TVSquad

Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.

10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.

Hey, Fox! Would you rather lose Hugh Laurie as the curmudgeon Dr. House, or would you rather risk what could happen to the show if he lost that trademark limp? He's been limping around the set for five years now. He's no spring chicken, and the limp is starting to take such a toll on his body, that Laurie might consider leaving House over it.

"The show might last through to (season) seven, eight or nine, but I don't know if I will because I'm starting to lose my knees," he said. "It's a lot of hip work. There are things going badly wrong." I've been reading for a few years now about how the limp has been affecting Laurie's actual health and physical well-being. I don't see why Fox doesn't just resolve this problem by eliminating the limp.

I know the chronic pain is supposed to be a facet of his character, but it's season six now. The viewers like him and can accept him as he grows and changes. We'd certainly rather deal with a pain-free House than a House-free TV schedule.

The previous week's episode of Saturday Night Live was pretty solid. Hugh Laurie's fantastic performance was a pleasant surprise for a lot of my House-loving friends, because they weren't quite sure what to expect from the ever-gruff Dr. House. Well, most people don't know that Laurie has an extensive comedy background... an extensive sketch comedy background... an extensive British sketch comedy background, at that (do not be fooled by House's flawless American accent). For several years, he performed with fellow British comedian, Stephen Fry, in a double-act called "Fry and Laurie" (it developed into a television show called A Bit of Fry and Laurie). Check out a clip that I've included after the jump.

Oh, and off-topic from Hugh Laurie, but on-topic with SNL... I've gotta say, I liked how Beck's performances were actually interesting to watch. I usually take a bathroom break when I know that the musical guests are coming up, but I'm glad I stuck around to see Beck's weird puppets and dish-bangers.

Boy, it sure feels like it's been a while since we saw Dr. House and his band of merry ladies and gentlemen, and by peeking at the last time we had a new episode, it most certainly has. But, as usual, the intro to the show leaves off pretty much hours after the last episode closed, with House & Stacy attempting to leave Baltimore in the throes of a snowstorm. Hearing Wilson and Cuddy talk about the new skip in House's step was kind of amusing, in an "omigosh did he just lose his virginity?" kind of way. And smartly, we're reminded of the fact that it's just about time for Cameron to get her HIV test and that Foreman's time as the "boss" is almost up.

Seeing that survey on the FOX page asking whether or not Stacy and House should "get together" for such a long time stay stagnant in the 50% each way also had me thinking whether or not we'd ever see these two actually hit the sheets - not that producers are influenced by the outside world, per se - and as it turns out we'd find out what would happen this week, all with a tidy little bow tied up around the story. Who knew?