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'''''House of Cards''''' is an American [[political drama]] television series, developed and produced by [[Beau Willimon]]. It is an adaptation of a previous [[BBC]] [[House of Cards (UK TV series)|miniseries of the same name]] and is based on the novel by [[Michael Dobbs]].
'''''House of Cards''''' is an "stupid" American [[political drama]] television series, developed and produced by [[Beau Willimon]]. It is an adaptation of a previous [[BBC]] [[House of Cards (UK TV series)|miniseries of the same name]] and is based on the novel by [[Michael Dobbs]].
The entire first season, 13 episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, on the [[streaming media|streaming service]] [[Netflix]].<ref name="Premiere">{{cite web|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/netflix-sets-february-premiere-for-house-of-cards/|title=Netflix Sets February Premiere for 'House of Cards'|date=October 4, 2012|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|work=The New York Times|accessdate=October 4, 2012}}</ref> A second season of 13 episodes<ref name="Premiere"/><ref name="NYTIMES">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/arts/television/house-of-cards-arrives-as-a-netflix-series.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=A Drama's Streaming Premiere |last=Stelter|first=Brian|work=The New York Times |date=January 18, 2013 |accessdate=January 25, 2013}}</ref> premiered on February 14, 2014.<ref>https://twitter.com/HouseofCards/status/408252140885245954</ref> On February 4, 2014, ten days prior to the first available streaming release of the second season, Netflix announced that the show had been renewed for a third season.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/netflix-renews-house-cards-season-677027|title=Netflix Renews 'House of Cards' for Season 3|date=February 4, 2014|work=Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=February 4, 2014}}</ref>
The entire first season, 13 episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, on the [[streaming media|streaming service]] [[Netflix]].<ref name="Premiere">{{cite web|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/netflix-sets-february-premiere-for-house-of-cards/|title=Netflix Sets February Premiere for 'House of Cards'|date=October 4, 2012|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|work=The New York Times|accessdate=October 4, 2012}}</ref> A second season of 13 episodes<ref name="Premiere"/><ref name="NYTIMES">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/arts/television/house-of-cards-arrives-as-a-netflix-series.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=A Drama's Streaming Premiere |last=Stelter|first=Brian|work=The New York Times |date=January 18, 2013 |accessdate=January 25, 2013}}</ref> premiered on February 14, 2014.<ref>https://twitter.com/HouseofCards/status/408252140885245954</ref> On February 4, 2014, ten days prior to the first available streaming release of the second season, Netflix announced that the show had been renewed for a third season.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/netflix-renews-house-cards-season-677027|title=Netflix Renews 'House of Cards' for Season 3|date=February 4, 2014|work=Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=February 4, 2014}}</ref>



Revision as of 21:23, 4 April 2014

House of Cards
Genre
Created byBeau Willimon
Based on
Starring
ComposerJeff Beal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
CinematographyEigil Bryld
Tim Ives
Igor Martinovic
Running time46–59 minutes
Production companyMedia Rights Capital
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseFebruary 1, 2013 (2013-02-01) –
present
Related
House of Cards

House of Cards is an "stupid" American political drama television series, developed and produced by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of a previous BBC miniseries of the same name and is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The entire first season, 13 episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, on the streaming service Netflix.[2] A second season of 13 episodes[2][3] premiered on February 14, 2014.[4] On February 4, 2014, ten days prior to the first available streaming release of the second season, Netflix announced that the show had been renewed for a third season.[5]

Set in present-day Washington, D.C., House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th Congressional District and House Majority Whip who, after being passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, decides to exact his revenge on those who betrayed him. The series also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll in lead roles.

Ona Series]], Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Kevin Spacey, for a Drama Series|Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for David Fincher. The show also earned 4 Golden Globe Award nominations on December 12, 2013, earning the first major acting award for an online-only web television series when Wright won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Cast and characters

  • Kevin Spacey as Francis J. "Frank" Underwood, a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th Congressional District, House Majority Whip, Vice President of the United States in the second season and 46th President of the United States in the final episode of season two. His name is derived from Francis Urquhart, the protagonist of the BBC version and the novel version of House of Cards, and Oscar Underwood, the first Democratic House whip. Just as Urquhart does in the BBC version, Underwood often breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the viewer. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Robin Wright as Claire Underwood, Francis's wife. She runs the Clean Water Initiative, an NGO, in Season 1 before giving it up to become Second Lady of the United States. She often gets involved with Frank's political scheming, as an aid and an abettor. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Mahershala Ali as Remy Danton, a lawyer for Glendon Hill and lobbyist who works for natural gas company SanCorp in Season 1 and Raymond Tusk in Season 2. Prior to the start of the show, he worked for Underwood. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Sebastian Arcelus as Lucas Goodwin, an editor at The Washington Herald and later boyfriend of Zoe's. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Rachel Brosnahan as Rachel Posner, a prostitute dragged into Underwood's plans by Doug Stamper. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Kristen Connolly as Christina Gallagher, a headstrong congressional staffer involved in a secret relationship with Peter Russo, before becoming personal assistant to the President. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Nathan Darrow as Edward Meechum, a member of the US Capitol Police and Underwood's bodyguard and driver. In season two he joins the Secret Service and becomes one of Francis' most trusted staffers. (Season 1-2)
  • Michel Gill as Garrett Walker, 45th President of the United States, former Governor of Colorado (Seasons 1–2)
  • Sakina Jaffrey as Linda Vasquez, President Walker's White House Chief of Staff. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Michael Kelly as Douglas "Doug" Stamper, Underwood's chief of staff and confidant. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes, a reporter for The Washington Herald (later moving to Slugline following an altercation with her boss). After meeting Frank Underwood, she quickly forms an intimate relationship with him with both of them using each other for advancement in their careers, with Underwood using her to leak stories to hamper the progress of his opponents. She was killed by Underwood after she tried to uncover the reason behind Peter Russo's death. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Gerald McRaney as Raymond Tusk, a wealthy businessman with a wide network of influence. As a close friend of Walker, he exerts heavy influence over the President, which resulted in Underwood's snub for Secretary of State. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Molly Parker as Jacqueline Sharp, a congresswoman tapped by Underwood to succeed him as Majority Whip when he is made Vice President. (Season 2)
  • Corey Stoll as US Representative Peter Russo, a Democrat from Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District. Russo becomes loyal to Underwood after Underwood threatens to expose his alcohol and drug addiction. After going sober and running for Governor of Pennsylvania, he is killed by Frank Underwood when he tries to come clean about the events that Underwood was blackmailing him with. (Season 1)
  • Constance Zimmer as Janine Skorsky, a reporter for The Washington Herald (later moving to Slugline) who becomes suspicious of Zoe's success but eventually joins her after Zoe gets her a job at Slugline. Following Zoe's death, she leaves journalism, moves home with her mother and starts teaching college courses. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Jayne Atkinson as Catherine Durant, a Senator from Missouri who becomes Secretary of State. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Gil Birmingham as Daniel Lanagin, a Native American casino owner in Missouri and friend of Raymond Tusk. (Season 2)
  • Reg E. Cathey as Freddy Hayes, the owner of Freddy's BBQ, an eatery frequented by Underwood. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Derek Cecil as Seth Grayson, a sinister political operative who becomes Press Secretary for Vice President Underwood. (Season 2)
  • Kathleen Chalfant as Margaret Tilden, the owner of The Washington Herald. (Season 1)
  • Terry Chen as Xander Feng, a corrupt Chinese businessman and backchannel diplomat who is Raymond Tusk's business partner. (Season 2)
  • Curtiss Cook as Terry Womack, House Majority Leader from Missouri's 5th congressional district. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Ben Daniels as Adam Galloway, a photographer who is living in New York City, and who is Claire's lover. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Joanna Going as Patricia Walker, wife of President Garrett Walker and First Lady of the United States. (Season 2)
  • Jeremy Holm as Agent Nathan Green, the White House/FBI liaison. (Season 2)
  • Sandrine Holt as Gillian Cole, the leader of a grass-roots organization called World Well that provides clean water to developing countries. Through the Clean Water Initiative, she grapples with Frank and Claire's interests. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Kevin Kilner as Michael Kern, a Senator from Colorado and the President's original choice for the position of Secretary of State. (Season 1-2)
  • Mozhan Marnò as Ayla Sayyad, a tenacious journalist working for the Wall Street Telegraph. (Season 2)
  • Benito Martinez as Hector Mendoza, a Republican Senator from Florida and the Senate Majority Leader. (Season 2)
  • Boris McGiver as Tom Hammerschmidt, editor-in-chief of The Washington Herald. As a favor to Lucas when he's imprisoned, Tom begins investigating Frank. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Lance E. Nichols as Gene Clancy, the mayor of Gaffney, South Carolina. (Season 1)
  • Elizabeth Norment as Nancy Kaufberger, secretary to Frank Underwood and Doug Stamper. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Samuel Page as Connor Ellis, a smooth talking media consultant who becomes Communications Director for Claire Underwood. (Season 2)
  • Larry Pine as Speaker of the House Bob Birch. (Seasons 1–2)
  • Al Sapienza as Marty Spinella, a union lobbyist. (Season 1)
  • Kate Lyn Sheil as Lisa Williams, a social worker who befriends Rachel Posner. (Season 2)
  • Jimmi Simpson as Gavin Orsay, a hacker and informant for the FBI. (Season 2)
  • Libby Woodbridge as Megan Hennessey, a former US Marine Private who was sexually assaulted by General Dalton McGinnis. (Season 2)
  • Dan Ziskie as Jim Matthews, the Vice President of the United States, a former Governor of Pennsylvania. (Season 1)
  • Reed Birney as Donald Blythe, a respected and long-serving Representative (Season 1-2)

Real-life media figures such as Donna Brazile, Morley Safer; CNN's Candy Crowley, John King, Ashleigh Banfield, and Soledad O'Brien; Fox News's Dennis Miller and Sean Hannity; HBO's Bill Maher; ABC's George Stephanopoulos; MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews; and CBS's Major Garrett make cameo appearances as themselves.

Plot

Season One

Francis "Frank" Underwood is a power hungry Democratic congressman from South Carolina and House Majority Whip. After securing the election of President Garrett Walker to gain himself appointment to Secretary of State, Underwood is devastated to learn that he is being passed over. Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez tells Underwood that the president wants him to promote his agenda in Congress and will not honor their agreement. Seething inside, Underwood must quickly gain control of his anger and hide his disappointment to present himself as a helpful lieutenant to the president and his agenda. In reality Underwood sets about placing himself in position to exact revenge on the president and his appointees, with the ultimate goal of gaining power for himself.

Though she runs a charity, his wife Claire is merely using it as a front for her own thinly veiled ambitions for power and influence. In the opening episode the successful charity organization that she has put together has been deemed by her to have too limited a footprint. Keen to be on the international stage, she decides to change her organization to one that supports international well digging to provide clean water. Though this is met with great misgivings by her manager, she directs her to fire eighteen of her employees, cutting the staff by over half. At the end of the day she checks in to ask how it all went, and then informs the manager she is being let go as well. It is clear from the outset that Claire is as hard hearted, callous and power hungry as her husband.

Underwood begins a highly intricate plan to disgrace his enemies and obtain a cabinet position, acquiring pawns he can manipulate in his power play. He uses his extramarital relationship with Zoe Barnes, a young political reporter, to leak damaging stories about his rivals in the House. Meanwhile, he blackmails Peter Russo, a troubled congressman from Pennsylvania, into helping him undermine Walker's pick for Secretary of State, Senator Michael Kern, and eventually has him replaced with his own choice, Senator Catherine Durant. Underwood also uses Russo in a plot to end a teacher's strike and pass an education bill, which improves Underwood's standing with Walker.

Because the new Vice President is the former Governor of Pennsylvania, a special election is to be held for governor. Underwood helps Russo get clean and props up his candidacy, but later uses call girl Rachel Posner to break his sobriety and trigger his downfall shortly before the election. Distraught, Russo decides to atone for his failure by coming clean to the press about his role in Underwood's schemes, but Frank stages his suicide, leaving him in a closed garage with his car running. With the Pennsylvania special election in chaos, Underwood convinces the Vice President to step down and run for his old position of governor – leaving the vice presidency open to Underwood, as was his plan all along.

Walker appears to have other plans. Underwood ends up vetting a surprising choice for Vice President, billionaire Raymond Tusk. Tusk later reveals that in fact he is actually vetting Underwood for the position. Meanwhile, after Underwood brings their affair to an end, Zoe begins piecing together clues about Underwood's machinations. The season ends with Underwood being offered and accepting the nomination for Vice President.

Season Two

With Frank on the verge of being sworn in as Vice President, Zoe and her colleagues Lucas Goodwin and Janine Skorsky continue to dig for information, ultimately locating Rachel Posner. Frank's aide, Doug Stamper, brings her to a safe house while Frank lures Zoe to a DC Metro station and, unseen to security cameras, pushes her in front of a train. Zoe's death galvanizes Lucas to continue the search alone and he solicits the help of a hacker to retrieve Frank's text history from AT&T. However the hacker is actually working under Doug Stamper to entrap Lucas, leading the reporter to be ultimately caught in an FBI sting and pleading guilty to cyberterrorism.

Claire becomes close with the First Lady and they support a bill to reform the military's prosecution of sexual assault after Claire reveals in an interview that she had an abortion as a result of being raped in college by a man who has just been commissioned as a general. She learns that the President's marriage is strained and offers the First Lady the aid of a spiritual advisor and marriage counselor.

Though Raymond Tusk wields major influence over the President, Frank aims to drive a wedge between them. He meets Xander Feng, a Chinese businessman and ally of Tusk to engage in backchannel diplomatic negotiations which he intentionally scuttles, though he uses the chaos of the situation to make it appear as if Tusk is equally responsible for the failed talks. This sours Sino-US relations leading to a trade war over rare earth minerals and a spike in US energy prices. Tusk openly opposes the President's efforts to deal with the crisis and begins having a tribal casino funnel money into Republican PACs in retaliation. When Frank discovers that the source of the funneled money is in fact Xander Feng, he gets Feng to end his partnership with Tusk in exchange for a lucrative bridge contract.

The Department of Justice discovers that Doug Stamper was videotaped at the casino and begins to investigate the relationship between Feng, Tusk, and the White House. Seeking to establish trust with the special prosecutor, Frank manipulates the President into volunteering his travel records which reveal his visits to the marriage counselor and raises questions about whether or not the illicit campaign donations were ever discussed. Wishing to avoid disclosure to the public of his personal issues, he has the White House counsel coach the counselor which the special prosecutor interprets as witness tampering. As the House Judiciary committee begins drafting articles of impeachment, both the President and Frank offer Tusk a Presidential pardon in exchange for implicating the other. Tusk sides with Frank, leaving the President no choice except to resign. Frank is sworn in as the new President of the United States.

Production

Conception

The world of 7:30 on Tuesday nights, that's dead. A stake has been driven through its heart, its head has been cut off, and its mouth has been stuffed with garlic. The captive audience is gone. If you give people this opportunity to mainline all in one day, there's reason to believe they will do it.

 — David Fincher[6]

Independent studio Media Rights Capital, founded by Mordecai Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, producer of films such as Babel, purchased the rights to House of Cards with the intent of creating a series.[3] While finishing production on his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher's agent showed him House of Cards, a BBC miniseries starring Ian Richardson.[3] Fincher was interested in producing a potential series with Eric Roth.[3] Fincher said that he was interested in doing television because of its long-form nature,[7] adding that working in film doesn't allow for complex characterizations the way that television allows.[7] "I felt for the past ten years that the best writing that was happening for actors was happening in television. And so I had been looking to do something that was longer form," Fincher stated.[7]

MRC approached different networks about the series, including HBO, Showtime and AMC, but Netflix, hoping to launch its own original programming, outbid the other networks.[8] Ted Sarandos, Netflix's Chief Content Officer, looked at the data of Netflix users' streaming habits and concluded that there was an audience for Fincher and Spacey.[9] "It looked incredibly promising," he said, "kind of the perfect storm of material and talent."[3] In finding a writer to adapt the series, Fincher stated that they needed someone who could faithfully translate parliamentary politics to Washington."[3] Beau Willimon, who has served as an aide to Charles Schumer, Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton,[10] was hired and completed the pilot script in early 2011.[3] Willimon saw the opportunity to create an entirely new series from the original and deepen its overall story.[3]

This is the future, streaming is the future. TV will not be TV in five years from now...everyone will be streaming.

 — Beau Willimon[6]

The project was first announced in March 2011, with Kevin Spacey attached to star and serve as an executive producer.[11] Fincher was announced as director for the first two episodes, from scripts by Willimon. Netflix ordered 26 episodes to air over two seasons.[12]

Spacey called Netflix's model of publishing all episodes at once a "new perspective."[6] He added that Netflix's commitment to two full seasons gave the series greater continuity. "We know exactly where we are going," he said.[6] In a speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, he also noted that while other networks were interested in the show, they all wanted a pilot, whereas Netflix – relying solely on their statistics – ordered the series directly.[13]

Casting

"I was lucky to get into film at a time that was very interesting for drama. But if you look now, the focus is not on the same kind of films that were made in the 90s. When I look now, the most interesting plots, the most interesting characters, they are on TV."

 — Kevin Spacey[14]

Fincher stated that every main cast member was their first choice.[7] In the first read through, he said "I want everybody here to know that you represent our first choice — each actor here represents our first choice for these characters. So do not fuck this up."[7] Spacey, whose last regular television role was in the series Wiseguy, which ran from 1987 until 1990, responded positively to the script. He then played Richard III at The Old Vic, which Fincher said was "great training."[7] Spacey supported the decision to release all of the episodes at once, believing that this type of release pattern will be increasingly common with television shows. He said, "When I ask my friends what they did with their weekend, they say, 'Oh, I stayed in and watched three seasons of Breaking Bad or it's two seasons of Game of Thrones."[15] He was officially cast on March 18, 2011.[11] Robin Wright was approached by Fincher to star in the series when they worked together in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.[7] She was cast as Claire Underwood in June 2011.[16] Kate Mara was cast as Zoe Barnes in early February 2012.[17] Mara's sister, Rooney, worked with Fincher in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and when Kate Mara read the part of Zoe, she "fell in love with the character" and asked her sister to "put in a word for me with Fincher." The next month, she got a call for an audition.[18]

Filming

Filming for the first season began in January 2012[19] in Harford County, Maryland.[20] Filming in 2013 centered primarily around Baltimore, Maryland.

Tax credits

According to the Maryland Film Office, the state spent $11.7 million to subsidize the production costs.

  • For season 1, the company received a final tax credit of about $11.6 million because filming costs were $63.6 million, more than 1,800 Maryland businesses were involved, and nearly 2,200 Marylanders were hired with a $138 million economic impact.[21]
  • For season 2, the company might get a tax credit of about $15 million because filming costs were more than $55.5 million, nearly 2,000 Maryland businesses benefitted, and more than 3,700 Marylanders were hired with a $120.5 million estimated economic impact.[21]
  • For season 3, the company has filed a letter of intent to film and estimated that the filming costs and economic impact similar to season 2.[21] Under the 2014 formula, "the show would qualify for up to $15 million in tax credits."[21]

Episodes

Season 1 (2013)

Francis "Frank" Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is an ambitious Democratic congressman and House Majority Whip. Following his assistance in ensuring the election of President Garrett Walker (Michael Gill), Underwood is informed by Chief of Staff Linda Vasquez (Sakina Jaffrey) that the existing agreement to appoint him Secretary of State will not be honored. Furious at Walker's betrayal, Underwood and his wife Claire (Robin Wright), the head of a large not-for-profit, begin seeking out pawns in a protracted political war against Walker. Soon brought into the fray are troubled Congressman Peter Russo (Corey Stoll) and Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), a young political reporter for the Washington Herald.

Season 2 (2014)

As the newly appointed Vice President of the United States, Frank sets out to eliminate all ties that connect him to the murder of Congressman Peter Russo at the end of season 1, while dealing with domestic and international problems. As problems begin to stack with his new administration, Frank realizes that he is positioned to surmount them while gaining more power, and begins maneuvering his pawns into play.

Season 3 (2015)

Netflix announced on February 4, 2014 that House of Cards has been renewed for a third season[22][23][24] and is expected to release around February 2015.[24]

Broadcast

The entire first season premiered internationally on February 1, 2013, on Netflix.[2]

In Australia, where Netflix is not available, the series was broadcast on showcase, premiering May 7, 2013. Australian subscription TV provider Foxtel, and owner of showcase, offered the entire first season to showcase subscribers via their On Demand feature on Foxtel set top boxes connected to the internet, as well as through their Xbox 360, Internet TV, and mobile (Foxtel Go) services – services similar to those offered by Netflix (see List of Netflix compatible devices). Although the entire season was made available, it maintained its weekly timeslot on showcase.[25] Season two returned to showcase on February 15, 2014. As with season one, the entire season was made available on demand to showcase subscribers while also retaining a weekly timeslot.[26]

In New Zealand, where Netflix is unavailable, the series is to premiere on TV3 in 2014.[27]

In India, Zee Café has acquired broadcast rights for the series. It is scheduled to premiere on February 20, 2014 and will be broadcast Monday to Friday at 11 P.M. It will be syndicated in both SDTV and HDTV formats. [28] In Russia, the series are broadcast on Channel One. The second season began airing on February 24, 2014.[29]

In Slovenia, POP TV acquired the 1st season and made it avaliable to Voyo subscribers (a Netflix-like site) on May 5, 2013 for a month. On March 24, 2014 it premiered it on free-to-air television. The series aired Monday to Thursday at 10.30 PM with a repeat the next day in the afternoon. The first season was also made avaliable again on Voyo, where the second season is scheduled to premiere on April 15, 2014 for a month. [30] [31]

Reception

Critical response

The first season received positive reviews from critics. It has a score of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 25 reviews.[32][33] USA Today critic Robert Bianco praised the series, particularly Spacey's and Wright's lead performances, stating "If you think network executives are nervous, imagine the actors who have to go up against that pair in the Emmys."[34] Tom Gilatto of People Weekly lauded the first two episodes, calling them "cinematically rich, full of sleek, oily pools of darkness."[32] In her review for The Denver Post, Joanne Ostrow said the series is "Deeply cynical about human beings as well as politics and almost gleeful in its portrayal of limitless ambition." She added: "House of Cards is a wonderfully sour take on power and corruption."[35] Writing in The New York Times, critic Alessandra Stanley noted that the writing in the series sometimes fails to match the high quality of its acting: "Unfortunately Mr. Spacey’s lines don’t always live up to the subtle power of his performance; the writing isn’t Shakespeare, or even Aaron Sorkin, and at times, it turns strangely trite." Nevertheless she lauded House of Cards as an entertainment that "revels in the familiar but always entertaining underbelly of government."[36] Andrew Davies, the writer of the original UK TV series, stated that Spacey's character lacks the "charm" of Ian Richardson's,[37] while The Independent praised Spacey's portrayal as a more "menacing" character, "hiding his rage behind Southern charm and old-fashioned courtesy."[38] Critics such as Time television critic James Poniewozik and Hank Stuever of The Washington Post compare the series to Boss.[39][40] The show is said to have a strong resemblance to both Macbeth and Richard III by William Shakespeare.[41][42] In addition, some critics find elements of Othello, such as Iago's bitter ire.[43]

Home media

House of Cards Season 1 was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States on June 11, 2013. Season 2 is due to arrive on both formats on June 11, 2014.[44]

Awards and nominations

On July 18, 2013 Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online-only web television for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013. Three of its web series, Arrested Development, Hemlock Grove and House of Cards, earned a combined 14 nominations.[45] Among House of Cards' nine nominations, "Chapter 1" received four nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards and 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards becoming the first webisode (online-only episode) of a television series to receive a major Primetime Emmy Award nomination: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for David Fincher. This episode also received several Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic).[45][46] "Chapter 1" joined Arrested Development's "Flight of the Phoenix" and Hemlock Grove's "Children of the Night" as the first webisodes to earn Creative Arts Emmy Award nominations. Although Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is not a category that formally recognizes an episode, Spacey submitted "Chapter 1" for consideration to earn his nomination.[47] On September 15 at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award presentation, "Chapter 1" and Eigil Bryld earned the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, making "Chapter 1" the first Emmy-awarded webisode.[48][49] On September 22, Netflix made history with a total three wins including Fincher's Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing the pilot episode "Chapter 1" in addition to the pair of Creative Arts Emmy Awards, making "Chapter 1" the first Primetime Emmy-awarded webisode.[50] None of the Emmy awards were considered to be in major categories.[51]

On December 12, the network earned six Golden Globe Awards nominations for the 71st Golden Globe Awards, including 4 for House of Cards.[52] Among those nominations was Wright for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her portrayal of Claire Underwood, which she won on January 12. In so doing she became the first actress to win a Golden Globe Award for an online-only web television series. It also marked Netflix's first major acting award.[53][54][55]

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref
2013
Webby Award
Special Achievement Award
Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti
Won
[56]
2013
Critics' Choice Television Award
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Kevin Spacey
Nominated
[57]
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Corey Stoll
Nominated
2013
Television Critics Association Awards
Program of the Year
Nominated
[58][59]
Outstanding New Program
Nominated
2013
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Drama Series
Nominated
[60][61]
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kevin Spacey
Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Robin Wright
Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
David Fincher / "Chapter 1"
Won
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
Laray Mayfield / Julie Schubert
Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
Eigil Bryld / "Chapter 1"
Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
Kirk Baxter / "Chapter 1"
Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Jeff Beal / "Chapter 1"
Nominated
Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Jeff Beal
Nominated
2014
People's Choice Awards
Favorite Streaming Series
Nominated
[62]
2014
Producers Guild of America Award
Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Karyn McCarthy, Beau Willimon, John Melfi, Kevin Spacey, Joshua Donen, Eric Roth, David Fincher
Nominated
[63]
2014
Writers Guild of America Award
Television: Dramatic Series
Kate Barnow, Rick Cleveland, Sam R. Forman, Gina Gionfriddo, Keith Huff, Sarah Treem, Beau Willimon
Nominated
[64][65]
Television: New Series
Kate Barnow, Rick Cleveland, Sam R. Forman, Gina Gionfriddo, Keith Huff, Sarah Treem, Beau Willimon
Won
Television: Episodic Drama
Beau Willimon / "Chapter 1"
Nominated
2014
Golden Globe Awards
Best Television Series – Drama
Nominated
[66]
Best Actor – Television Series Drama
Kevin Spacey
Nominated
Best Actress – Television Series Drama
Robin Wright
Won
Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
Corey Stoll
Nominated
2014
Screen Actors Guild Award
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Kevin Spacey
Nominated
[67]
2014
Directors Guild of America Award
Drama Series
David Fincher / "Chapter 1"
Nominated
[68]
2014
Satellite Awards
Best Drama Series
Nominated
[69][70]
Best Actor in a Drama Series
Kevin Spacey
Won
Best Actress in a Drama Series
Robin Wright
Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Corey Stoll
Nominated
2014
Peabody Award
Area of Excellence
Won
[71]

References

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