Hugh Laurie’s best TV shows.

While there’s nothing quite like a standard episode of House, some installments get creative and throw audiences off by introducing a new structure as a one-off. Some of these episodes see House’s team of doctors in extremely emotional situations, whereas others see the employees and patients of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital face disastrous and deadly events. Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no doubt that House’s formula-breaking episodes are unique.

7 "Three Stories"

Season 1, Episode 21

“Three Stories” is considered House’s best episode by many. When House is forced to fill in for a sick professor in order to make up for blowing off his clinic duties yet again, he shares three intriguing case stories with the students. The way House depicts these patients is strange, hilarious, and fascinating, all at the same time. A famous face from the ‘90s fills in for a patient, we learn how House hurt his leg, and we also eventually find out that one of the mysterious patients from the stories is actually the titular character himself.

Most importantly, House proves himself to be an unreliable narrator, a storytelling device that several other episodes later borrow from “Three Stories.” This episode brushes off House’s standard formula brilliantly. House’s tales of these patient cases are told out of order, too, which is rather different from other episodes’ more linear approach to a medical diagnosis. “Three Stories” is inventive and creative, so no wonder it’s one of the highest-rated episodes ever.

6 "House's Head"

Season 4, Episode 15

“House's Head” is one of the best House episodes that ignores the formula, and the highest-rated episode on IMDb. The first half of season 4’s two-part emotional finale is a game changer, in a story that impacts Wilson and House forever. The episode follows the titular House’s attempts to piece together his memories after the bus crash, and the fact that the normal House structure is nowhere to be seen tells audiences that “House's Head” isn’t going to be a normal installment.

Of course, House isn’t the most reliable narrator anyway, especially with his addiction. However, the directional choices used in “House's Head” demonstrate that this situation is far more dire than usual. House knows there is a patient on the bus who is dying, but not from the crash, and he needs to save them. The scenes of House’s visions raise the stakes, and while they are unsettling to a certain degree, it’s still refreshing to see this change of pace. The heartbreaking cliffhanger, however, sets up even more interesting creative choices in the second part of this story.

5 "Wilson's Heart"

Season 4, Episode 16

"Wilson's Heart" is a truly heartbreaking episode, which eventually ends with Amber’s tragic death in House. While House finally re seeing Amber alongside him on the bus, she’s at another hospital, and it proves difficult for the titular character to enough about their interactions to figure out a solution to save her life. While “Wilson’s Heart” carries on from “House’s Head,” the two episodes aren’t exactly the same. “Wilson’s Heart” is much more melancholic with eerie undertones, for example.

While there appears to be hope, there’s something about the atmosphere of “Wilson’s Heart” that tells audiences that Amber’s fate is sealed from the very beginning. Although Wilson and Amber’s relationship is rather short, it’s still painful to witness him turning off her life . The last conversation between the spirit of Amber and House is poignant, albeit a little odd that her final emotional moment is with him and not Wilson. House faces some traumatic events throughout the show, especially in House’s best season, but nothing like Amber’s death ever impacts him in the same way.

4 "Last Resort"

Season 5, Episode 9

"Last Resort” is House’s most stressful episode, as it completely throws the show’s standard practices out the window. The episode focuses on a hostage situation in the hospital, which allows House to prove that there is really nothing he’ll do to find an answer. When Jason, a man with a severe illness that plagues him but has no diagnosis, holds House, Thirteen, and several others at gunpoint, the titular doctor gets to work. It’s rather intense to see House use the other hostage patients in the process, but this demonstrates just what a wild scenario it is.

The episode is aptly named, as Jason truly believes holding everyone hostage is his last resort.

The episode is aptly named, as Jason truly believes holding everyone hostage is his last resort. While most standard episodes of the show are generally from House’s point of view, it’s odd to understand it from the patient’s side of things, especially in this context. Rather than his usual free rein, House is stuck in one room, but if anything, it proves that his genius can’t be restricted. It also proves how unhinged he is, especially when he decides to give Jason the gun back at one point, which is one of the worst things Dr. House does in House.

3 "Broken"

Season 6, Episode 1

Another of House’s most stressful episodes is “Broken.” The season 6 episode is a hugely important moment from the whole show, as it delves into the harsh realities of addiction and its associated treatment. After he detoxes from Vicodin, the hospital threatens to take House’s medical license without voluntarily itting himself for more rehabilitation. The entire episode centers on House’s substance abuse, but he fails to see that he needs help.

Lin Manuel-Miranda guest stars as Juan "Alvie" Alvarez, House's bipolar roommate on the ward, in House season 6's "Broken."

Of course, the other patients in Ward 6 only make House more adamant that he’s fine. He labels them “crazy,” and for once, House is forced to try to see things from their point of view, rather than talking over everyone and doing what he likes. Many think that “Broken” works as a better series finale of House than “Everybody Dies” because it deviates from the formula and acknowledges the doctor’s biggest issue, providing some intriguing character development.

2 "5 To 9"

Season 6, Episode 14

“5 to 9” is another episode of House that is depicted from another character’s point of view, but more deliberately than “Broken.” It follows a day in the life of Lisa Cuddy, and the episode steps away from the usual case-of-the-week format to focus on her characterization and general development as a person. Considering Cuddy leaves House after season 7, it’s fascinating to watch this episode back and pick up on the little details between her and the titular character.

“5 to 9” isn’t considered a particularly popular episode of House, but this doesn't necessarily mean it isn’t a strong installment. It’s great to see Cuddy in different contexts than usual, especially her experiences as a single mother, but also to see more of what her job role actually entails when she isn’t fighting with, for, or against House. While “5 to 9” isn’t the most notable episode of House, it’s still an interesting change of pace.

1 "Help Me"

Season 6, Episode 22

“Help Me” marks the beginning of House and Cuddy’s romance, in an episode that follows several of the characters ing a search-and-rescue team after a crane collapses, severely injuring many people nearby. House brilliantly tackles two core cases in this episode, and while he attends to a woman whose leg is trapped under debris, he also attempts to help his team care for the unconscious crane operator over the phone. Alongside all of this, House tries to balance his feelings for Cuddy while trying to save multiple lives.

“Help Me” shifts tones frequently. There’s a lot of possibility for the patients, but the petrifying realities of the accident provide an eerie undertone to every scene, too. House also faces the devastating reality that he would’ve been unable to save the crane operator no matter what he or his colleagues tried. Overall, the deviation from the standard formula, paired with the titular character’s ever-changing mental state in a different environment from the norm, makes for a fascinating episode of House.