We can admit it, TV hasn’t been the same since Dr House picked up his cane, landed his last insult and finally departed the ward in 2012.
Hugh Laurie - the man we previously knew best for mugging along merrily to Blackadder and co - transformed himself into the maverick misanthrope who mysteriously discovered the roots of some obscure disease, often but not always, just in time to save his episode’s guest star. Each hour was as brilliant as it was predictable, and rightly earned its title star a clutch of gongs, as well as a healthy fortune.
We’ve seen Hugh in different form recently, creepy villain Richard Roper in hit spy drama ‘The Night Manager’ and reluctant foil to Julia Louis-Dreyfus in ‘Veep’, but it hasn’t really been the same without a medical dictionary in the star’s hands.
The good news is, Hugh Laurie clearly thinks so too, hence his return to the small screen in ‘Chance’, a brand new psychodrama on Hulu streaming service that debuts in October.
Hugh plays forensic neuropsychiatrist Dr Eldon Chance of the title - yes, really - who must follow his own impulses rather than medical authorities - yes, we know - when treating a patient appearing to have multiple personality disorder.
The show is based on the novel by Kem Nunn, and will co-star Dianne Farr as Chance’s ex-wife. Based on Hugh Laurie’s success in ‘House’, it is no surprise that the show has already been commissioned for two full seasons, containing 20 episodes. It will premiere on 19 October on Hulu.
Hugh Laurie was masterful in his previous medical guise in ‘House’, he picked up two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Even more impressively, Lisa Sanders, the doctor whose medical newspaper columns inspired the series and acted as a technical adviser on the programme, told HuffPostUK that she hadn’t even realised he was English until he spoke in his own accent at the wrap party for the final show.
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