House, M.D. TV Show

House, M.D. is a popular TV show about a sarcastic yet brilliant medical doctor, Gregory House, and his attempt to a patient’s mystery ailment. Hugh Laurie plays the Doctor on the series, strangely enough managing a perfect American accent despite his British nationality. Each episode is roughly formulaic with a patient first being admitted under a somewhat mysterious life-threatening condition. House and his staff proceed to test theories, throwing out the most probable as tests or daring experiments are performed. In the end, the patient is often saved from death of an incredibly rare condition through the brilliant work of Dr. House, and the clueless bumbling of his underlings. This formula is not absolute, of course, as the patients occasionally are not saved, and the case is solved too late, shortly after the patient’s death.

Part of the appeal of House, M.D. is its near impossibility. A doctor as wild and undisciplined as House would likely fail to be able to keep any job in a real hospital due to the risks of lawsuits and malpractice. While results matter, and in the show he is a virtuoso at diagnosing and curing rare disorders, his methods often cross the line into unethical and illegal. He is addicted to prescription painkillers as well, though the addiction is shown to interfere in his life, it does not interfere with his medical judgment or legendary luck. The show likely also appeals to many because House seems to operate outside the rules that everyone else must follow, and he thrives doing so.