David Shore, the creator of Fox’s hit medical drama House, wasn’t really sure what to make of the Jan. 4 episode of NBC’s medical comedy Scrubs.
In the episode, titled "My House," the gruff Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley) adopts a cane and limps about solving outlandish medical mysteries in an apparent homage to the gruff, cane-wielding Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) on Fox.
"It was cool, but I got the feeling it came from a place they thought we were ripping them off," says Shore, whose show is currently in its third season (Scrubs is in its sixth). "But I think Scrubs is a great show. I’m going to interpret it as paying homage to us."
Scrubs
creator Bill Lawrence confirms it was all in good fun. "I watch House; it’s a good show," he says. "It’s an acerbic, cynical doctor that hates everybody. Sure, there were definitely some similarities between him and [Scrubs’] Cox, but we didn’t take any shots for real on our show."
Lawrence does admit to some difficulty in watching Laurie rake in the awards and accolades while
McGinley and his show have been largely overlooked during awards season. But he would never accuse House—or anyone else, for that matter—of ripping off Scrubs.
"For me to ever say House ripped us off, I’d have to say we ripped off Wonder Years and M*A*S*H," he says. "So I can’t say anything."
