As the first original online-only web television series to receive major Emmy nominations, House of Cards has seen its 4th season finale, and it also has been announced that the 5th season shall be premiered in the coming 2017. In an era when fewer and fewer TV dramas fail to bring the 2nd season to light, how does House of Cards manage to become so wildly popular?
First, let’s see what the House of Cards is all about. House of Cards is a Netflix-aired web television series which is all about the American political. The TV drama is created by Beau Willimon. The entire 1st season containing 13 episodes was premiered on February 1, 2013, with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th season aired on February 14, 2014, February 27, 2015 and March 4, 2016, respectively. The plot of House of Cards was set in the present-day Washington, D.C., and its story centered on Frank Underwood (portrayed by 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, initiates an elaborate plan to get himself into a position of greater power, aided by his wife Claire Underwood (portrayed by Robin Wright). The three major themes of this TV series are ruthless pragmatism, manipulation, and power.
Secondly, House of Cards has received very positive reviews and several award nominations. So far, it has received 33 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Spacey, and Outstanding Lead Actress for Wright, for each of its first three seasons. The show also earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with Wright winning for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2014 and Spacey winning for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2015.
Thirdly, the show is an adaptation of the acclaimed BBC mini-series of the same name from 1990 which is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. However, while the original show focused on the inner workings of British politics, the remake is entirely US based. On the surface, the show might appear to be a political drama – which it certainly is – but it’s also so much more than that. House of Cards combines a vast number of genres; it’s a thriller, a love story, a black comedy and a satire – and a very interesting lesson in US politics.
Are you a fan of House of Cards? Or are you a fan of Kevin Spacey, or Robin Wright? Now the complete 4th season has come out on Blu-ray disc available on Amazon, together with the previous three seasons. It is a nice choice for the collection purpose. As for the daily watching, you can use the backup copies of the original discs which can be done via DVDFab’s Blu-ray copy software.
