Dr. House

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. Nowadays there's usually not that much in the way of mystery shows on (US) TV anymore--cop shows, sure, but mysteries? And while ER is certainly a quality show, I never really cared that much for it either--too much like a daytime soap but with blood. "House," however, seems a nice combo of medicine, mystery, and character. 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. House loves to tell the truth as he sees it, cutting through the nice happy lies that your average urban US adult tells and believes, never mind the hurt feelings he might leave lying bleeding by the roadside. But of course, his character *may* hide a heart of gold, so in the end he's trying to do the right thing. Sure, it's a formula, and House is even a stock character maybe, but it works.

If the creators/writers are smart, they'll allow a little character development, especially amongst the excellent supporting cast, but not ruin it by changing House or allowing him a romance with either of his female costars. Keep that sexual tension going!

For fun, catch Hugh Laurie--who is British by the way--sometime on one of the seasons of Black Adder (usually rebroadcast on PBS, but also available at better video rental shops). He plays a complete idiot and is as convincing in that role as he is as the brilliant and misanthropic Dr. House. . .

House is a brilliant show medically speaking but so much more than that at the same time. The show is a kind of "24" meets medicine extravaganza. The main character, Dr. Gregory House, is played beautifully by Hugh Laurie. Dr. House is a bitter but brilliant doctor who is crippled in one leg due to the inability of doctors to properly diagnose his problem in time. This makes him a decidedly bitter person when dealing with others yet he is one of the best doctors in his field of diagnostic medicine. He is being forced to serve his clinic hours that he had avoided for a number of years, and this is where the show takes place; in a walk in clinic. Each show is a mysterious new case that puts the patient's life on the line as time runs out. I am disheartened by all of the bad comments people are making about this show, but everyone I have seen this show with and everyone I have shown the show to love it and find it enormously entertaining, funny, and brilliant.

Great show, despite what others say, especially if a show like ER doesn't appeal to you. House is a unique character to be appreciated among the saps of TV nowadays.

I must say something to Hugh Laurie. People complain about his accent. He's English playing an American. I lived in England for a year on exchange. I'm an American. Though I'm no expert on accents, I have to say I didn't notice that Hugh Laurie had any sort of English accent. A slight accent can show if you're really looking for it, but, other than that, he's version of an American accent is great.

House is a great show, but it's not for the weak of heart or weak of stomach. It's not like ER at all. House is like the Sherlock Holmes of medicine. It's a drama without the screaming and tears.

Sorry if this is a horrible comment, but it's my first review on IMDb of a show :)

Let me put it simply. I am a physician, and as an inviolable rule, I HATE medical shows. Granted, TV series tend to be one dimensional, due to inherent difficulties in the genre, but "doctor shows" are something I avoid like the proverbial plague.

And then one evening I caught "House, MD" and was completely drawn into the show. In House I find the anti-hero that I've been waiting for in a medical show. The guy who knows everything, but is wrong often enough to keep us all guessing. I enjoy the contrast of House and his cadre of young fresh faced colleagues, complete with starched white lab coats, who struggle as much with their professionally imposed constraints, and sense of decorum, as they do with his personality. And, wonder of wonders, the use of ironic and tragic comedy is without peer in what I've seen in the TV world in recent memory. In a nutshell, I really never know what any given character will say or do and it's that freshness that will keep me coming back for more. Somewhere there is a team of writers who actually know their craft, and an acting ensemble that knows how to pull it off. Now I can watch my TV one hour a week........

Hugh Laurie as Dr. House is my new hero. This is a terrific show with some absolutely great writing. A little over the layman's head as far as medical jargon, but the characters, plot and script more than make up for any questions about a diagnosis. The show is really carried by House, but the team of doctors who work with him add dimension and depth to his character.

Any negative comments I've read about the show dealt with complaints about how the television doctors don't diagnose the way the viewing medical professionals do. May I point out to these people, this is a television show. Please get a grip on reality and watch it for it's pure entertainment value.

I hope this show has a good following and I'm already hoping for, and looking forward to, more seasons.