All things being equal, the "House" series finale was pretty good. Not the best I've ever seen--"Newhart" or "Star Trek: The Next Generation"--but far from the worst--"The X-Files," followed closely by "Seinfeld." Let's say that "House" settles nicely into the "M*A*S*H"/"Cheers"-level of finale quality: a bit melancholy, sure, but overall satisfying. I'm glad we didn't actually have to watch Wilson die. My only real complaint: I was hoping for a Cuddy sighting; realistically, would Lisa Cuddy not have shown up at House's funeral--if only to make sure he was actually dead? (That must have been some nasty contract dispute.)
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Some have wondered whether Hugh Laurie will ever escape this iconic character, but he has a major advantage over other typecast actors: that accent. I caught as little of the pre-show "House" retrospective as possible, but, still, when I saw (or, more relevantly, heard) Hugh Laurie chatting with Robert Sean Leonard in this deep, Oxonian register, even I had a hard time remembering that this was the same man who's been playing the adenoidal Greg House for the last eight years--and I've always known he was British. If/when he wants to do other shows in the States, all he has to do is use his regular voice. I can hear the viewers now: "Man, this guy really looks like the guy who played House! Must be related."
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The saddest thing about all this is that "House" was about the last high-quality drama on network TV. I'm sure this will be a temporary situation, though. I mean, look: Fox already has "House"'s replacement all ready to roll: "The Mob Doctor". . . .
God, I'm depressed.
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