5 'House' Episodes Were So Problematic, They'd Never Make the Cut Now

Dr House, played by Hugh Laurie, was a genius. He also didn't know when to shut up and how not to insult the people around him. At the time, this kind of behaviour seemed fascinating, House's character compelling. Today, however, some of his antics seem exaggerated and simply tasteless.

Here are five scenes that would definitely end up on a writers' room floor in 2023:

Kids: Season 1, episode 19 (2005)

One of House's defining traits is his tendency to say whatever pops into his head. He has no boundaries himself and doesn't respect anyone else's. When interviewing Dr Gilmar, he opens by apologising for being late because he'd been 'taking a dump'.

Unimpressed, Gilmar replies, 'I guess I'm better off interviewing right after than right before.' House goes on to suggest that she's looking for a new job either because she fell in love with her previous boss and can't handle it, or vice versa. This is after suggesting that she doesn't really speak four languages and is just 'banking on never being interviewed by someone who does'.

Again, Gilmar refuses to be intimidated and says she can 'swear in two more'. In one of the shortest interviews ever, he ends by asking her about Jewish foreplay before finally deciding she can't have the job because of the shoes she was wearing.

It's beyond insensitive on his part, but the scene is saved by the strength of the female character. It's certainly not the kind of protagonist behaviour that would be tolerated these days.

Sleeping Dogs Lie: Season 2, episode 18 (2006)

When an elderly Chinese woman comes in with her teenage daughter acting as interpreter and asks for birth control pills to deal with her PMS, House sees through the act. He could be sensitive, but he chooses to tell the girl that her mother has a problem with a 'SAC…stupid American child'.

He prescribes the pill for the girl and a decongestant for the mother, and they return later because the mother's breasts have swelled up as a result of taking the wrong medication. As the mother and daughter chat, House interjects in Mandarin to tell the mother that her daughter is pregnant.

So we've got bad bedside manner and a breach of confidentiality. And, as usual, no retribution.

Merry Little Christmas: Season 3, episode 10 (2006)

House is already on thin ice over his refusal to go to rehab when he walks in on Cuddy treating a child with dwarfism. The child's mother is also a dwarf, and House can't resist poking fun at her. Cuddy is horrified and asks House to wait in her office. He takes no notice and continues – even going so far as to flirt with the mother after describing the child's father as 'normal size'.

But she gives as good as she gets and seems to like the fact that House is a man who treats everyone equally. Whether in the workplace or on TV, that's the sort of thing you just wouldn't get away with in 2023.

Larger Than Life: Season 7, episode 9 (2011)

To some degree, workplaces don't change. Even today, if a doctor's picture was used to advertise the hospital where he works on billboards all over town, his colleagues would give him a bit of a hard time. But this episode came out long before the whole 'locker room talk' and 'banter' debate.

Nowadays, people tend to be a bit more thoughtful about how they tease others. House made Taub (a Jew) look like Hitler in a scene that definitely wouldn't fly with modern audiences.

Carrot or Stick: Season 7, episode 10 (2011)

This was the episode in which a photoshopped photo of a naked Chase with a micropenis was posted on his social media. After some investigation, he discovered that it had been done to teach him a lesson for his promiscuous behaviour.

To gloss over the fact that this storyline was handled weakly, revenge porn is a problem in society and worth highlighting in a TV show. The problem here was that we were supposed to think it was somehow okay or just a joke.

It's an issue that will certainly come up in more shows in the future. But it's likely to be treated as a criminal offence with lasting consequences rather than a prank.