Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 24, 2010

"Pilot" (also known as "Everybody Lies") is the first episode of the television series House. Premiering November 16, 2004, on FOX, it introduces the character of Dr. Gregory House (played by Hugh Laurie)—a maverick antisocial doctor—and his team of diagnosticians at a hospital in New Jersey. The episode features Dr. House's attempts to diagnose a kindergarten teacher who has collapsed in class. House was created by David Shore, who got the idea for the curmudgeonly title character from a doctor's visit. Initially, producer Bryan Singer wanted an American to play House, but British actor Laurie's audition changed his mind. Shore wrote House as a character with parallels to Sherlock Holmes—both are drug users, aloof, and largely friendless. The show's producers wanted House handicapped in some way and gave him a damaged leg arising from an improper diagnosis. The episode received generally positive reviews; the character of House was widely noted as a unique aspect of the episode and series, though reviewers such as Sherwin Nuland of Slate believed that such a cruel character would not be tolerated in real life. Other complaints with the episode included stereotyped supporting characters and an implausible premise. The initial broadcast of "Pilot" was watched by approximately seven million viewers, making it the sixty-second most-watched show of the week. (more...)

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