Fox's "House" scored great ratings with its third season premiere but sparked questions about whether or not the main character has gone soft.

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"Oh, God, I hope not! I think that would just kill the show," said creator and executive producer David Shore when confronted about Dr. House's newfound loving attitude, the New York Post reported Monday.

In the episode, the normally irritable Dr. House, played by Hugh Laurie, was acting with compassion toward two of his patients.

This behavior is completely uncharacteristic of the physician who specializes in diagnosing ailments that aren't common, but whose bedside manner hasn't been the greatest.

Dr. House's new outlook on life seems to stem from him almost dying at the end of season two, when he was shot by the disgruntled husband of a former patient.

The fictional doctor not only recovered from his wounds but also appeared to have gotten rid of the leg pain from which he had been suffering in the show's first two seasons.

All of a sudden, House wasn't using his trademark cane, stopped popping Vicodin like it was candy, and most surprisingly, was nice to his patients and their families.