Sherlock Holmes inspired Gregory House's name and deductive approach in House M.D.
The series adapts elements of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories into a hospital setting. House solves unusual medical cases by observing details, testing competing explanations, and challenging assumptions, much as Holmes investigates crimes through deduction. The names also form a deliberate echo: Holmes and House share similar sounds.
James Wilson functions as a counterpart to Dr. John Watson, Holmes's friend and narrator. House's apartment number, 221B, is another reference to Holmes's famous address at 221B Baker Street. These clues establish the influence without making House a literal adaptation of any single Holmes story.
The inspiration is sometimes reduced to House simply being a “medical Sherlock,” but the show also draws on real diagnostic medicine and hospital drama. Sherlock Holmes is the specific canonical detective reference behind the character's design.