House, M.D: The Best Medical Drama on TV

If you like medical mysteries, or just strong characters, then House is for you! Hugh Laurie is joined by fellow cast members Robert Sean Leonard, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Jennifer Morrison, and Jesse Spencer Tuesdays at 8pm central time on FOX. The setting is at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey, and each week the team attempt to save the life of yet another patient with a seemingly impossible condition to diagnose.

The cases House chooses to take on are usually extraordinarily interesting to him because they provide a rather difficult puzzle to solve, which most often involve several non-related symptoms. House will often avoid direct contact with patients outside of clinic duty to maintain objectivity, but also because he can be very impersonal and anti-social. His belief that "everyone lies" is quite cynical, but also holds an element of truth that many of us tend to ignore on an everyday basis.However, that mistrust and objective detachment often allow him to diagnose rather difficult cases.

As a consequence of his attitude, Laurie's character is perhaps both the most hated and most admired on television. The friction that House's personality creates over the course of an episode, mixed in with just enough humor, complements the drama provided by the newest medical mystery waiting to be solved. Also, the various interplay between the characters makes the series fascinating in and of itself, but the genius diagnosing abilities of House and CSI-esque nature of the medical mysteries just adds to the magnetism of the show. Learning a little about each regular cast member may further tweak your interest.

Hugh Laurie (Dr. Gregory House, Diagnostic Medicine, Department Head, nephrology) has been a household name in England for the last two decades, but only recently achieved the same status in the U.S. since House aired in November of 2004. He is best known in the U.K. as an actor and comedian for his roles in Blackadder and his comedic partnership with Stephen Fry.