There’s a lot of TV out there, and Jenny swears some shows are the greatest show in the history of television after Breaking Bad.
Yeah, she meant House MD. It’s as iconic as Madame Xanadu.
What’s the premise?
Sherlock Holmes…as a doctor!
What’s the appeal?
The Sherlock Holmes character has been around for a century, and medical procedurals are as interesting as the police procedural to the right audience. Combine all these factors and you can see why people would watch a show where a cranky doctor figures out all manner of weird illnesses on a routine basis.
Anything stand out?
Hugh Laurie was primarily known for broad comedy work in his native Britain prior to this show, and he makes for a good Dr. Gregory House. Dramatic when he needs to be, but with a cranky sense of humor that fits the character well. The show also seems to do well with baffling mysteries that House and his team inevitably solve.
Any downsides?
Quite frankly, its a little formulaic. Some of the episodes I’ve seen shake up the formula a bit, but for the most part, every episode starts with a mystery illness, then the new patient catches House’s attention somehow, they make various diagnoses, and complications indicating mistakes were made pop up before commercial breaks until the right diagnoses is made at the end of the show. To the series’ credit, patients don’t always make it, but most of them do.
And if the show is Sherlock Holmes as a doctor, why not let Laurie use his native British accent? His American accent is fine, but I don’t get why he has one.
Gabbing Geek 