Hugh Laurie Returns: The House Star is Back on TV in a Big Way

Four years after House delivered its final diagnosis, Hugh Laurie is back on TV—in a big way. His new AMC series, The Night Manager, premieres April 19, plus he returns to HBO’s Veep later this spring, and he’ll also headline the upcoming Hulu series Chance. Laurie admits that the grueling House schedule and his commitment to perfection didn’t bring out the best in him. “I used to think that if a thing isn’t painful, then you’re not doing it right,” he says. “That is such a pain in the ass for everybody else. I’m sure I was an absolutely horrible person to work with. Grumpy. Obsessive. Mildly paranoid.” But he felt compelled by the challenge of The Night Manager, a miniseries adaptation of John le Carré’s novel, playing Richard Roper, a morally bankrupt arms dealer opposite Thor star Tom Hiddleston. “Villainy is a well-trodden path,” Laurie says. “So what would the ‘worst man’ look like? How would you represent that? I thought it was an interesting challenge.”g

Also in this issue:

• Spring Preview: A look at some of the best new shows coming, including ABC’s latest TGIT drama The Catch; Aaron Paul’s Hulu thriller The Path; the Netflix comedy The Ranch, which reunited That ’70s Show alums Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson; and more.

• The Walking Dead: What to expect as Season 6 comes to a close.

• Plus: Dancing With the Stars, Quantico’s Marcia Cross, the Supergirl/The Flash crossover event; Empire’s return and more.