Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Grey's Anatomy Vs. House M.D

















Should one really compare the two? Would it be an injustice, considering that the only thing they have in common is that they are medical dramas? Obviously they are not alike and do not add Scrubs into this equation.

Back in 1994, yes that far back, we were introduced to E.R and Chicago Hope... if I remember well both debuted at the same time. It was clear one was superior but the other was just as entertaining and managed to stand its own ground. We can say E.R overshadowed Chicago Hope, but the latter was a fine masterpiece that would have held its own hadn't it been for E.R and the compare and contrast game.

So a decade later, then comes the Grey's Anatomy and House M.D. Just when medical drama were too cliche...when everyone was running away from medical and legal drama's...producers came up with something new and different.

Personally, I prefer Grey's...but it's not that House M.D isn't damn good. Sometime I prefer the show I'm watching...but season 5 has ascertained where my loyalties lie.

But what people should realise the two are completely different offering separate dishes in the same buffet.

COMPARISONS and CONTRASTS

1. Medicine vs Surgery
House M.D is about the medical mysteries as opposed to surgical mysteries.

2. Ends vs Means
House is about the step by step deductions in solving the mysteries...like C.S.I...they go through differential diagnosis until a bulb lights up and voila mystery solved. And in that case it gets a little monotonous as they go thorough the medical sieve each time, from infections, to autoimmune to cancer... sarcoidosis (it always gets mentioned...)

Grey's is about doing the inevitable to to solve the mystery...they are interested in the end and not the means. Sometimes the mystery is somethin outlandishly bizzare.

3. Branches of specialities
Whilst Grey's only has surgical specialities, House is more well-rounded with all specialities both medical and surgical on board.

4. Characters.
Grey's has more emphasis on the characters than House M.D and I think thats why I enjoy Grey's more. From the additons of Sloane, Addison. Han, Torres...and even the new interns...their development of characters old and new is fascinating and entertaining.

House on the other hand for almost 2 seasons did not develop any character. Such that it did not matter the order in which you watched the season's nothing was missed since emphasis was on the cases. However, later on they realised their folly and characters started being developed. I particularly enjoyed the Sela Ward story line. Even when House was being bullied by the cop brilliantly played by David Morse..and in season 4 they brought in a new cast of doctors to try out for jobs after House fired his entire staff. In fact this season was the best ever!

No one would care if Wilson left the show...it didn't even matter in season 4 when the main characters became temporarily recurring. Which shows that we feel nothing for the other charcaters apart from House...then again that's why the show is aptly called House M.D.

In Grey's new characters are added all the time and they blend in with the viewers. Each character has their own story line intertwined with the main story line for the episode.

5. Romance
-Season 5 has seen both shows have regular lesbian characters. Clearly a ratinngs thing, that ended badly in Grey's when Han was unceremoniously fired. Torres is still pursuing her orientation discovery whilst House has a character that may be a serial lesbian hell-bound on destroying her life.
-Cuddy and House...I was scared to see what would happen if that story was pursued luckily the writers knew best to just dangle that carrot but not pursue it further.
-Grey's: everyone is sleeping with everyone which makes it too soapy for a medical drama and hence the seriousness can be lost on it. However, their love lives are interesting from George contracting syphillis..to Sloane breaking his bone in the on-call room. Yeah, Grey and Shephard and Addison feels like a scene from Days of our lives...but Yang gets interesting love story arcs...like her and Burke and now the guy from Rome. YES, HBO return ROME please!

6. Cliffhangers.
Grey's has had better and more clifhangers than House.

7. Adroable Characters.
Apart from House himself who is certifiably an S.O.B...there is no other endearing character in House M.D. We love him, we hate him, we love to hate him.
However in Grey's the list is endless
-The Nazi is sarcastically hot!
-Yang is an absolute gem. Ms Smarty pants and smarty mouth.
-Addison...loved her
-George-his quirkiness was outstanding..though he is no longer being featured much in season 5
-Torres: grew on me like a nail...I think she is the character that has evolved the most in this show
-Sloane:who could hate him?
-Izzy...that girl has problems...and looks like she could be dying... (How's that for complaining that you were not being written for emmy award winning material...see if that's Emmy for you when you have been written out of the show!) Season 5 had a return of her old flame as a hallucination which could be a sign of something else...
-Burke was a legend with an ego?
-new interns...funnily they are entertaining providing comic relief within comic relief
-The chief too is entertaining.
-Even Meredith has her days and the jury is still out on whether her voice is better in the dialogues or that chick from Desperate housewives.

8. Guest Stars.
A show is as good as it's guest stars. And each mainatins to attract a bevy of celebrities but clearly Grey's has had a better run with celebrities.



9. Stories with substance.
House has deeper stories within its genre. As a medic you would be more amazed and surprised with House. But Grey's gives you an inside on the behind the scene of interns and residents. House is more serious, but Grey's shows you the other side behind the serious curtain.

So there is a non-biased review of the two. Great shows. Great actors. Great Drama.
Pick your favorite provided you are watching both!

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

finally. this is a great post man. i am quite sad that i have to agree with you. most unfortunate. grays is about the drama behind the scenes and less about the cases while house, mostly, is the cases.

Anonymous said...

House is a better show than gay's anatomy, because it is not a chick show where everyone cries at the end of each episode.

0.5 said...

Your post is very objective in bringing out the strong features of both shows. Personally, I follow both. Hugh Laurie is astonishingly brilliant in his acting, I don't think there is an actor/actress who can deliver barbs quite like that on Gray's. On the other hand, Gray's has more evenly distributed interesting acting.

House can drag during the story arcs leading one to fast forward to the sound bites. The crying and the drawn out emotional dramas of the chics can be exhausting. The exit of Isaiah Washington and the cute redhead, Allison I think she was called, was a downer for me.

Best option? Enjoy both. They are great

mavis2000 said...

house all the way. Grays is for stay at home mothers with Iqs under 90. House is an intelligent show, i agree not with the fastest progressive story line. but with its racial humour (its called a white board for a reason)and superb cast (my fav being omar epps - dr eric foreman) Like any other id say hugh but i loved his work before he got to the states so its bias. Recently with the later seasons his new crew. 13, kutner and taub. the storys are good but everyone will admit never have the same kick as the old crew. Although 13 has staying potential from some scenes haha. keep this show rolling, involve the old cast more (their better, admit it)

Unknown said...

i love your writing style initially i thought it is ridiculous to compare these but the way u compared i love it. both the shows are my favorites but i prefers to Watch Grey's Anatomy more than house md

jack said...

This show is mind blowing and hilarious show...I like this show very much....I saw some episodes of this show...This show is excellent and amazing....I got a Great site when i was Looking to Download House M.D.show . I found a Great sit

22biochemist said...

This was a very impressive analysis of the two great medical dramas. I do find that this article presents a hint of a greys anatomy fan though. When you compare the major aspects such as "Romance", "Adorable Characters" and "Guest Stars" Greys Anatomy dominates the contest. Gregory house is not suppose to be an "Adorable Character" he's a rude, offensive, non-professional doctor who is exceptional at diagnosing. That is what makes "House M.D" such a successful show because we don't want to see a cocky, well-dressed doctor who constantly tells everybody that he/she is the best. Gregory House is a hybrid television character that everybody adores in some special way. I believe that Greys is just another reoccurring dream of "E.R" and "General Hospital." I love both shows and this article definitely tells the truth about both medical dramas. But in the end, "House M.D" brings a new generation of medical shows to the table.

Anonymous said...

House is alot better than the soapy Grey's Anatomy. I actually like the characters on House and I wouldn't mind watching a whole marathon of that show.

Anonymous said...

Okay I had to comment on this article because I am a passionate fan of House! The episodes may appear formulaic and self-contained if you watch them one at a time or out of order; but if you pay attention you'll find that's simply not the case. Just wait for a boring Sunday afternoon when you can sit down in front of your laptop for a House marathon. When you watch the episodes in a row the character and relationship development becomes obvious; actually it is the medical mysteries that end up fading into the background, forgotten.

Unknown said...

What a wonderful post I have found here. Both are my favorite series. I like both very much. Both series have different but unique storyline. I really enjoy both series. You can also watch both series from here only.......Watch TV Shows Online

Anonymous said...

greys should be compared with gossip girl, house is pure medical drama

Anonymous said...

HOUSE all the way !!!
grays lacks that thrill and excitement which is always there in every episode of house. i think greys is more of an emotional drama than a medical drama....being a medico myself i vote hands down for house.

hbk said...

hi i m an intern.... HOUSE MD is far better than grey's... its an high IQ based show.... & the character played as dr house is brilliant.... the cases solved are way more difficult than surgery.... after all its medicine which wins...

Anonymous said...

Mavis2000!! Get a life!! Every person has his/her own interests......!! It doesn't mean if someone likes grey's, that person is a stay at home mother with a low iq!! That's insulting and not your place to judge!! U like house, fair enough, do not judge people who would rather watch grey's!! In my opinion, you are the one with intelect issues!! My advice to you, keep your thoughts to yourself!! Wake up!! We're in the 21st century!! Having an interest does not make you more or less intelligent!! Grey's all the way :-)

Unknown said...

I say house is far superior only because you really get a look in the mind of Greg house. Greys lacks the mystery of a complex psyche. I love the whole story of what makes house who he is. Losing his dad, then not knowing who his dad is, losing his leg, losing cuddy, rehab and drug abuse. Greys is a little superficial in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

obviously biased...i totally disagree on the ends vs means part..

Unknown said...

both of them are my favorite tv show ,but i like the house m.d more,House, it's known as House, M.D., is an American medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show was created by David Shore and executive produced by Shore and film director Bryan Singer. The show revolves around Dr. Gregory House (British actor Hugh Laurie), a cynical medical genius with a damaged leg arising from an incorrect diagnosis and an addiction to painkillers, who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH). The show's premise was created by Shore, who got the idea for the curmudgeonly title character from a visit to a teaching hospital. Initially, Singer wanted an American to play House, but British actor Hugh Laurie's audition convinced him that a foreign actor could play the role. Shore wrote House as a character with parallels to Sherlock Holmes; both are drug users, aloof, and largely friendless. The show is filmed in Century City, although it takes place in New Jersey.

Anonymous said...

Well I'm a resident Dr myself,and looking into the medical aspects of both,house isn't realist!we Drs dopnt go to patients houses looking for evidence,we don't have that kind of time!and its not even ethical,also house makes it seem like we gamble with diagnosis uyntil we stumble across the right one,which is totally false,as a medical student I preferred house ,it was exciting,and seemed so medical,but as a dr nw,I'll have to say greys anatomy is more in line with what we do in d hosp!though house is medical and greys is surgical ,and house got boring wit the same lookin for diagnosis and taking rational steps ,by the way I'm a medical resident just in case u thot I was been biased,they both shows anyways

Anonymous said...

Being a doctor, one would expect you to have better grammar.

divya said...

And I was wondering if a plastic surgeon could conduct tests on the brain, or did I get it rong. Therez this one episode where taub does that. Doesn't each one jus sick to their speciality or can they treat any illness.....

divya said...

Stick*

Unknown said...

Fuck gays anatomy HOUSE IS THE SHIT

Unknown said...

Agreed

Unknown said...

Hell yes

Unknown said...

Haha dude the whole show is about how Gregory House isn't ( that contraction mean is not ok) like any ordinary doctor ... We know how doctors behave regardless unless someone on here has never have had a check up vaccine injured family member or been injured themselves. House is about guess what the main character House in which he continually ( but not always) defies the rules/system to compensate for his weaknesses such as Vicodin addiction, mangled leg, parental issues, necessity of pushing everyone away, creates such a void in which fuel his ominous abilities with such a passion despite everything ... He is already broken ... Just a misunderstood man who has nothing except the thrill of the puzzle

~ James Dean Melton

Now tell me that that isn't a substantial show that can possible be bested by the likes of Greys Anatomy

P.S. When the author wrote about more guest star celebrities ?? I am one who does not give a hoot or two weather a more well known face appears that kind of blind ignorance bewilders me... Aufwiederlesen ... Haha i don't know if that is a real saying but ok

Unknown said...

I enjoy house better, as it also goes into deeper topics with every case. Oh, and House MD beats Grey's Anatomy in IMDB, Tv.com and Rotten tomatoes. So, House MD FTW!

Unknown said...

Everything you wrote is subjective lathered with objectivity. Judge for yourself of course, but it's clear throughout the entire read that you favor one show over the other. Ex: you continuously point out the lack of character development in House. But, unless you and I watched the wrong show, each character has their fair amount of development. I hate being constantly pounder with new story lines and all sorts of character developments. It keeps ridiculous and after a certain amount of time, uncreative. House offers the right amount of mystery, character development here and there and the perfect amount of 'WTF'! Quite frankly, I've never watched Grey's. And hence why I'm not saying it's good or bad. But I don't understand why you created such a terrible point of view on House. Do like House and look further than the story itself, sometimes you have to look at the minor details. Look outside the box.....House is a brilliant written series with a mighty cast! Each character was amazingly acted and you can tell the actors and actresses loved their role. Before making your next judgement, someone should open their minds up. Pff, imagine the shit House would run down this guy's throat for making such a poor judgement on a show he clearly half knows

Unknown said...

I haven't watched Grey's Anatomy and for that reason, I will refrain from commenting on whether it is good or bad. I have watched House and obviously I might be a little bias toward it, but I hope that being aware of this hindsight, I will manage to be a little more objective. First of all, these are medical shows and one would be expecting medical drama. House does an outstanding job of going into details on the medical procedures whilst making it seem interesting and rousing our curiosity. I do agree that the characters are poorly developed in house, or at the very least, the writers could have done a better job. But what House lacks in character development, makes up in strong intuitive and brain enriching conversations and interactions. Again I don't necessarily like the fact that everyone succumbs to house's imposing personality and conniving tactics and no real character truly stands up against house. I do however like how the show manages to take a character who is not necessarily likable and make him stand out and be admired in a weirdly kind of way. Someone mentioned something about the intellect of the show, and I have to agree that it is very Intelligently scripted, even the conversations are purposefully laid out and not just throw there. Someone also mentioned how the episodes were in such a way that you could watch them out of order...well, I do think that House is an episodic kind of show with a few story arcs going over several episodes but essentially it is meant to be a new drama every episode, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that you can possibly be able to watch them out of order.
Last, but not least, the humor. House has this sarcastic humor where the characters just touch on something and just leave you figure out the rest. I love House, M.D. it is just brilliantly written and acted that you just have to watch it to understand what the craze is all about.