter how much a person gets paid, getting their paycheck cut by 50% a year after the series showrunner calls you its 'female lead' is insulting. Robert Sean Leonard took an episode cut but not a pay cut.
ReplyDeleteAs for Cuddy's importance on the series, that's a matter of personal preference and opinion. I will say, though, that the producers thought her important enough to increase her screen presence in season 7 without a bump in pay, and now that the relationship is over, whether it was planned to be temporary or permanent, they request a reduction as high as 50%? I'd probably choose not to re-sign, too.