House MD: 15 Most Important Relationships, Ranked Worst-Best

Summary

• House series focused on relationships, from sweet to toxic, adding depth beyond medical drama.
• Gregory House, a modern Sherlock Holmes, stood out with charm & prickly personality.
• Misanthropic protagonist House had impactful platonic & professional relationships beyond romances.

While many tuned into the popular procedural drama to watch the diagnostics team solve mysterious medical cases, the House relationships were really the beating heart of the show. The eight-season series didn’t have nearly as much relationship drama as its contemporary Grey’s Anatomy, but House still featured plenty of romances from the sweet and meaningful to juicy and tumultuous to the undeniably toxic.

However, it wasn’t the romance that makes House one of the best medical series in television history. That honor goes to the show’s misanthropic protagonist, the modern-day Sherlock Holmes himself, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). Despite being caustic, rude, and an overall miserable human, House not only charmed audiences, but almost every character in the show — even if few admitted it. He had more than his fair share of romances for such a prickly person, but his platonic and professional relationships were also some of the best in the show.

15 Taub & Rachel

Taub Was Never Faithful To Rachel

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

This relationship was toxic before he appeared on the show, as Taub had had 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 stays with Taub and puts up with his unrepentant philandering ways, keeping a problematic relationship alive.

14 Cuddy & Lucas

A Relationship Built On A Lie

It’s never a good sign when a relationship starts with one person 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 because 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 broke their engagement and left him for House in season 6, it was a harsh lesson for Lucas.

13 House & Stacy

The Quintessential Toxic Relationship

In some sense, the very existence of the series and the character of House are indebted to the relationship between the protagonist and his ex-girlfriend, Stacy. It was during this relationship, after all, that House suffered the injury that resulted in his permanent disability, pain, and Vicodin addiction. And it was because of a medical decision Stacy helped to make on House’s behalf.

In reality, nothing good came of House and Stacy’s involvement with each other, 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 longtime love, Mark.

12 Chase & House

Chase Ended Up Being The Heir To House’s Job, But It Cost Him His Marriage

Robert Chase’s professional relationship with Gregory House nearly ruined his life. Chase was part of House’s original team, with Cameron and Foreman, with House claiming he only hired him as a favor to Chase’s father. And while many considered Chase the weakest doctor on the team, he proved his credibility over time, and even found love with a colleague, marrying Cameron.

Unfortunately, as Chase worked more with House, his marriage to Cameron fell apart because she saw Chase becoming just like his boss, an uncaring doctor who only wanted to prove he was right all the time. Luckily, Chase saw this too (albeit too late) and left House’s team to get a better job with the surgical team for his own mental well-being. By the end of the series, Chase was in a great spot professionally as the Head of Diagnostic Medicine, which means he was taking over House’s old job. However, by this point, his marriage to Cameron was over.

11 Chase & Chi Park

A Murky Relationship Between Two Colleagues

Chi Park was introduced in House‘s final season as one of the last members to join House’s diagnostic team. Like House, her social skills weren’t exactly sublime, as she was mostly defined by her anger issues and consistently saying inappropriate things. However, she clearly cared about what people thought of her, and she made a point of wanting to get closer to Chase. As she was a bit of an enigma, her reasons for pursuing her colleague were never clear.

Like many relationships in the show, this one could have been indirectly affected by House, with Chi wanting his long-time colleague, Chase, to give her tips on how to deal with him, or so she could prove to House that others like her. Chase is reticent to accept a dinner invitation from Chi, but she rightfully points out that he once married a colleague. Though these two never become close friends or lovers, Chi is still on the team when Chase takes over in the end, suggesting at least common ground between the two.

10 Foreman & Thirteen

A Workplace Relationship That Never Had A Chance

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 up. 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.

9 Chase & Cameron

A Toxic Relationship Between Opposites

Just because a couple gets married on a series doesn’t mean that they 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 colleagues 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 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 doesn’t help matters that the pair first hooked up when Cameron was impaired, or that she never got over House. 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.

8 House & Foreman

Foreman Was The Only Person To Always Question House

Foreman is the only person from House’s original team to remain with him until the very end, although he ends up in a very different relationship with House by the finale. House always respected the knowledge that Foreman brought to the table when they were breaking down cases. However, House was also smart enough to keep Foreman guessing and never allow the young doctor to get too full of himself. It worked, as Foreman quickly came into his own.

Foreman is also one of only two people to know House likely faked his death.

Foreman always challenged House’s opinions, which made him invaluable and made their House relationship even more important. By the time the series ended, House’s prediction that Foreman would become the one doctor who could match his level proved accurate. Foreman eventually received complete authority over the hospital, and while he won’t admit it, his learning from House played a role in it. Foreman is also one of only two people to know House likely faked his death.

7 Cuddy & Wilson

They Share The Trauma Of Being Close To House

The relationship between Cuddy and Wilson was strong because they shared something critical in common: they both recognize House for what and who he is and realize that they need a support system when it comes to dealing with him. Hence, they leaned on each other. Cuddy knows that Wilson is House’s closest friend, and she also knows that Wilson has a strong moral compass when dealing with House and protecting the hospital. Wilson also recognizes Cuddy’s authority and works to help her as much as possible.

They are also two people who know how much damage House can do. House affected Cuddy’s life for the worse with his self-destructive behaviors and eventually drove her away. However, before she left, she knew that she could go to Wilson when she needed someone to help her keep House in line, and Wilson knew that he needed to do everything he could to help Cuddy protect the hospital, which meant too much to him. This was a relationship built on need.

6 House & Cuddy

A Toxic Relationship Between A Boss & Her Employee

Characters who are 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 fictional 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 painted it as one, it was always too toxic to survive in any healthy way.

5 House & Dominika

House’s Best Romance, That He Ruined

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.

With Cuddy no longer around and House out of prison, his relationship with Dominika developed into something touching. They begin to fall for one another, even in the face of their marriage potentially being found fraudulent. House is so scared of losing her that he even conceals from her the fact that her citizenship status has been approved — which, of course, backfires horribly. Dominika learns House is lying to keep her around, which causes her to move out after his deception.

4 House & Thirteen

Thirteen & House Always Supported Each Other

The relationship between Gregory House and Thirteen was complicated. Many doctors were brought to House as candidates for his new team. He could read many of them inside and out, but he never got a great read on Thirteen and what made her tick. House often guessed at her history, which she kept private, and thus only piqued his curiosity. However, things change when he learns that Thirteen’s mother died from Huntington’s disease.

This pushed House and Thirteen into a very complicated relationship. He wants her to get tested to see if she has the key gene, and she doesn’t want to know the truth. However, when she finally acquiesces and tests positive, he supports her, and Thirteen becomes one of the few people in the hospital to maintain faith in House’s diagnosis when he is at his lowest. What makes this relationship so good is that even Wilson admits she is one of the few people to not fall under House’s “spell.”

3 House & Cameron

A One-Sided Relationship At Best

Sometimes, a love story doesn’t have to be two-sided to be an enjoyable one. Allison Cameron and Gregory House’s relationship is a good example. As part 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. Yet as much as House may have insisted he wasn’t interested, the show’s continued focus on their relationship suggested otherwise.

The duo did 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. 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

The Most Heartbreaking Relationship On House

Most of the House relationships in this series don’t have happy endings, ​​​​​​but none had as tragic and heartbreaking an ending as the one 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

The Only Person House Could Let In

No one could have asked “Who does House end up with?” and come up with the name Wilson. However, the best love stories are often the ones that are never intentional and never fully addressed, and often, platonic love can be more powerful than romance. 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, the 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 House, 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.