Fourteen years after it originally ended, the medical drama House is still popular with viewers. This week, it’s the ninth most-watched show on the Apple TV Store in the United States, according to the tracking website FlixPatrol.
Created by David Shore (known for The Good Doctor) and starring Hugh Laurie, the medical drama House first aired on November 16, 2004, and ran for eight seasons, concluding on May 21, 2012. The show was very popular during its run, earning nominations for six Golden Globes and numerous Emmys. Recently, it’s seeing a resurgence in popularity, with many viewers revisiting the series and Dr. House’s often controversial methods.
Hugh Laurie Recently Defended the Show From Criticism
Hugh Laurie famously played Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant doctor specializing in infectious diseases. He led a team dedicated to solving medical mysteries at a teaching hospital in New Jersey. The show also featured Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps, Jesse Spencer, Olivia Wilde, Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison, and Peter Jacobson.
Each episode of the show typically centers around a patient with puzzling and often very uncommon medical problems. Dr. House frequently bends or breaks the rules – and even the law – to figure out what’s wrong. For example, he and his team often break into patients’ homes as part of their investigation, and these home visits frequently provide the key to solving the medical mystery.
Dr. House often uses unconventional and ethically questionable methods to solve medical mysteries, which frequently causes conflict with the hospital administrator, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. Despite these clashes, his techniques usually prove successful, and the hospital generally overlooks his questionable behavior.
The show typically used a predictable format: a patient would be sick, and House’s team would work to figure out what was wrong. However, some viewers felt this became repetitive. One X user, Janet Murray, questioned how the show continued for eight seasons with such a formulaic approach.
The day after receiving criticism, Laurie explained that they experimented with different approaches to the show. They tried episodes where House diagnosed correctly on the first try, but those were too short, according to NBC. They also tried episodes where House failed and the patient died, but viewers didn’t like those either.
I recently read a fascinating piece by Murray on UnHerd, where she reflected on her online disagreement with Stephen Fry. She really got into the dynamic at play, pointing out the power imbalance between them and detailing the awful online harassment she faced after Fry publicly responded to her initial comments. It was a stark look at how quickly things can escalate and the impact of online pile-ons.
He apologized if anyone had been upset by his tweet, explaining he’d had a little too much to drink and was already feeling down about something unrelated. He also mentioned he’d received criticism himself, jokingly calling himself overly sensitive. Ultimately, he said he was just trying to defend writers he admired.
House Was More Than a Medical Procedure Show
The show spanned several seasons, and explored issues like Dr. House’s reliance on the painkiller Vicodin. Early in the series, viewers discover House uses a cane due to a leg injury. Later, in the first season, he reveals he’s addicted to Vicodin, claiming it actually helps him perform his duties as a doctor.
His coworkers frequently urge him to seek help for his substance use, and when he doesn’t have prescription medication, he often uses drugs like morphine, oxycodone, and methadone instead. This struggle with addiction is a central theme of the show.
Both critics and viewers really enjoyed House. It consistently received high ratings, with an 89% approval rating from critics and a 95% rating from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes. Remarkably, the show remained popular throughout its entire eight-season run, even earning an 89% critic score in its final season.
Even after 14 years, the TV show House is still enjoyed by many, recently reappearing on the Apple TV Store’s charts.
House is available to stream on Hulu and Prime Video.
2026-07-23 00:06