My Unexpected Love Affair with House, MD

House first got my attention with Olivia Wilde.  During the first episode I watched, Ms. Wilde, or 13, was having some lesbian hotness with some brunette with short hair.   I did not know anything about the show before watching this episode other than what can be gleaned from commercials: there was an illness every week and it would be solved within the hour-long time span.  That was all I needed to stay away.  Too many of these shows suck, but this episode with 13 going nuts was a great introduction to what I had been missing.

I’ve watched maybe twenty episodes of the series since my introduction to 13.  None have been first run since when you watch House doesn’t matter.  All have been part of some marathon on USA, which they tend to do a lot.  There are few shows better suited for a marathon than House.  You do not have to think too much.  You aren’t guessing along with the doctors.  It requires nothing.  I usually hate shows like this, but then there is Hugh Laurie.

House has one truly great performance and a whole bunch of characters that do not matter.  It is like Dexter in that the entire show is held together by the one actor.  If any of you knew Hugh Laurie prior to House it must be from his tour de force performance in Flight of the Phoenix.  Dr. House is brash and insensitive, yet you can’t help but love him.   The rest of the characters and actors are disposable.  All of them are beautiful with the same personality.  The first couple seasons had a blonde Australian and a beautiful blonde girl named Cameron.  They were replaced by a bunch of other beautiful people that have the same role:  throw out diagnostic terms at House during meetings.  13, one of the replacements for the other useless people, is only watchable due to her hotness.  She adds nothing to the show.  None of them do.

I am not breaking new ground here.  The whole purpose of this little entry is to say, “I get it.”  Maybe someday I will stumble across Bones, Chuck, or Big Love under the right circumstances and it will click for me.  I doubt this will happen because it requires me to have nothing better to watch.  Since House is on a constant loop on USA the chances of me discovering an under-appreciated show are slim to none.