Give David Shore points for honesty.

In a wide-ranging interview with TV Line, the House creator admits he was taken aback by Lisa Edelstein's departure and that the show had to scramble to write her character out, while also replacing her in the hospital.

Possibly heading into its final season, and with many changes ahead, Shore speaks on new cast members and a return to the drama's old ways. Read the full interview with Michael Ausiello and enjoy the snippets below.

On replacing Cuddy with a familiar face: "We decided to [go with someone in House's orbit] instead of trying to recreate Cuddy and put [an actor or actress] in the unenviable position of being compared to her, which will happen anyway. This allows us to put a character the audience has seen before in a new situation and to have House judge them on that. It changes the whole dynamic between the characters."

Yes, House will start the season in prison: "I do feel strongly that he was not trying to kill anybody. He was acting out in a violent way, which is not a responsible action. And we feel strongly on the show that actions have consequences. And House has to pay a price."

The October 3 premiere will pick up months after the events on the season seven finale.

Why Charlyne Yi? "We saw some of her standup and she is a quirky, interesting individual - and yet real and sympathetic. And we had been thinking of [introducing] a character who comes from a bit of an Old World background, and she seemed perfect for it."

Classifying Olivia Wilde as a "movie star," Shore said Thirteen will only appear on an episode or two. Overall?

"I want to say we’re very happy with [the coming season]. This has turned out to be a real opportunity. We’re really doing some cool stuff at the start of the season and it’s pumped some fresh blood into the show - not that we needed it."