The day of 16 November 2004 was a milestone in the field of American television medical drama, as one of the most watched TV Series within the genre released its very first episode. The ten years ago debut also marked the merger between Hugh Laurie and House, as the two names (one of the actor behind the character and the other of the character itself) have been ever since overlapped, interchanged and used to designate each other. The part of the British actor as the prodigy Vicodin-addict and downright sarcastic diagnostician propelled him to the houses of every fan (and oh, House must have lived in so many different houses) and even into a list of Guinness World Records, which labels him as ‘’the most watched leading man on television’’.
In one of the very few celebratory articles dedicated to the debut of one of the most enjoyed TV Series (& its marvelous, yet of borderline personality lead), the theme is both offering and frisky. House – the character – is closely compared to another leading man in a TV series with great heritage (also a movie), Sherlock Holmes. The Uproxx.com article is comprised of five main points, which are both pertinent and well-argued with great examples from the show and supporting pictures.
Firstly, it draws attention upon the name similarities, House – close to ‘’home’’ – VS Holmes (I believe this to be a little bit far-fetched, but apologies accepted, it is House’s birthday, so rejoice). Secondary, a correlation is made between ‘’narcissism and loneliness’’, which are stated to go ‘’hand in hand’’. That is true, in both characters’ cases, patients are viewed as variables, as pieces in the puzzle – somehow understandable for Sherlock, but a bit debatable in the case of a doctor. Anyway, House gets out from the debate with an unstained name, as this narcissistic loneliness helps at his solving the majority of the cases. In addition, the attached picture states: ‘’I like being alone. At least I convince myself that I’m better off that way’’. The third point reaches the relationship between House and James Wilson, a very obvious Holmes-Watson couple (and again name similarities are noticeable), but with different touches. Dr. House is a modern TV Series character, which allows him to resort to sarcasm, scams, irony and the like in his relationship, whereas Holmes and Watson seem to be more loyal to their friendship. Interestingly enough, another House-Holmes similarity is that ‘’In the original Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Dr. Watson has a lame leg from a wound received in the war. In House, Dr. Gregory House is the one with the persisting limp which leads to his Vicodin addiction.’’ Another point focuses on their method of investigation (‘’Keen Observation And Deductive Reasoning Skills’’), which is based on reasoning rather than on feeling and which follows a certain pattern in its search for answers. The method makes use of unusual connections between steps in the investigation, but eventually leads to its solving.
Whereas the adventures of Sherlock Holmes were firstly made famous as a literary piece by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (which first appeared in 1887), House met its adepts on 16 November 2004 and slowly made its way towards their ‘’atria and ventricles’’. Although have passed only ten years since its debut, House M.D. is likely to approach Sherlock Holmes from another point of view, its longevity.