If you loved David Shore’s hit medical dramaHouse, you should also watch his brilliant dark comedySneaky Pete, which has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Shore served as showrunner throughoutevery season ofHouse, which aired from 2004 to 2012 and followed Hugh Laurie as the Sherlock Holmes-esque Gregory House, who attempted to solve a new medical mystery with every episode.
Shore also wrote some ofthe best episodes ofHouse, such as “Three Stories” and “One Day, One Room.” However,Housewasn’t the only TV show he created. AlongsideBreaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, Shore co-createdSneaky Pete, a show about crime, betrayal, and a case of stolen identity. For those who missHouse, check outSneaky Pete, amust-watch completed series on Amazon Prime Video.
While Bryan Cranston has made a name for himself as a director, many were unaware that he was also the co-creator ofSneaky PetealongsideHouse’s David Shore. The idea for the show came about after Cranston accepted his last Emmy Award win forBreaking Bad, and he and Shore later pitched it to CBS (viaVanity Fair).
Back then,Sneaky Petewas even more of aprocedural TV show, and while CBS liked the concept, the pilot didn’t do enough to warrant a full season order. However, shortly after CBS passed on the show, Amazon took over, released the pilot, and just over a month after it aired,Sneaky Petewas ordered to series.
Malcolm in the Middle
Season 5, Episode 10 “The Old Man & the Tree”
Your Honor
Season 1, Episode 10 “Part Ten”
Interestingly, the sudden rush to write the rest of the season resulted in Cranston becoming a part of theSneaky Petecast. Cranston played Vince, the villainous mobster and first major antagonist in the show, and he took on the role because production “didn’t have the luxury of time… to find the right person.”
Cranston remained a part ofSneaky Peteuntil the end, but Shore didn’t. In March 2016, after the release of the pilot but before the remainder of season 1 even began airing, it was announced that Shore was leaving the project and would be replaced withSiloshowrunner Graham Yost, who had more experience with this type of project following his success withJustified.
Sneaky Pete Is The Perfect Comedy Crime Drama For Fans Of House And Breaking Bad
DespiteSneaky Petebeing canceled too soon, it’s still well worth checking out. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be many similarities betweenHouseandSneaky Pete. While they’re both procedurals,Housefocuses on medical mysteries and the employees of a hospital, whereasSneaky Petefollows a con artist hiding from a gangster by stealing the identity of his former prison cellmate.
However, there are parallels. Both shows offer a brilliant balance of drama and dark comedy, especially in moments where the stakes are raised. Marius (Giovanni Ribisi) is a fascinating and sharp character, and even though Shore isn’t involved with creative decisions after the pilot, his influence is still apparent in the characterization ofSneaky Pete’s lead.
One common factor in these shows is lying. Both Marius Josipović and Gregory House will lie to get what they want, whether that’s manipulating someone into providing information or covering their own backs. This typically creates friction, but it also makes things interesting, as you never know if these lies will be useful to the overall story, or if they’re for the characters’ own gain.
Despite the cores of these shows being very different,Sneaky Peteis still a great recommendation for fans ofHouse. Bryan Cranston and David Shore’sSneaky Peteis gritty, thrilling, comical, and thought-provoking, all at the same time.
sneaky pete
Cast
Sneaky Pete was created by Bryan Cranston and David Shore and stars Giovanni Ribisi, Shane McRae, Marin Ireland, and Libe Barer. The Drama and Crime series ran for three seasons between 2015 and 2019 and revolved around a convicted con man that now finds himself being hunted by a gangster now that’s he out of prison.
House
House is a medical mystery drama in which the villain is typically a difficult-to-diagnose medical malady. It follows Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), a world-renowned disabled diagnostician with a notorious substance abuse issue. With his team of world-class doctors, House has built a reputation as one of the most brilliant doctors in the world - an especially impressive feat when taking into account that he rarely actually sees his patients.
