Are you suffering from summer rerun-itis? Already jonesing for your weekly dose of HOUSE? The TV Addict prescribes 3 cc’s 1 download of FOX’s InHouse App available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
What Works: Complete with exclusive video from both the cast and creative team, fascinating behind-the-scenes photos, and “Nurse Jeffrey,” a weekly 3 minute “Appisode” written by HOUSE staff writers that tells the story of a disgruntled nurse (played by Patrick Price) at Princeton Plainsboro who is intent on bringing the not-so-good doctor House down, InHouse sets a new standard for extending one’s show brand to the iPhone. Or would have, except for…
What Doesn’t Work: Which is to say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And what should have been a fantastic user experience is unfortunately hampered by poorly thought out user interface design. Particularly when it comes the the App’s home screen. Rather than a set of clearly defined menu choices pulsating to the show’s now iconic theme music, users are introduced to the App via a collection of confusing options, with some (like “Houseisms,” “Appisodes” and “Music Room”) far more self-explanatory than others (see: the ambiguously titled “Free Clinic,” “Writers Room,” and “Media Room.”) Not to mention, for a show that basically boils down to one immensely watchable actor, InHouse is surprisingly (albeit not so much when budgetary reasons are taken into account) Hugh Laurie free. Seriously. Would it have really broken the bank to include video clip versions of House’s “Houseisms” as opposed to the far less interesting words written on a whiteboard? Which brings us to the…
Bottom Line: An admirable first start. But if six seasons of HOUSE has taught us anything, it’s that the initial solution is more often than not only the beginning. Which is why — following a trip back to the drawing board — we anxiously await version 2.0.
inHouse is available on iTunes as a free download. 
