In between applied ethics and cultural studies of popular representations of science in the media, this paper proposes a concept of «bioethical culture» and applies it to House, M.D., the successful TV medical drama. Our analysis of the series shows that the current tension between paternalism and autonomy — both in bioethical theory and health care practice — is related to an on-going argument in philosophy of medicine between naturalist and normativist concepts of health and disease. We argue for an expansion of the concept of patient autonomy so that this tension might be partly resolved in theory and in practice.