A service industry I recently worked in had a saying. "Cheap. Fast. Reliable. Choose any two." Expect to compromise. I am so accustomed to compromises in the deadline-and-budget-driven medium of television, that I have had to redefined good drama as either good acting and directing, or a good script idea that is muddled through as best as possible. In that sausage factory of television production, survival of a show is determined by (a) consistent production within budget, and (b) achievement of respectable, and preferably growing, ratings. Quality is often an added bonus (and sometimes, it seems, an accidental by-product).

A show that has both a great script and great execution and acting is so rare, even (maybe especially) in productions with Hollywood-size budgets, that when it does occur I am sufficiently gob-smacked to want to give it some credit. Such is my feeling about Fox's House, MD, a rare example of American television.

The show is a recreation of Arthur Conan Doyle's mythical detective Sherlock Holmes. Doyle was a doctor himself, and reputedly based the character of Holmes on a diagnostician. House, the exasperating diagnostician, brings the creation full circle. House brings the trademark detective work, precocious intelligence, and dogmatic logic of his famous predecessor Holmes. Even Holmes' drug habits (House is addicted to Vicodin, although this seems to cause him more trouble than Holmes' mild cocaine habit ever did), his ethics (it is fine to lie to police and housebreak to solve the case) as his coldness towards people, but passion for solving a case, are all inspired by Mr Holmes. There is similarity ends. House, ahem, is not a gentleman.

It would take an exceptional actor to bee worthy of such pedigree. Exceptional is one word for James Hugh Calum Laurie. Laurie was born to play Dr House. His audition for the role was so flawless that on seeing Laurie's audition tape, Bryan Singer (one of the producers and directors, more on him later) declared how relieved he was to finally find an American perfect for the role (Laurie is very English). It is hard to imagine an American playing in role: I can't imagine anyone but an Englishman bringing that unique blend of overbearing arrogance, superiority and self-loathing required to enable House's rapid-fire insults and antics to be delivered with both ease and intelligence. We can speculate why Laurie such a good fit. Maybe Laurie brings an empathy born of his own medical history - his

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