Hugh Laurie talks 'House'

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- "House" star Hugh Laurie says reports of the U.S. TV show's end may be extremely exaggerated.

Laurie told Zap2it.com the cast and crew are still enjoying their time working on the show, which will air its eighth season beginning Oct. 3.

"Nobody has pounded the table and said, 'Dammit, this is the last, and I'll see you all in court. We're all enjoying what we're doing and proud of it. I think that's the main thing. As long as ... it's a worthy endeavor, that's its own reward. I have a feeling that we'll all know come February or so, whether this is something that we should be going on with or not," Laurie said about the FOX series.

However, Laurie, who stars as Dr. Gregory House on the network television show, admitted the fate of "House" may be out of the creative team's hands.

"The network and the studio ... are doing their own sums all the time and they may say, 'Do you mind making it in a photo booth now?' because dramas are expensive and times are hard and belts are tight," Laurie says. "We have put off addressing the subject in a very sober way because there are just so many unknowables. Right now, we're open-ended. I think anything is possible."

Many fans have been worried about the show's future after the departure of co-star Lisa Edelstein, who left the cast last season and signed a multi-episode deal on the CBS drama "The Good Wife."

Lisa's departure "came out of left field in my world, too," Laurie said. "I don't know who was privy to what at what time, but it was a great shock to me and everyone obviously misses her very greatly. Not only was she a great asset to the show as a performer, but we also just miss her company, because she is an absolute hoot to have around. She has been snapped up by another show and damn right, they'd be nuts not to. I hope she is having a great time, and I am sure she is."