House is basically a modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, with the same unpleasant personality. Which seems to contradict the idea that jerk protagonists are a new phenomenon.
It's about House MD, the doctor and Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Their unpleasantness is a key part of their respective shows, to the point of being a major plot driver in some cases.
The original Sherlock wasn't like House but in the more broad sense. E.g. he didn't sadistically play games with his underlings (which he didn't much have) and Watson. He also wasn't about "blunt truth" and other such things House was.