The disaffected, curmudgeonly Dr. House loves diagnosing illnesses but hates treating patients. As portrayed by British actor Hugh Laurie, House embodies a trait most of us share but few bare—the ability to say exactly what’s on his mind. The role gained Laurie an Emmy nomination and turned House into an unlikely hit by the end of its first season. Watching the episodes in quick succession, the show’s formulaic nature shows, but this CSI-meets-ER amalgamation never fails to intrigue.

The DVD set contains all 22 episodes on three two-sided discs, presented in a razor-sharp 1.78:1 anamorphic format. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is clear and robust but never showy.

Extras are limited but good in quality. Six short featurettes provide surface-scratching looks at the Dr. House character, the evolution and veracity of some of the medical cases, the development of the show itself, and what the DVD producers call "Houseisms." Unfortunately, there are no audio commentaries, but it’s fun and jarring to hear Laurie revert to his British accent in his interview segments.

With conflict up the wazoo, not to mention the late-season addition of Sela Ward as Dr. House’s ex-flame, House, M.D. heads into a promising second season. Although it was clearly rushed to print ahead of the next season’s premiere, the DVD set is a great way to catch up on this medical-degree-toting Sherlock Holmes.