Paging Dr. 'Chance': Hugh Laurie Takes the Lead of New Hulu Series

Eight years is an terrible long time to be solving medical riddles like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and it looked to be that British actor Hugh Laurie was ready to hang up the stethoscope when House bowed out in 2012.

Playing yet another maverick doctor, unsurprisingly, means Laurie - who is also the show's executive producer - will be subjected to comparisons about his performance in House.

Hulu has given a two-season order to "Chance", a new drama starring "House" alum Hugh Laurie.

Chance must contend with the patient's abusive, police detective spouse while dealing with his own divorce and troubled teenage daughter. His exploration leads him to a deeper examination of the human mind.

Chance marks the first production to arrive at a streaming service for Fox 21 Studios, which is behind hit linear TV series like Showtime's Homeland and FX's American Crime Story. The series was adapted by Nunn and Alexandra Cunningham (Desperate Housewives, Aquarius), the latter of whom will also serve as showrunner. Lenny Abrahamson, whose movie "Room" is tipped for an Oscar in 2016, is due to direct certain episodes.

According to Deadline, Laurie was the first choice to star in Chance since the project first began development. Now that he has found it, Laurie is reportedly taking an active role in the show's development and "will be involved in every aspect of production". Other casting news will be announced later, but Hulu has already ordered two ten-episode seasons and is aiming for a premiere later this year.

Stepping in to play the titular doctor once again, Laurie is set to headline the new show as Eldon Chance, a man living it out in San Francisco as a forensic neuropsychiatrist.