House Bromance Makes The Cover of TVGuide

-- Brian Juergens from AfterElton.com

 

So it's official: Nonsexual romances between straight men are inoffensive enough to make the cover of TVGuide, a magazine that back in the day was about as progressive as the Lillian Vernon mail-order catalogue.

Yes, the relationship between Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) and That Guy from Dead Poets Society (Robert Sean Leonard) is the topic of the weekly's lead story.

The interview itself is a curious one, with the guys discussing the close emotional relationship that has made their two characters so popular while at the same time downplaying how interesting it is. Check out the first lines of the piece:

 

TVGuide: Gentlemen, can this bromance be saved?
Robert Sean Leonard: [Groans loudly] Is everyone obsessed with homosexuality?
TVGuide: We weren't suggesting...
Hugh Laurie: No, no, let's talk about it. Wilson and House have an unusual relationship so you have to explore all the angles. It's not simple buddydom.

Nice save, Hugh. Throughout the article he definitely seems the more comfortable of the two in discussing the topic (Leonard actually compares their characters' relationship to Cesar Millan and his pitbull).

But really, is it a logical jump from bromance to gay? Doesn't the very term "bromance" imply heterosexuality? Close emotional relationships between straight men seem to be less laden with "gay panic" than they used to ... or outside of this interview they are, anyway. 

Is anyone a fan of House and of this relationship? I'm curious to hear if people  think that labeling it a "bromance" in any way implies that the characters are anything but heterosexual men who are fond of one another.