It’s time for Hugh Laurie to win an Emmy.
Since the 2005 awards, Laurie has been nominated four times for his role as Dr. Gregory House on the FOX medical drama “House.”
Each of those times, he’s lost. Three of those times, he’s lost to Bryan Cranston, who plays chemistry teacher/meth dealer Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (shouldn’t there be some kind of rule against that?).
But this year is Laurie’s.
If the Emmys were judged purely on acting skill, he would have it in the bag. An able-bodied British man, Laurie more than convinces in his role as a crippled, cane-wielding American doctor.
But Laurie’s acting has more to it than sole accuracy. The character of House is a sardonic misanthrope with no respect for rules, ethics or common decency. Sure, he’s a medical genius, but it’s hard to like someone who says things like “I like you better now that you’re dying” (see season 5, episode 1, “Dying Changes Everything”).
Somehow, though, Laurie gives us no other choice than to like and even empathize with House. He rounds him out, instead of just letting him fester in a cesspool of cynicism until he becomes a canker sore in every viewer’s brain. We like House. We care about him. We want him to solve every case and save every patient and maybe even find love (though after seven seasons of failure in this department, that seems pretty unlikely).
That’s why this Sunday, at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, Hugh Laurie should get to take the stage, hold a trophy, and make all the female American viewers swoon with his natural British accent.
Certainly, the other nominees have merit. Michael C. Hall is great on “Dexter,” Steve Buscemi of “Boardwalk Empire” is a living legend, and I could stare at Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” for as long as the next person (regardless of sexual orientation, you can’t deny the man’s attractive).
But now it’s Laurie’s turn. And if the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences doesn’t agree, not to worry — he’ll be back next year.
Watch the Emmy’s, hosted by Jane Lynch, this Sunday at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Katherine Proctor is the assistant Arts editor for The Daily Tar Heel. She enjoys mid-Western accents and bears no relation to any witch-hunting puritans from “The Crucible.” Each Tuesday, she will highlight national Arts content for Canvas, using her wit to convince you of her qualifications.
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