'House's' Hugh Laurie on Lisa Edelstein's departure, show's premature swan song

I love Hugh Laurie so much, he is just awesome at everything he does, and as long as he's on House I'll be watching. I'm excited for the new season, although it's sad that Lisa left.

I´ll miss Lisa in the show so much. I understand Hugh. She was a great asset and I´m sure a great friend to have around. Everything is really sad. She should come back.

I just read this and I'm kinda sorry I did. Hugh's statements for Lisa have been cold, generic and distant. Chris Meloni left SVU this year and promptly Mariska Hargitay released a lovely, heartfelt, warm goodbye to him publicly. But I guess that's because she genuinely cared for Chris, unlike Hugh for Lisa. Hugh has made statements twice, months after the fact and only when someone actually asked him about it, not spontaneously and from his own feelings but for PR, and his statements have been as stated above.

I liked Hugh and Lisa a great deal as actors, but I've felt bad for Lisa in all this business with the network and feel much worse for her when Hugh can't even spare a seemingly genuine sentiment that doesn't come off dry as cardboard, distant as if he were talking about grip number two, generic, rehearsed and as warm as a winter day in Siberia. In other words, it all seems fake, all his kind words about her over the time they worked together. It probably was. I bet he doesn't even miss her. He's just saying it to placate unhappy fans. Instead, he's just making it worse because there's no feeling behind it. This whole business of losing such an important person to the show, has been ugly for many fans. Then Hugh's few, generic statements makes it more disappointing. That's the overwhelming feeling I've had the two times I've read of him bothering to say anything about her leaving-overwhelming disappointment. I'm sorry I believed him when he said they were friends. He meant she was a nice "asset" to the show (asset-nice objectifying word-it could be Ball-y or the whiteboard he's speaking of) and acquaintance (like the guard at the gate on the studio lot).

How sad that some of the shows fans care more about her and have shown her more love and open support and kindness than any of the people who worked with her. This makes me more upset at the show and with this whole business.

I'm sorry that their treatment of her has made me feel compelled to write this, but I've held this back for a long time and I felt someone had to speak out on her behalf-even if it doesn't do any good. It just feels like the straw that broke the camel's back with regards to the show and the people behind it for me. Everyone seems out for themselves there. Friendship in Hollywood must be a very fragile, shallow thing-except, what about Chris and Mariska? Guess they're exceptions to the rule. I think this is where the show and I part ways. Thanks for asking him about her anyway.

Leia,

I think you're reading too much into Laurie's comments. I did not interpret them at all like you did.

HL keeps his comments about the show's future pretty neutral, but I suspect if the show gets renewed (despite his contract expiring) he will be there for a 9th season. Which is a shame; the show is in the gutter.
What kind of "worthy endeavor" is there in continuing on? Pissing on the show's legacy? Trying for that elusive Emmy?

I want to add this: This is just a disclaimer in case some huge Hugh fan comes and decides to attack me for daring to speak a negative word against him. I don't dislike him for this, but I am very disappointed-only because I trusted he was being sincere about his friend. And it's not just him, but all the other friends of hers, writers and fellow actors and even David Shore himself, too who've remained silent except when interviewed. Hugh can't manufacture what he doesn't feel. If he doesn't care; he doesn't care. But the lack of statements, except when asked, from her co-workers, of support, except for from some of the people in the press (yes, the press seems to care more about her -and the fan's feelings about it- than the people who actually knew her and worked with her for 7 years), and even the way they are dealing with her absence, the show runner has said her absence is mentioned but they won't spend any real time dealing with it because they want to hurry and get back to basics, have all come worked together (along with many other things) to let me know it's time to stop watching.

Yawn, the usual LE fangirls spamming aroung, nothing new here.

I'm eager to see this new season, HL is amazing.

^^Yep, it's only fangirls who are upset with the direction of the show. So go ahead and "yawn" and "lol" all over the place while dismissing legit concerns about the show's future.
DS is incapable of admitting his follies and so its impossible to turn the show around. You can't fix what you won't admit is broken.
They want House to be a miserable wretch, spiraling out of control, unable to change. That is not compelling TV, it's a waste of time.

Leia, everything YOU say seems fake and disingenuous, so why should we pay attention to anything YOU say?

You don't know these people, and you don't know what went on between them. To try to read into it only makes you seem foolish and small-minded.

Leia, I agree very much with your both posts.

We could not know what happened but HL and DS are men of words and TPTB of the show, and 8-years-colleagues to LE and should articulate better their comments and express more positive thoughts and feelings about her. I think it is a must even if they didn't think so.

I like and respect LE very much - she is a non-standard and brave person. Good luck to her.