10 Reasons to Watch "House, M.D."

This is one of my favorite shows of all time. Just ask my family; I've seen every season MULTIPLE times. Haha. It is so ingenious and witty and never gets old. If you haven't seen it, then you DEFINITELY need to watch it! And if you've never watched it because you didn't really know much about it, then allow me to illuminate you with these

10 REASONS TO WATCH "HOUSE, M.D."

1.) Hugh Laurie (Dr. Gregory House) is actually British. This right here is a fun little factoid that would definitely be enough of an incentive for me to give this show a go. Even though his character, Dr. House, is a rough-around-the-edges, rude, crude, politically incorrect and socially unacceptable American doctor; the insanely talented Mr. Hugh Laurie was actually born in Oxford, England, and is a very charming, polite and eloquent gentleman, in real life. And come on, I mean..... HE'S BRITISH! Enough said.

2.) It has an 8.8 out of 10 rating on IMDB. If you are anything like me, you frequent the website, International Movie Data Base (IMDB) quite often as a resource for detailed information about your favorite movies and shows. They are usually spot on with how they score the movies posted there, taking into account every single facet of production, acting, music, box office success, directing, writing, etc...... And "House, M.D." has a whopping 8.8 out of 10 stars on their rating scale. Which is pretty high, considering that other popular, prime-time medical shows are scored a few pegs lower. ("ER" - 7.7; "Grey's Anatomy" = 7.6; "Private Practice" - 6.6; "Royal Pains" - 7.1) So, even the professional rating teams at IMDB know that the fantastic show "House, M.D." is a cut above the rest.

3.) There are some pretty famous guest stars. The recurring characters in this show are great, well-written and lovable, in their own way. (Wilson, mainly... I am talking about Wilson. :) ) But the hospital has had some famous faces pass through the emergency room doors. Stars like Carmen Electra (Baywatch), Amanda Seyfried (Mama Mia), Jeremy Renner (The Avengers), Michael B. Jordan (Creed), LL Cool J (NCIS Los Angeles), Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls); JUST to name a FEW...

4.) It is a loose but intentional spin-off of Sherlock Holmes. You are probably thinking, "WHAT?!? Are you SERIOUS???" Yes, yes I am. There are all kinds of parallels between the famous detective and the sardonic doctor, but I will just point out three... 1.) House - Holmes, (not a far stretch from the common noun of a family dwelling) both are highly-functioning sociopaths that do not know the meaning of social boundaries. Both are also chemically addicted. 2.) Wilson - Watson, (also very similar names) the best friend/side kick that has a way of bringing the mundane into the view of the genius, opening their eyes to the answer to the puzzle. 3.) 221B Baker Street, the home address of both protagonists. I know, your minds are blown now, right? Haha.

5.) It has some great supporting characters. I have to mention Dr. James Wilson first, because he is so adorable, it is wrong. But Doctors Cameron and Chase are a great balance of character archetypes to balance the crassness of Dr. House. Lisa Cuddy and Dr. Taub, Thirteen, ALL GOOD. And the banter between them all is wonderful. I can say nothing positive about Dr. Foreman, though, because he is a butthead and I hate him. So, SPOILER ALERT!

6.) It is a medical drama, but it is pretty hysterical. The best way to explain this is to just list a few laugh-worthy lines from the show. Because there are so many, and most of them come from the mouth of House... So here are some of the funniest lines:

“Like I always say, there’s no ‘A’ in team. There’s a ‘me,’ though, if you jumble it up.”

“First, ‘Hector does go rug’ is a lame anagram. Want a better one for Gregory House? ‘Huge ego, sorry."

“Go up his rear and get a smear. Which reminds me, kinda feel like a bagel.”

“Is this an intervention? You’re a little late, since I’m not using drugs anymore. I am, however, still hooked on phonics.”

“I’m sorry, I’m about to lose you because I’m about to drive into a tunnel in a canyon on an airplane while hanging up the phone.”

“Shocks without shock, an itch that won’t stop. She needs Dr. Seuss.”

Dr. Eric Foreman: I think your argument is specious. Dr. Gregory House: I think your tie is ugly.

Dr. Cameron: You want me to tell a man whose wife is about to die that she may have cheated on him? Dr. Gregory House: No, I want you to be polite and let her die.

7.) You never know what is going to happen. The very baseline of the show guarantees that you never know what is going to happen. A patient could come in with a cough, and then their toes fall off. A car wreck turns into a kidnapping. Nuns and hobos and wrestlers, oh my! Like, ANYTHING can happen. And that unexpectedness is one of the main selling points of the show, for me.

8.) You feel a little bit better about your ethical code. House is one of the biggest jerks in the history of television. The things he says to people are downright awful. He is so rude and crude and arrogant... You can feel a little bit better about yourself, by the end of each episode. So, it is ALMOST like a little emotional pick-me-up; you know, self-encouragement. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, anyways...

9.) The theme song is fantastic. "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. Amazing. Nothing else to say about it. Give it a listen by clicking here.

10.) You might actually learn something new. House's Diagnostic team goes on these rants where they just spout off 135 different diseases, disorders and illnesses that their patient could have, based on the symptoms that are presenting. They explain why they think that it could be Disease A, and list symptoms... I have learned of diseases (and their causes) that I had no idea even existed. And also learned some things to avoid doing, eating, playing, etc... because the medical knowledge behind the show is run by a medical fact checker, of sorts. So, the information is genuine. Which is just cool, because I love to learn random things like that. And here is the first thing that YOU can learn from the show... It is NEVER amyloidosis. So don't worry about that disease... You will NEVER catch it. Haha.

So there you have it. My 10 Reasons to Watch House, M.D. Now that you've finished reading this.... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Go watch it! And then we can talk about it. :) Because I can ALWAYS talk about this show. Because it is AWESOME.

(For more information on"House, M.D.", click on the picture above. And as always, thank you for reading!!!!)