Post by Forever Xena on May 2, 2006 6:35:17 GMT -6
'House' Taking Off for Fox
Monday May 1 3:07 PM ET
The producers of "House" kept expecting a call from Fox ordering them to soften Hugh Laurie's irascible doctor character. It never came.
Viewers may not want to invite Dr. Gregory House over for dinner but they love his show. "House" has blossomed into a genuine hit in its second season, with the 24.5 million people who watched last week its biggest audience ever.
"House" has a two-part episode this week where the life of one of House's student-doctors is at risk.
While pitching the show to Fox, creator David Shore soft-pedaled his conception of Laurie's character as curmudgeonly, then went in the other direction while filming some episodes.
"I expected the note," he told The Associated Press on Monday. "I expected, `Can we soften him up a bit?' It's possible that subconsciously I made him harsher than I might have otherwise because I expected them to want me to soften him up. But they never balked at it."
There's a default position among television executives about making major characters likable, he said.
"What's widely interpreted as being likable is caring and soft and fuzzy and I just think that's boring," said Shore, a veteran of shows such as "The Practice" and "Law & Order." "People don't want to watch a guy who's hateful. That's a tricky thing to make a guy interesting and difficult and troubled and flawed but not hateful."
The pill-popping, blunt House, who walks with a cane but has plenty of other uses for the crutch, is a character who invites viewers in to his inner world, said Katie Jacobs, another one of the show's executive producers.
Much of that is a tribute to Laurie's performance, she said.
"You can spend a scene with the other doctors arguing about what's going on and you can hang on his face and know what's going on in his head," Jacobs said. "If we didn't cast someone who didn't invite you into his inner life and if we didn't get the sense that that inner life was wounded in some way, you wouldn't forgive the character as much."
House is an adolescent, with a mischievous sense of fun leavening his difficult characteristics, she said.
House's skills are severely tested this week in a story line where Dr. Eric Foreman, portrayed by Omar Epps, catches a mysterious and deadly disease from a patient. House races to find the cause before having to perform a brain biopsy on his student. Part 1 airs in the show's typical time slot of 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, with the second part at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The medical drama's second season performed in the ratings much like its first: a slow start, then growing interest because of the huge advantage of following "American Idol" on the schedule. While a strong lead-in helps, it's no guarantee of success.
What's particularly heartening to Fox is that so many "American Idol" viewers are apparently sticking around to watch "House." Last week, "House" had 85 percent of the audience that "Idol" had; no other show has had such a strong retention level out of "American Idol," the network said.
"It's not a fit that people would have necessarily predicted, but it's worked out very nicely," Shore said. "And every week it keeps getting a little better."
It certainly turned out to be the most profitable doctor's visit he ever had. Shore came up with show's idea following a burst of hypochondria, when he made a doctor's appointment although nothing was wrong with him. His doctors were unfailingly polite, but it made him wonder what it would be like if they said what they really thought of him.
The show's success is wonderful, gratifying and a little unnerving, he conceded.
"It puts pressure on you," he said. "You start feeling it. I don't want people looking over my shoulder that closely."
Monday May 1 3:07 PM ET
The producers of "House" kept expecting a call from Fox ordering them to soften Hugh Laurie's irascible doctor character. It never came.
Viewers may not want to invite Dr. Gregory House over for dinner but they love his show. "House" has blossomed into a genuine hit in its second season, with the 24.5 million people who watched last week its biggest audience ever.
"House" has a two-part episode this week where the life of one of House's student-doctors is at risk.
While pitching the show to Fox, creator David Shore soft-pedaled his conception of Laurie's character as curmudgeonly, then went in the other direction while filming some episodes.
"I expected the note," he told The Associated Press on Monday. "I expected, `Can we soften him up a bit?' It's possible that subconsciously I made him harsher than I might have otherwise because I expected them to want me to soften him up. But they never balked at it."
There's a default position among television executives about making major characters likable, he said.
"What's widely interpreted as being likable is caring and soft and fuzzy and I just think that's boring," said Shore, a veteran of shows such as "The Practice" and "Law & Order." "People don't want to watch a guy who's hateful. That's a tricky thing to make a guy interesting and difficult and troubled and flawed but not hateful."
The pill-popping, blunt House, who walks with a cane but has plenty of other uses for the crutch, is a character who invites viewers in to his inner world, said Katie Jacobs, another one of the show's executive producers.
Much of that is a tribute to Laurie's performance, she said.
"You can spend a scene with the other doctors arguing about what's going on and you can hang on his face and know what's going on in his head," Jacobs said. "If we didn't cast someone who didn't invite you into his inner life and if we didn't get the sense that that inner life was wounded in some way, you wouldn't forgive the character as much."
House is an adolescent, with a mischievous sense of fun leavening his difficult characteristics, she said.
House's skills are severely tested this week in a story line where Dr. Eric Foreman, portrayed by Omar Epps, catches a mysterious and deadly disease from a patient. House races to find the cause before having to perform a brain biopsy on his student. Part 1 airs in the show's typical time slot of 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday, with the second part at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The medical drama's second season performed in the ratings much like its first: a slow start, then growing interest because of the huge advantage of following "American Idol" on the schedule. While a strong lead-in helps, it's no guarantee of success.
What's particularly heartening to Fox is that so many "American Idol" viewers are apparently sticking around to watch "House." Last week, "House" had 85 percent of the audience that "Idol" had; no other show has had such a strong retention level out of "American Idol," the network said.
"It's not a fit that people would have necessarily predicted, but it's worked out very nicely," Shore said. "And every week it keeps getting a little better."
It certainly turned out to be the most profitable doctor's visit he ever had. Shore came up with show's idea following a burst of hypochondria, when he made a doctor's appointment although nothing was wrong with him. His doctors were unfailingly polite, but it made him wonder what it would be like if they said what they really thought of him.
The show's success is wonderful, gratifying and a little unnerving, he conceded.
"It puts pressure on you," he said. "You start feeling it. I don't want people looking over my shoulder that closely."