House M.D. – Picture: NBC Universal
As we approach the fifteenth anniversary of House M.D. airing on Fox, we thought we’d revisit whether or not House M.D. starring Hugh Laurie. For long term subscribers of Netflix, you’ll remember that House was on Netflix at one point. Let’s take you through the streaming status now.
For those unaware, House M.D. is the work of David Shore and saw 8 seasons of the multi-award-winning show produced. It’s a medical drama and sees Hugh Laurie play the role of an antisocial doctor who is highly specialized in treating rare conditions.
The series ran on FOX between 2004 and 2012.
Why isn’t House M.D. on Netflix in the United States?
House M.D. used to be part fo the Netflix US line-up. That was until early 2017 when the series was removed and eventually found its way onto Amazon Prime.
Firstly, it’s important to note who owns the series. In this instance, although Fox originally aired the drama, NBC Universal actually owns the IP and therefore distribution to the series.
It decided to give House M.D. to Amazon Prime but in the future, we believe it’ll likely hold the show back and put it on its own upcoming Peacock streaming service. We don’t quite know when the rights will be up for sale again but when they do, Netflix will likely have the chance to bid for them alongside all the other streamers.
Netflix in the United Kingdom used to carry the show back in 2014 before it departed in November 2016. Likewise, Amazon Prime now carries the series in that region.
Shows similar to House M.D. on Netflix
While House M.D. isn’t on Netflix, that doesn’t mean other fantastic medical dramas aren’t.
In the United States, they still get new seasons of the fantastic Grey’s Anatomy which should reside on Netflix for a while. Multiple Netflix regions, including the US, also carry four seasons of The Night Shift. Scrubs used to be on Netflix but that’s no longer the case. Interestingly, Netflix itself has yet to produce a hospital drama of its own.
Sadly you can’t find David Shore’s other work on Netflix. The Good Doctor remains away from Netflix.
Netflix also thrives in some of its medical documentaries with Diagnosis from The New York Times being among the best docuseries on Netflix.
Do you wish House M.D. would return to Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
