I’ve been trying to figure out why it is I can’t watch House anymore. When the series first premiered in 2004, we loved it in this household. LOVED it!
We’d tune in every week to watch Hugh Laurie’s Dr. House pop Vicodin like candy and see what new insults he’d hurl at his patients and staff. And even though some of the cases were certainly tragic, the writers and actors managed to keep it light and funny, for the most part.
But over the past couple of years, the series has turned dark. Now instead of the focus on House’s curmudgeonly behavior and others’ reactions to it, we’ve got all sorts of ultra-sad situations involving the grumpy doc, his patients, and the hospital staff.
After the recent tragic storyline, I think I’m pretty much done with House. That is, unless they can lighten it up again. I mean, seriously, don’t we all have enough tragedy in our own lives? Do we really need to get all broken up over TV characters? I don’t.
Anyone else feel this way? Did you like the lighter air to House in its beginnings, or are you digging the darker storylines now?
Clacked by Jane Boursaw 
on Apr 08, 2009 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
Oh God – bring back the cut out letters on the ransom note to find – what was it – the guitar? You are so right. I don’t care about 13 and Huntington’s or Cuddy’s tragic baby depression or Taub’s marital problems or Anne Dudek dying and Wilson blaming House. It is like you need Vicodin just to get through the pain of watching the tide of misery. House was must see tv – I felt like I found it before it got really big. Now I have to force myself to catch the episodes that are expiring on Hulu. Remeber Three Stories with Carmen ELectra and the farmer – classic. Or Sela Ward and House with the mouse in her attic. Funny stuff, but still great drama.
Also House has gone from (from Castle) a wiseass to a jackass. He was crude but you felt like he had emotions with Wilson and Sela’s character but now he is nasty and unredeemable. It has become unwatchable.
Marenamoo, you took the words right out of my mind. He is such a jackass, and I keep hoping things will lighten up, but it’s been unfounded. I am guessing that barring there being absolutely nothing on against it next year, I will not return.
Nope, sorry. I know there’s a Cameron/Chase storyline coming up and I’m still waiting for that. House is still my #1 Drama and only if they screw up the rest of the season I _might_ not like it anymore. But just might.
Oh and I finished Buffy 3.1 this afternoon :-)
It’s no secret that House is my favorite show. I have been waiting to read this post for FIVE HOURS. I agree that it’s gotten very dark, and I *do* like the earlier seasons better than I like it now. But pretty much the only thing that would have made me stop watching would have been if something had happened to Wilson…
I totally agree. I want the house back who is playing his stick like it’s a guitar! Who is playing his desk like it’s a pair of drums! I want that engergy back.
But I’ll keep watching it. Or it ‘ll die and the writers don’t have the chance to put it back like it used to be!
I agree that the show has gone darker, and I do miss the old, lighter stuff they used to do. And they still do it, just not as much. But a drama can’t always be light, fluffy bunnies. You can’t work at a hospital and not go through emotional difficulties with death. Kutner’s death was unexpected and dark, yes, but Kal Penn had another job, so you can’t blame that on the show (Not that I’m against Penn going to the White House). So even though it’s gotten darker, that’s the way it has to be. The characters are going through real problems, sure they may be a little dramatic, but it’s TV! So even though I miss the old, happier situations, you can’t have a show keep the same old tone forever, things have to change, for better or worse, otherwise the show would just be boring. Though I really do hope things get brighter, because that’s what I loved most about the show. But I won’t stop watching just because it’s gotten darker.
This always happens in popular, and usually good run longing series. House at the start, was a monster of the week kind of show. What crazy disease does the person have? We need to break into their house to find out! Hint Hint: Title pun. But then writers start to flesh out character’s slowly, until it becomes addicting. You go from, 90% independent episode – 5% character development, and 5% emotions from tragedy catharsis bullsh*t to 50% independence – 20% an important character dies, finds out they are terminally ill, wife divorces them, it hallucinating (has aid…err it hasn’t happened yet) – 30% emotional catharsis. I just thought: Who introduces a character, through a lengthy -touch and go- seeming process only to kill them off via bus accident, and some crazy disease? Writers who hate you.
Now Kutner. Thats just plain retarded.
Seriously? Magical suicide? They could have just had some crazy patient shoot him. It’d fit better.