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U.S. drama "House," starring Britain's Hugh Laurie as unconventional medical genius Doctor Gregory House, outgunned rivals in 2008 to become the world's most watched fiction show on television.
According to ratings agency Eurodata TV Worldwide, House and his team of canny diagnosticians last year gathered more than 81.8 million viewers.
That was far more than the 2007 and 2006 winners in the same TV drama category, "CSI: Las Vegas," about a team of forensic experts, and its spin-off "CSI: Miami."
The agency bases its figures on data collected in 66 countries from Austria to Georgia to Norway to the United States that represent a potential audience of 1.6 billion couch potatoes.
In the TV comedy category, the U.S. female-star cast of "Desperate Housewives" for the second year running beat "Monk" (U.S.) and "Ugly Betty" (U.S.), attracting 65.3 million viewers worldwide in 2008.
"The Bold and the Beautiful," also a U.S. show, with 24.5 million viewers was the most popular soap for the second consecutive year, thrashing Mexican telenovela "Marina" and U.S. competitor "The Young And The Restless."
© Wire reports
46 Comments
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American_Girl
"House" most popular? Really? I've tried watching it a few times, but it never did anything for me. I find it more annoying than entertaining (even though I've been a Hugh Laurie fan since "Blackadder" and "Jeeves and Wooster"). I'll take "Dexter," "30 Rock" and my "Seinfeld" DVDs over "House" any time!
Nessie
Never cottoned to Murray. I think he was one of the main writers. Season 1 was brilliant.
UnagiDon
No more Conchords? It's Murray I'll miss the most.
Nessie
I say it may not have been officially cancelled, but there will be no season three
http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/08/31/flight-of-the-conchords-to-end-after-second-season/
TheGeneral
It was a never a BBC TV show; it was on BBC radio. The American TV series is the only TV series!
And it hasn't been canceled.
What say you, sir?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Conchords
Nessie
It's already finished in the real world.
Nessie
I stand corrected.
TheGeneral
And I'm guessing you meant "no longer on BBC".
Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords (HBO) started in January of this year.
jonnyboy
can't say i was particularly impressed with the one episode i watched on a plane a while back. seemed thoroughly generic, reminding me of a medical Cracker (main character is a genius, but such an a-hole). hugh laurie has done such better work before...
TheGeneral
No, that would be Arrested Development.
Nessie
Flight of the Conchords is the smartest show no longer on TV.
kanadamanada
SEKISUI HOUSE! Smartest show on TV, after Flight of the Conchords.
Molenir
House the TV show is so hard for me to watch. Knowing something about medicine like I do, trying to sit through the things the people do on the show is just painful. Like fingernails on the chalkboard type painful. They're constantly diagnosing a patient with something and then immediately starting treatment. They don't know what it is, but they're already treating for it. And then how they go and just tell the patient, oh, you have cancer, no wait, its Lupus, no wait, its a weird tapeworm. Gimme a break.
Like someone else said. Only reason people tune in, is to watch the guy bully all his underlings and act like a jerk. Myself, after being forced to watch a couple dozen episodes, I've taken to referring to the show as Louse, rather then House.
Of course I feel the same way about CSI, NCIS, and a lot of other shows. But whatcha gonna do.
Informed
In Japan the show is called "Daiwa House".
usaexpat
House is the doctor I want if I ever have a medical mystery, forget bedside manner. Anyway, it's a good show and I really like Hugh Laurie. It always amazes me that he can sound so American on the show being a brit. He must be good at accents.
kirakira25
BTW I met Hugh Laurie once and he is a REALLY nice guy in real life! Very intelligent and very funny, nothing like his character (except maybe the genius)
kirakira25
It's abrilliant show, but I am not surprised that it is not so well known in Japan - most of the entertainment value is based on the dialogue, and it is quick dialogue at that - I am rolling around laughing while my husband just stares quizzically at the TV, and then me. Even with Japanese subtitles or dubbing it just doesn't translate so well.
realist
House is an interesting tale . . .and Hugh Laurie is a great actor - but the character is really infuriating. A real jerk, and a total turn-off for me.
Marion Wm Steele
I disaree that House is the most popular tv show- I my favorite is THIS QLD HOUSE. I have been watching This Old House every Thursday Nite at 0730 hours for the past twenty yeras .........
Makkun70
What's Stephen Fry's reaction to the news?
bushlover
House mouse. What a stupid show. Not much to see new each week. Same ol same old. Dr. House the sarcastic genius doctor tells em how it is. I can see some here liking that and coming to this site to emulate this man. No wonder some here love it. It's their model.
combinibento
House is great and the dialog is usually better than anything else on TV. Plus, 13 is a hottie.
Tosaken
Is House anything like an updated Dr.Kildare?
fatfrenchfool
doesnt hold a candle to The Golden Girls
adaydream
Mrs. adaydream and I love watching "House." We're always watching it as reruns because we watch "NCIS" and/or "American Idol". Gives us new "House" programs when the reruns start. < :-)
Nessie
It's never suspension of disbelief.
ANOTSUSAGAMI
Never said it did. "Suspension of disbelief" and all that.
LoveUSA
Everybody deals with idiots, without exception. Dr. House drama has nothing to do with reality though.
tokyotom
what about supernatural, that show is popular everywhere terminator sarah connor also really good, but now cncled:(
ANOTSUSAGAMI
Think of House as the medical Sherlock Holmes. The parallels are obvious. I tune in because he says what most doctors are actually thinking. I have several friends who quit medical school because they realised that they couldn't handle the unmitigated stupidity of patients. They wish they could tell these people how stupid they are and to wise up before they ruin someting. I think that's why it's so popular. It strikes a chord with anyone who deals with idiots on a daily basis that because of professional courtesy they have to mollycoddle. Brilliance has it's perks. Look at Einstien. Who do you know that gets any kind of real respect going out with thier hair looking like they stuck thier tounge in an electrical outlet? Yet his name is synonymous with intelligence. House's perk is he gets to be honest.
LoveUSA
I prefer Korean drama.
Sarge
Love - What about the male actors on House? No studs there?
Fadamor
"House" is a tenuous concept at best: "Brilliant doctor with nerve damage in one leg that requires the use of a cane and lots of painkillers (to the point of dependency) and his team of apprentices solve mysterious maladies that the "regular" staff can't diagnose. Because he's so good at what he does, he can act like a jerk to everybody. I think half of "House"'s audionce tunes in just to see if he's fired that week.
LoveUSA
I like the drama "Gossip Girl" because of the male actors
gogogo
Wow I hate this show
Nessie
It's never Lupus.
nath
I agree... Best ever, allthough far away from reality. But: no crime scenes, no meaningless love scenes and quick and dirty dialogues... The only TV Show I watch once in a while, after checked out all the others...
stirfry
what makes you think 1.3 billion chinese all have a tv ?
lurker
Perhaps because the show is broadcast in other countries as well? It's on many cable networks here in Japan, but they call it "Dr. House" instead. Season 4 is just starting, and it's a great show. He's a misanthrope with a sharp tongue...
FryingMonkey
Everybody knows that they don't allow TV in China ;)
Sarge
How can a U.S. drama be the world's most popular show? You would think that with 1.3 billion people, the Chinese could come up with the world's most popular show...
soldave
Fox News didn't rate up there?
pawatan
It's not Lupus.
Altria
Surely you mean "Full House". That's the only Western TV I've seen here.
Nessie
I thought "Lupus, M.D." was the world's most popular. (any takers)
TokyoGas
Hmmmm... I have never seen House or any of the CSI shows, Monk, or Uguly Betty. Just last month I watched 1 episode of Desperate Housewives. I must be way behind the times...