I don't know anything about its reportedly toxic fanbase. But after watching the first season, I found myself describing Rick and Morty as the show that asks the question: "What if The Doctor was a nihilistic, alcoholic misanthrope?"
While it's clear that Rick gets a rush out of conquering things -- from the limitations of being a pickle to the laws of physics (although... hey, Rick, maybe your portal gun could be a little less fragile?) -- it also seems clear that he's not really happy. He's been to countless parallel universes and waltzes through them, sarcastically noting, "Yeah, the positrons in universe A-229 have a better hue. But the coffee here is better." Most of the time he seems bored, kluging up some super-science and conjuring up some chaos just to hold his interest for a few hours, and provide that conquering rush he seeks.
The off-handed reference to Sherlock Holmes reminds me of a Facebook meme that went by a few weeks ago, wherein the ghost of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle visits Steven Moffat and profusely thanks him for accomplishing what Doyle could not -- make people hate Sherlock.
The comparison to House also didn't go unnoticed. I used to watch that show quite regularly, and found myself puzzled by House's increasing tendency toward petty vengeance and self-destructive behavior. House was clearly a profoundly brilliant man, and a profoundly unhappy man, and his inability to will himself into happiness with his brilliance likely just compounded the problem. In this sense, I think House bears the strongest resemblence to Rick.