Which detective-fiction character is Gregory House primarily modeled after?

Gregory House is primarily modeled after Sherlock Holmes.

The connection appears in the character’s name, his extraordinary powers of deduction, his drug use, and his habit of solving problems through observation and logic. “House” also echoes “Holmes,” while House’s friend James Wilson occupies a role comparable to Dr. Watson.

The series incorporates additional Holmes references. House lives at 221B Baker Street, the famous fictional London address associated with Holmes, and the character frequently treats diagnosis as a detective investigation. These details make the literary influence more than a general resemblance.

House is not a direct adaptation of a single Holmes story. Instead, the show transposes Holmes-like deduction into modern medicine, with symptoms and test results replacing clues and criminal evidence. That distinction separates the character from detectives such as Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.