After winning plaudits for his leading role in Mira Nair's The Namesake [Images], Kal Penn has joined the cast of House.

House, a widely acclaimed medical drama created by David Shore, is currently the most watched show on Fox. The show is executive produced by Superman Returns director Bryan Singer, a film where Penn played an extra.

House is a quirkily written medical show centering around Hugh Laurie (formerly best known for his work as Bertie Wooster alongside Stephen Fry's Jeeves in Jeeves & Wooster) playing the titular character, Gregory House, an acerbic diagnostician.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Penn will play Lawrence Kutner, 'a young doctor who comes up with unorthodox ways to diagnose patients.'

It's yet another feather in Penn's television cap, having appeared last season in another FOX smash hit, 24.