The first episode of "House's" fourth season aired on September 25 and was named "Alone." This season gained a lot of attention and excitement due to the third season cliffhanger, which caused fans and critics to question how Dr. House was possibly going to continue without his team of underlings.

In the third season finale, "Human Error," all three members of House's team left. Chase was fired, Foreman had already put in his two weeks notice, and Cameron handed in her resignation. Fans were promised an all-new team, plus the return of its regulars, and viewers had to wonder whether "House" would ever be the same.

While "House" is primarily a medical mystery show mixing drama and comedy, it has delved deeper into the hearts and psyches of the characters with each passing season, and caused them to become human, flawed, and interesting.

It was difficult to believe the show could go on with the addition of new characters, which could potentially cause the plot to become confusing, busy and cluttered. However, due to the excellent writing staff and talented actors, fans were excited to see how the show continued.

House needed to pick a new medical team for his special diagnostics wing, and in typical fashion decided to pick new doctors based on a cutthroat system. He hired all of the Fellowship candidates and would fire them week by week, sometimes based on merit and sometimes on a whim. This game continued until the last of the mid-season, and it began to wear early on.

The inclusion of six doctors as regular guest stars, three of whom would stay permanently, might have been intriguing if it were not for the continuing presence of the previous three doctors. Cameron and Chase still worked at the hospital in the ER and surgery, and Foreman was rehired by Cuddy after he got himself fired for acting like House.

The idea of firing three of the main characters last season appeared to be brave and risky, but fans who applauded the decision were disappointed when Cameron, Chase and Foreman continued on as regulars. The opening credits have six majors, and now there will be three more. Character development on "House" has always been subtle and slow, and trying to balance nine characters while still presenting unique cases may be too problematic.

This may be why the mystery cases this season were far less dramatic, and their answers simple. One of them was even technically solved in the beginning of the episode, but the healing process went awry due to the various doctors competing with one another. It caused chaos in the hospital and for the show as well. It was difficult to follow the medicine due to the actors bumping into each other. The question is, why bring back the original team when they add nothing to the plot?

Foreman was usually doing crossword puzzles, Cameron had less than a few minutes on screen, and for several episodes Chase was missing altogether. If the writers are demoting main characters so easily, they might as well write them off entirely. The fans can handle it. While beloved, Cameron, Chase and Foreman are currently taking away from the show and dragging on screen. It is a terrible waste of good actors.

The new team was decided in the last episode. Kal Penn plays Dr. Kutner, a daredevil who likes to take risks; Peter Jacobson is Dr. Taub, a former plastic surgeon who quit his practice due to a personal scandal; and Olivia Wilde is "Thirteen," a private woman who may or may not have Huntington's Disease. Hugh Laurie continues his exceptional acting work as our favorite curmudgeon doctor, and Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy) and Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson) light up the show as his constant support system.

Due to the writer's strike, there is no word on when "House" will return. Hopefully when it does, the fans can look forward to fresh, exciting cases with surprise twists and a strong compelling cast, none of which we have seen so far this season.

Story by Dee Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer