Reel-Rewind: House M.D.

Rotten Tomatoes

House is a perfectly kept relic, for a lack of a better word, of a time in Television that has slowly phased out of the public eye. Television dramas used to rule networks, every network had its signature serial drama. You had “M*A*S*H,” “Lost,” “The X Files,” “ER,” just to name a few. “House” stands out from the other TV dramas for a few reasons. For one, “House” has a overarching storyline that takes place through an entire season. House keeps its characters consistent, and House has a solid starting and an ending point.

Many average TV dramas run for so long that these concepts get lost in the longevity, with “General Hospital” and “Grey’s Anatomy” coming to mind. Shows like these lose their luster with that long of a runtime. At some point, they just tell the same story over, and over, and over again that they ruin the characters, and the whole dynamic of the show. House doesn’t have this problem. Each season of House interconnects with each other, yet each episode holds their own identity where you wouldn’t be lost just jumping into a random episode.

Getting into the actual content of “House,” oh boy is it wonderful. Most episodes follow the same general formula. The episode starts with someone doing a daily activity, having a health scare, and boom! Intro. The intro to “House” is great; the song used perfectly encapsulates the vibes of “House.” Moving out of the intro, the formula will follow Dr. House usually arriving to work where, upon getting there, he will fight with his boss/lover Doctor Lisa Cuddy.

Cuddy will eventually get House to take the case of the person who we saw in the beginning. House will go visit his employees and berate them for not being as smart as him, then they will do a differential diagnosis on the case that always ends in the wrong diagnosis. A load of shenanigans will occur over the episode but it will always end with Dr. House, usually in a bad situation, where he hears something and that one thing will lead him to solving the case.

Story continues below advertisement

That’s your basic formula, but “House” loves to change it up. Dr. House doesn’t always end up on top with solving the case or wiggling his way out of whatever situation he is in. He loses patience, he loses friends (even if he doesn’t consider them as friends), he loses his job, he goes to jail, and he even loses his mind. These are just a few examples of wrenches thrown into the standard formula. These keep the viewing experience fresh and different while you still get the classic “House” episode.

Touching quickly on the characters, they are all amazing. The dynamics between every single character is so fun to watch. They all interact with each other differently, and their goals and motivations change dynamically from each interaction.

The greatest episode in the show is the premiere of season six, “Broken.” It takes “House” completely out of is normal setting. At the end of season five, Dr. House checks himself into a psychiatric hospital, and season six picks up with him dealing with mental health issues and having to adjust to his new scenario. Dr. House deals with so many challenging situations, and you hope that he actually changes for the better. “Broken” is a personal dive into House and gives the audience something we rarely see in shows like this.

Overall, “House” really stands out in a sea of very similar shows in the medical drama genre. “House” brings out some great characters, great episodes and a great time.

House Season Rankings