8 Years Ago, Netflix Released Its Most Controversial Season Of All Time

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I remember when House of Cards first came out in 2013 – it was a huge deal! It really put Netflix on the map as a place for quality television, way before shows like Stranger Things or Squid Game became popular. But honestly, bringing the show back after Kevin Spacey left was a really tough call for them, and it definitely caused a lot of debate.

With 33 Primetime Emmy nominations and 8 Golden Globe nominations, House of Cards was a groundbreaking series – the first to achieve such recognition as a streaming-only show. The series, which was based on a 1990 British show of the same name, followed the manipulative and ruthless politician Frank Underwood as he navigated the world of Washington D.C. politics.

I was completely gripped by House of Cards because it felt so much more real than shows like The West Wing. It didn’t shy away from the dark side of politics. Frank Underwood was this incredibly driven guy, but his ambition quickly turned ruthless – he’d resort to blackmail, strong-arming people, and even murder to get what he wanted. And it wasn’t just him – his wife, Claire, was just as calculating and hungry for power. They made a terrifying, but fascinating, power couple.

House Of Cards Season 6 Brought The Show Back After The Kevin Spacey Allegations

For a long time, Claire was overlooked as a character because the show heavily focused on Frank’s dramatic schemes. But Robin Wright, the actress who played Claire, skillfully transformed what could have been a simple, uninteresting role into one of the show’s most compelling characters. She made Claire a complex and disturbingly human figure, avoiding the predictable tropes of similar characters.

It would have been interesting to see Claire as the lead instead of Frank, and this actually did happen, but under very unfortunate circumstances. In late 2017, as the #MeToo movement gained traction online, Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men.

It was really upsetting to watch everything unfold with Kevin Spacey. After the accusations came out, his career seemed to fall apart. I remember being shocked when they announced that Season 6 of House of Cards would be the last, and even more so when they decided to kill off his character, Frank Underwood. It was a sad end to a show I enjoyed, but I understood why they had to remove him from the production.

There was a lot of discussion about whether the show should have been cancelled after the allegations against Kevin Spacey surfaced. Some viewers felt it shouldn’t have been, pointing out that many other people worked on the show and numerous storylines, unrelated to Spacey’s character, deserved to be finished.

Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood Was The Main Character In House Of Cards Season 6

However, many fans and critics pointed out that House of Cards was really Kevin Spacey’s defining work. Frank Underwood, with Spacey in the lead and his direct addresses to the audience, was the role he was most known for. Because of this, continuing the show without him might have felt like an effort to downplay his actions.

Despite mixed reactions from viewers, the sixth season of House of Cards still aired and quickly sparked debate over how it addressed Frank Underwood’s death. The season revolved around the mystery of his murder, and the show kept the killer’s identity a secret for most of the final episodes.

The show ultimately disappointed both critics and fans because of Frank’s complicated role – he was a significant figure, yet clearly gone. While Claire was officially the lead in season six, the plot largely revolved around her investigating Frank’s murder and proving her innocence.

House Of Cards Had Been Struggling Long Before Frank Underwood Was Written Out

Even though the final season featured other characters, Frank Underwood still heavily influenced the ending. This was almost inevitable, as Spacey’s portrayal made the character a memorable and captivating part of the show’s success, despite the circumstances surrounding his departure.

Looking back, it was a mistake for the final season of House of Cards to center solely on Frank Underwood’s story, as it only highlighted Kevin Spacey’s departure. The show was already facing issues before that, with storylines becoming increasingly outlandish and unrealistic around season four.

Should House Of Cards Season 6 Have Happened?

Despite the controversies surrounding Kevin Spacey, it was still worthwhile for House of Cards to finish its story and give the series a proper conclusion. The real issue wasn’t that season 6 happened, but that the show didn’t center around Claire Underwood in those final episodes. Ultimately, House of Cards demonstrated it was still too focused on Frank Underwood.

For the first five seasons, Spacey’s character was the main focus of House of Cards, so the writers gave him a dramatic exit. While season six could have focused on Claire’s story after Frank’s death, the show was too fixated on its original lead to make that happen.

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2026-01-15 03:09