House MD: 10 Relationships, Ranked

A big part of what made the long-running medical show so popular was the allure of the House relationships between the doctors and those they interacted with. The high quality acting from stars like Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard and the frequently introduced thought-provoking medical cases and mysteries that would leave viewers puzzling for answers long after episodes were over were also enticing but it was the people at the hospital who mattered the most.

Also improving its standing as one of the best medical series in television history, House MD was also never as soapy as some of the other medical dramas on television during that same period. Still, the series never shied away from the romantic complexities that arise between doctors in highly stressful jobs – whether they kept their romantic life within the hospital, or took it outside. The nature of House relationships was a mixed bag with some being loving and lasting long and others never truly connecting with the audience.

RELATED: Why House Went To Jail In Season 8 & How He Got Out

10 Taub & Rachel

Dr. Chris Taub was one of the more disliked characters on House MD, as he often proved to be not only antagonistic toward the other doctors but unprofessional and untrustworthy to those around him, including his wife. Dr. Taub’s background as a plastic surgeon was one that remained clouded in mystery, though hints regarding NDAs and non-compete clauses are offered throughout the series. While that makes him a possibly unethical doctor, what made him worse was that he refused to remain faithful to his wife, Rachel.

This entire House relationship was bad before he appeared on the show when Taub started an affair with a nurse at his former medical practice, and he was forced to sign a non-disclosure when it became public knowledge at the practice, pushing him out. He lied to Rachel about it, saying he was pushed out because a patient died, only making things worse. Ultimately, Rachel stayed with Chris and put up with his unrepentant philandering ways, keeping alive a relationship that was problematic.

9 Cuddy & Lucas

It’s never a good sign when one of the House relationships only began after one character has been tasked with following and gathering information about the other. Yet that’s exactly what happens in the case of Dr. Lisa Cuddy and her longtime boyfriend, Lucas – a private investigator hired by House to learn more about Cuddy’s private life. Overall, Lucas was a good character, and Michael Weston was a great addition to the series – especially in his comedic scenes with Hugh Laurie.

However, nothing about the relationship between Cuddy and Lucas was believable, in large part due to the fact that Cuddy was always so connected to House himself. Lucas seemed like a decent guy, who deserved a lot more than to be used as a pawn in the gradual development of House and Cuddy’s back-and-forth relationship. When Cuddy ended things to go to House in season 6, it was a harsh lesson for Lucas.

8 House & Stacy

In some sense, the very existence of the series House and the character of Gregory House as he became known was indebted to the relationship between House and his ex-girlfriend, Stacy. It was during this House relationship with Stacy, after all, that House suffered the injury that resulted in his permanent disability, pain, and Vicodin addiction. It was a result of a medical decision Stacy helped to make on House’s behalf.

But in reality, nothing good came of this House relationship, even if it made House the man he is. The way the series treats the relationship in the present timeline is problematic at best, with Stacy compromising her status as legal advisor to the hospital because of her past with House, and the two even engage in a brief affair with one another, despite Stacy’s marriage to her long time love, Mark.

7 Foreman & Thirteen

The House relationship depicted between Dr. Remy “Thirteen” Hadley and Dr. Eric Foreman was one of the series’ more emotionally ambitious adventures. Thirteen knew that she had limited time left in her life, after receiving the diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease. But that didn’t stop Foreman from doing everything within his power to try to find a way to improve her health, even if it meant compromising a double-blind medical study.

The two had an often tumultuous, but undeniably passionate relationship, featuring some of the series’ most touching scenes. But in the end, things couldn’t work between them, as they both had far too many trust issues and walls interfering. This ended after Foreman claimed Cuddy’s job as head of the diagnostic department and Thirteen felt that he was growing arrogant with his new duties. Foreman then fired Thirteen to save their relationship, which backfired because she ended things with him on the spot before leaving the country.

6 Chase & Cameron

Just because a couple gets married on a series doesn’t mean that they ever should have. Furthermore, just because two actors are romantically involved in real life doesn’t mean their characters should become romantically connected, either. Few House relationships were as disappointing as the one between teammates Dr. Allison Cameron and Dr. Robert Chase. From the very beginning, the pair clashed even though they were such a focal point.

Chase came from a very privileged background and was frequently shown to be arrogant and confrontational, while Cameron hid a very emotional backstory and preferred displays of kindness and openness to confrontation. It certainly doesn’t help matters that the pair first hooked up when Cameron was impaired, nor that Cameron ever really got over House. Their relationship ended when Cameron left Chase when she accused him of “choosing House” over her, a decision that came after Cameron killed a ruthless dictator when he faked some tests.

RELATED: How I Met Your Mother (& 9 Other TV Shows You Forgot Jennifer Morrison Was In)

5 House & Cuddy

Characters who are often at each other’s throats for seasons on end usually wind up getting together in the world of television. Love-hate relationships are the bread and butter of the entertainment world of romance – and for that reason, the relationship between Dr. Gregory House and Dr. Lisa Cuddy should have worked. Alas, their relationship was consistently shown to be completely toxic, featuring multiple instances of Cuddy lying to protect House and compromising the safety and integrity of the hospital.

House stalked Cuddy, hired a private investigator to look into her life, constantly intervened in her personal life, and overstepped every possible boundary. Their toxic relationship finally came to a head when House drove his car right into Cuddy’s house. She finally broke off their connection for good and House ended up spending some time in jail. Nothing about this relationship ever said it was a true love story, and while House MD painted it as one, it was always too toxic to survive in any healthy way.

4 House & Dominika

Sometimes, the best love stories result from the most unlikely of circumstances. Gregory House and Dominika Petrova ostensibly had absolutely nothing in common. They had no reason to wed when House married her at the end of season 7 to assist her in getting her green card. With a sizable age gap between them and a frequent language barrier early enough in the “relationship,” it seemed like this was destined to be a plot that amounted to nothing. That soon changed.

In season 8 though, with Cuddy no longer around and House out of prison, his relationship with Dominika developed into something truly touching and emotional. They begin to genuinely fall for one another, even in the face of their marriage potentially being found fraudulent. House falls for her to the point that he even conceals from her the fact that her citizenship status has been approved, in order to keep her around longer – which, of course, backfires horribly. Dominika learns House was lying so she wouldn’t leave, which caused her to move out after his deception.

3 House & Cameron

Sometimes, a love story doesn’t have to be two-sided to be an enjoyable one. Jennifer Morrison’s Allison Cameron and Gregory House’s relationship is a good example of that. As one of the members of House’s elite team of specialists during the series’ first three seasons, Cameron quickly found herself falling for the moody, withdrawn Dr. House – despite their age difference, and all indications that he had no interest in her at all. Yet as much as House may have insisted he wasn’t interested, the show’s continued focus on their relationship suggested otherwise.

The duo would go on a romantic date, but that was forced by Cameron in exchange for her returning to House’s team. They also had a few casual outings that could be construed as dates. They even shared a kiss, which House returned, to Cameron’s delight. And even as Cameron progressed in a relationship with another doctor, the series continued to rely on her feelings for House as a key point of conflict and emotional depth. Cameron eventually married Chase, but that ended, as expected, thanks to House.

2 Amber & Wilson

Most of the House relationships in this series don’t have happy endings. But none of them had as tragic and totally heartbreaking an ending as the relationship between James Wilson and Amber Volakis. When Amber was applying to become one of the new specialists on House’s team during season 4, the bold and brutally honest doctor hit things off with House’s best friend, Wilson. Wilson had long struggled with finding someone he truly wanted to be with, having had multiple marriages often fail as a result of infidelity.

But with Amber, it seemed as though the two had found their perfect other halves, quickly becoming quite serious with one another – only for things to come to a tragic, sudden end when Amber died. House had been drinking at a bar and called Wilson to pick him up, but Amber answered instead and came to get him, which ended up in a bus crash that left her with multiple organ failures. She died in Wilson’s arms, and it was one of the most devastating moments on the show.

1 House & Wilson

No one could have asked “Who does House end up with?” and come up with the name Wilson. However, the best love stories of all are the ones that are never intentional and never fully addressed. And sometimes, the most romantic love stories of all are the ones that exist purely between two best friends. From the very beginning of the series, it was immediately clear that the most important relationship in Gregory House’s life was his friendship with his longtime best friend, James Wilson – the Watson to his Holmes.

No matter what House did or how much pain he caused, or how many people he saved or hurt, Wilson was always there for him. There’s no denying these two men love each other, regardless of what way the love is felt and shown. At the very end of the House MD series, with their futures uncertain, the two men ride off into the sunset together on their matching motorcycles. No other ending would have felt authentic to these characters and none of the House relationships come close to the importance of this one.