House M.D. introduces House’s competition to select a new diagnostic team in season 4.
After the original diagnostic fellows leave or move into different roles, House recruits a large group of applicants and evaluates them through a highly competitive selection process. The storyline turns hiring into a medical and psychological experiment, allowing the show to introduce several new doctors while preserving its case-of-the-week structure.
Season 4 premiered in 2007 and contains the two-part episode “Alone” as its opening story. House eventually chooses Lawrence Kutner, Chris Taub, and Remy “Thirteen” Hadley for his new team, with other doctors taking roles elsewhere in the hospital or leaving the process.
The competition is often remembered as a single extended storyline, but it unfolds across multiple episodes and includes many applicants. It should not be confused with the later team changes involving Cuddy’s administration, Masters, or the return of earlier colleagues. Season 4 is the specific season in which the large-scale selection contest begins.