House M.D.

Plot synopsis:
Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) is a maverick medical genius who heads a team of young diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. Most episodes start with a cold open somewhere outside the hospital, showing the events leading to the onset of symptoms for that week's patient. The episode follows the team in their attempts to deduce the illness causing the patient's problems.The team arrives at diagnoses using the Socratic Method and differential diagnosis, with House guiding the deliberations. House often discounts the information and opinions from his underlings, assuming their contributions to miss relevant unconsidered factors. The patient is usually misdiagnosed two or three times over the course of each episode, almost always including such diseases as sarcoidosis, and treated with medications appropriate to those diagnoses that cause further complications. Often the ailment cannot be easily deduced because the patient has lied about symptoms and circumstances, lied about having an affair that led to the mystery disease, about an underlying disorder that led to the mystery disease, about jobs that led to the mystery disease, and so on. As a result House frequently mutters, "Everybody lies," or proclaims during the team's deliberations, "The patient is lying." Even when not stated explicitly, this assumption guides House's decisions and diagnoses.House's begrudging fulfillment of his mandatory walk-in clinic duty is a recurring subplot on the show. During clinic duty, House confounds patients with eccentric bedside manner and unorthodox treatments but impresses them with rapid and accurate diagnoses after seemingly not paying attention. He often plays video games on his Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP (later in the series he plays on a Nintendo DS and after that a PSP) while patients talk to him, and in one episode House diagnoses multiple patients in the waiting room in under five minutes on his way out of the clinic. Realizations made during some of the simple problems House faces in the clinic often help him solve the main case of the episode ironic, because he claims to hate working in the clinic.

Tags: comedy, humor, adult comedy

Review:
The main character, Dr. Gregory House, is played beautifully by Hugh Laurie.
"House" is one of the best new shows of the season that no one is watching.Yes, it is another medical drama (and haven't we seen enough of those?) but what this show lacks in originality it makes up in character.
Each time you watch you'll want to know what else he likes besides "General Hospital" and Vicadin pills.Dr. House is hiding out Tuesday nights at 8pm amid all the other bored-with-their-jobs characters.
.. So I like medicine and mysteries and watched CSI the first couple of times but got bored quickly with the repetitive format and self-important characters.
Hugh Laurie's Dr. House is someone you feel guilty loving because he's so arrogant and callous, but he keeps you entertained because you can't wait to hear what he'll say next.
From previous reviews, you'll have read that Laurie plays Dr. House, an ill-tempered, disabled yet brilliant physician who doesn't like patients, but is challenged by unusual ailments.
(Viewers may remember Omar Epps from his earlier medical role as the ill-fated Gant on "ER".) The stories, while set up as brain-teasers, are also refreshingly complex about the doctors, the patients and the hospital; they don't resort to the done-to-death "HMO's are the source of all evil" plot line.
While most of my fellow Americans have never heard of him before I have been a fan of Hugh Laurie since I first saw him in Black Adder back in the 1980's (Thank goodness my local PBS station showed British shows back then).When I first saw Hugh in House, M.D, I couldn't believe this is the same person who played silly Prince George and Lt George.
I had to check the name in the credits to make sure it was him.I hope the American public recognizes what a great actor he is.If you like him in House, MD, watch him in the Black Adder series..
Also, Hugh Laurie does such a good job with his accent, if I had not watched "A Bit of Fry and Laurie", I probably never would have guessed Hugh was British."House" is like a beautiful novel.
The medical terminology, although which may be a bit above normal viewer's heads, is true to each diagnosis House makes, and I absolutely adore the new scenarios the producers create each week- not boring and mundane like I found ER to be.
If I can summarize the best character ever in one line I would like to share this dialogue of 13(Hadley).Dr. Remy Hadley: "You have spent your whole life looking for answers because you think that the next answer will change something, maybe will make you a little less miserable but you know that when you run out of questions you don't only run out of answers.
This is one of the best, most lifelike medical dramas I have ever seen.House himself is abrasive and rude and it all adds up so you just like him more.
At the start you really don't like House - he seems rude and infantile, but as the show progresses you develop a love for his style.He definitely saves more people than those doctors who practice medicine by following the rules.Although he has his problems (addiction/crippled leg) you don't tend to see them - so intriguing is this character.
Having studied acting and dialects for decades (including in England with the RSC), poor dialect is a PARTICULAR source of annoyance for me, and Hugh Laurie's dialect in "House" didn't bother me at all (at least in the one episode I saw), so I think this Brit "reviewer" is being hyper-sensitive in that regard.I also have to say I enjoyed the plot--what would be the point of simply copying ER's "trauma-drama?" It was like the best "quiet" episodes of ER, with a bit more thoughtfulness and focus on the element of a "mystery" to be solved.
As for the "when doctors make mistakes, people die" line, the writers were obviously LAMPOONING that, as it got repeated on a soap opera that some characters were watching on T.V. So maybe the whole show was just a tad too intellectually challenging for that reviewer--and/or maybe he missed that bit running to the kitchen for a snack, and so didn't get the joke.I thought it was quite interesting, relatively original (imagine that, in a world of "reality" shows!), and LOTS of fun--a show about hunting for diagnostic "zebras." I could definitely be fascinated on a regular basis by medical mysteries (assuming the writing stays SHARP and accurate).
House involves strange, rare and complicated cases with no easy diagnosis, resulting in the spouting of some mind-numbing medical terminology(which I thought was a brave and successful attempt at retaining some reality)and often character-driven story lines.
I've watched House from the first episode and really like the show, but one thing it is NOT is a MEDICAL drama, as so many previous posters have said.
What it is is a very well-written program that delves into people's personalities and motivations set in a hospital backdrop with the diagnostic dilemma of the week to add interest.As a practicing surgeon for almost 30 years, I know for a fact that the "medicine" seen on House each week bears only the remotest resemblance to what really goes on in a teaching hospital, or even a private hospital for that matter.
Here we have a show that isn't afraid to depict a disabled person acting like an arrogant oaf at times instead of being as some sort of glowing hero and example to us all, as most shows enjoy doing when portraying a character with disabilities.The show is more like a detective drama along the lines of 'Law and Order' with medicine as opposed to a purely medical show like 'ER'.
That said, the medical aspects on the show are almost always realistic.'House' is a highly recommended show for those looking for something put together with intelligence and adult characters who act like adults instead of over-grown adolescent children in high school.
For 20 years he's been on British 'telly' playing some superbly timed comic characters, writing some brilliant sketches on 'Friday Night Live' and 'A Bit of Fry & Laurie', and now he turns in a dramatic acting performance to rival James Gandolfini in 'The Sopranos'.
A book so funny I cried laughing.Seriously, although Laurie is the best thing about House MD, the ensemble acting is excellent and the writing, intelligent, witty & never verbose.
there are few show that can combine genres effectively, House however combines humor and drama seamlessly, this is one of the most brilliant shows ever created, and we are only midway through season one.remember the episode of friends with the sarcastic guy on the airplane making fun of Rachel?
I hate medical shows of any type and am probably the only person I know who has never watched a single "ER" episode.
A friend who had seen Hugh Laurie in other series talked me into watching the first episode, and I was hooked!
So here's the deal: While I know that the main gripe some people tend to have with this series is the formula that never seems to change (wrong diagnosis over and over until House saves the day) I never actually got bored.
I'm often stunned at how far this show has come until it finally ended (with a really worthy final) and I'm happy I stayed with House 'till the end (I'm on my second run 3-4 years after I've watched the first episode for the first time).If you hate doctors and medicine, this show won't change your opinion (it may even make things worse).
I just totally love this Fox presentation, to me the best the Network has to offer....and Hugh Laurie is superb as the genius Diagnostician who hates to "face patients." But to be honest, once I got hooked, I had a terrible premonition that the show would not last....it is just far to literate, to sharply written, and thus would be over the head of the average viewer who would prefer the long-lived E.R.
I love Dr. House' (Hugh Laurie) directness with patients and other doctors, which is something sorely lacking in the real medical world.
I started watching House M.D. about a year ago, and was instantaneously impressed by Hugh Laurie (playing the lead as Dr. Gregory House).His delivery of sarcasm and the bitterness is absolutely unmatchable.However, by the 15th or the 16th episode, the show started becoming a little boring, because there was hardly any story in the show (just the brilliant acting and a whole bunch of medical stuff that went over my head).
The show became more and more interesting with a definite storyline coming into picture and Hugh Laurie became my hero!Even though he remains the center of attention throughout the show, his team (consisting of Dr. Eric Forman, Dr. Robert Chase and Dr. Allison Cameron in the first three seasons, and Dr. Hadley (a.k.a Thirteen), Dr. Chris Taub, Dr. Lawrence Kutner, and Dr. Amber Volakis in the latter seasons) add depth and new dimensions to the show.Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), House's best friend (in fact his only friend) and Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), the dean of medicine,try their best to keep House within the boundaries of sanity.
The sexual tension between House and Cuddy is something to watch out for!Granted the show is a little over the layman's head, because of all the medical stuff, but the script, the plot (especially during the 4th, 5th and 6th seasons) and the acting of each and every character makes up for everything!Pushing the boundaries of sanity and side-stepping morality, this show is a must watch for everyone!.
Anyone that has seen him in British comedies would agree with me when I say that he is arguably the greatest actor ever, and let me tell you, Dr House is not an easy character to play - especially the detoxing scenes.
Meet Dr. House a really talented doctor and an addict.This is a drama focusing on one unique hospital case in every episode plus how it affects their personal lives in the background.
Show is clever and many times made me think about my life( which BTW every smart TV show does).Characters are well played, specially Hugh Laurie, handled the role of House quite well.
It was better than I expected, but I just didn't "get" Greg House's character and wondered how anyone could watch an ass like that every week.
Hugh Laurie, as House, carries the show very well, and his supporting cast is definitely sturdy enough to compliment him well.House is the first, and only, medical show I really like, and I've gotten my boyfriend and his mother into it now too (and they hated it way more than I did to begin with).Give it a decent shot and you should be surprised..
The interesting thing about this show are the relationships and in particular, Hugh Laurie as Greg House M.D., a genius at diagnostic medicine that saves lives but does not like people.And why should he?
In certain touchy areas, the writers for House MD have managed to keep Gregory House in the character of his outrageous self, yet cut off the edge a little so as to avoid controversy.House MD has earned the diagnosis of a perfect television series, sure to last a long time, with a great cast, and a great plot line.One needs no medical degree to see that this show is a hit!.
The humor, the irony, the sarcasm, the crew, the stories, the cases, the episodes, EVERYTHING is entertaining, it's like you get glued to your seat and you keep watching, absorbing every little word he says, admiring every joke that he makes.And you know what keeps me coming back for more?
If you are a person who loves the action, the adventure of the discovery, the thrill of the puzzle, or if you are a person who hates doctor shows but has an excellent sense of humor (although just about everybody can laugh when House responds to "You owe me some clinic hours" with "And you owe me a lap dance") you are the one this show is designed for.They are amazing, both the character and the actor.
Incredible directed, especially by Greg Yates (house's head) that bring a reviling life and fresh air to the TV.And the eternal Hugh Laurie that make the main character a cult mark of the TV, presenting us with a fantastic interpretation.
Dr. House is a character one hates to love, but does despite best intentions, thanks to Mr. Laurie's performance.
Hugh Laurie is a revelation as Dr House - for a typically British sketch-show comedian and long-time double act with Stephen Fry to convincingly portray a disabled American doctor shows his remarkable versatility and he really steals the show; we new he was good, just not THIS good.
They bring levity to the sometimes dark and depressing medical problems the team must address.In one hand I want the show to reveal more about House and the other characters, but in the other hand I know it is the mystery that keeps me coming back.
For the reasons that a - Hugh Laurie is a good actor and I still feel this way b - the show had a very different and original take on the medical show (not sunshine and rainbows) and c - the writing tended to be pretty good and not overly predictable.
Hugh Laurie's Greg House is a scruffy-looking, sarcastic character with a bum leg that hurts him all the time.
Maybe the show wouldn't have been cancelled if an actor of Hugh Laurie's caliber had been in the lead role.I used to watch E.R. for a few seasons but lost interest after Paul McCrane's character of Dr. Robert Romano was killed off.
As said before, I like medical shows and also mysteries and I think House M.D. combines this very well.
The only difference is that House's patients are still alive and he tries to find a cure before time runs out.In my honest opinion House M.D. is the best medical mystery show since Quincy M.E and I look forward to every new episode.
There is always a little puzzle added in each episode.I guess the great thing about this series is that it is E.R., but it focuses more on twists in relationships between the co-workers, patients and doctors, than on "oh my god, what's going to happen next." This series is not so much about being spectacular, but it tries to find an answer to: who are we, humans, when faced with the brutality of illness and death.And the mystery character Dr. House makes it all worthwhile.I hope it lasts as many seasons as The Sopranos..
House is very funny and can often be a little crude and wrong, Hugh Laurie is nothing short of brilliant playing a sarcastic, clever, intelligent,and in constant pain grizzled Doctor.The episodes are often eye opening and wonderful that make you think and take you on a roller coaster of emotions, all of the characters are great and work together so well.There just seems to the right balance in terms of these characters relating with each other and you can tell that no matter how cruel or mean House is to them, that underlying is a high amount of respect and House knows that he wouldn't function the way he does without them.I cannot say how great this show is, you have to view it yourself to see a TV series at it's finest.I hope this show lasts for many, many years, it is pure entertainment and highly recommended..
The character of House, whom Hugh Laurie does an EXCELLENT job of playing, is very unique and fun to watch.
Hugh Laurie is great as Gregory House, M.D. The cast members surrounding him are very good.
Hugh Laurie is absolutely amazing portraying the character of House.
So, watch Hugh Laurie as he drops his British accent to be the maverick doctor, HOUSE..
Or a doctor who ignores you while you get better?" The fact that such an odd character has the main role in this show, in itself, makes this a unique show, and a daring one.Thanks to an all-star cast, both the main stars and the guests, a unique premise, interesting medical cases, great direction, and a decent ending, House never ceases to amaze from the pilot to the finale.
Instead of rehashing what everyone else has said (about Hugh Laurie's great performance and interesting character, blah blah blah) I'd like to say what to expect from EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.Someone, usually the first person to actually say something, passes out, starts bleeding, vomits, or does something else extremely dramatic and gets taken to the hospital.
Then I watched House and I was reminded of how good actors playing believable and in the case of Hugh Laurie wondrously brilliant characters!
Hugh Laurie's great acting plus superb writing and direction combine for a remarkable medical series..
Yet we keep coming back week after week because the series keeps us interested and informed and Hugh Laurie shows us a man we want to know.
With his team of doctors, Dr. Gregory House always comes out on top of any medical problem.
Having been in the field for a few years, I completely agree with that statement, and "House" is the best TV medical drama that shows the artful aspect of medicine.
House M.D.portraying the real idea behind the character sherlock holmes, hugh laurie steals the show and won't let you leave it.
To just be you!House, although a TV character reminds us no matter how successful you are, no matter how gifted; we are human, but mostly we just want to be loved at our best and our worst as a person.Hugh Laurie simply played this role to perfection as did every other actor/actress.
I don't really know why, though.But one night, i accidentally watched an House episode on television, and I fell in love with the characters.