“Three Stories” is the House M.D. season-one episode in which Gregory House teaches three diagnostic cases. It is the show’s 21st episode and originally aired on May 17, 2005.
The episode uses a distinctive structure: House lectures medical students while presenting three apparently separate patient stories. The cases gradually reveal connections to House’s own medical history, including the leg injury that shaped his chronic pain and dependence on medication. This approach lets the episode explore both diagnostic reasoning and character backstory.
“Three Stories” received major critical recognition and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. It is often cited as one of the program’s strongest episodes because it compresses the show’s medical puzzles, unreliable appearances, and House’s personal history into one narrative. The title refers to the three cases presented during the lecture.