House of Cards (2013)
House of Cards is a 2013 drama series created by Beau Willimon. It stars Robin Wright, Michael Kelly and Kevin Spacey.
Passed over for Secretary of State after helping win the White House, Congressman Frank Underwood decides to take power the hard way, one favor, threat, and ruined rival at a time. He narrates his scheming straight to camera, letting the viewer in on every calculation while everyone around him stays blind. Kevin Spacey gives him a Carolina drawl and reptilian calm; Robin Wright, as his wife Claire, matches him move for move. Adapted from Michael Dobbs's novel and the BBC series, this Washington runs on ambition, blackmail, and cold transaction, a chess game where sentiment is a weakness.
Quick answers
What is House of Cards about?
Passed over for Secretary of State after helping win the White House, Congressman Frank Underwood decides to take power the hard way, one favor, threat, and ruined rival at a time. He narrates his scheming straight to camera, letting the viewer in on every calculation while everyone around him stays blind. Kevin Spacey gives him a Carolina drawl and reptilian calm; Robin Wright, as his wife Claire, matches him move for move. Adapted from Michael Dobbs's novel and the BBC series, this Washington runs on ambition, blackmail, and cold transaction, a chess game where sentiment is a weakness.
When was House of Cards released?
House of Cards was released on 1 February 2013.
How many episodes does House of Cards have?
House of Cards has 73 episodes across 6 seasons.
Who made House of Cards?
House of Cards was created by Beau Willimon.
Where can I watch House of Cards?
House of Cards is available on Netflix, Google Play, Amazon, AppleTV and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch House of Cards
Stream: Netflix
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Official site
Cast
- Robin Wright as Claire Underwood
- Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper
- Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood
- Jayne Atkinson as Catherine Durant
- Derek Cecil as Seth Grayson
- Mahershala Ali as Remy Danton
- Boris McGiver as Tom Hammerschmidt
- Nathan Darrow as Edward Meechum
- Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes
- Paul Sparks as Thomas Yates
- Molly Parker as Jackie Sharp
- Rachel Brosnahan as Rachel Posner
Similar series
Explore House of Cards guides
House of Cards in our writing
- Companion guide: Political Intrigue & Power
A few thoughts on House of Cards
The Godfather, Mario Puzo's novel, offers the same study of power taken by force and favor, with family loyalty as its only currency. Liar Game, the manga, runs on pure manipulation, players out-scheming each other for everything. Kaiji pushes that further into desperate, high-stakes gambits where reading people is the only edge that keeps you alive.
Washington thrillers about power up close
House of Cards makes the Capitol a hunting ground where a single favor can end a career. These political thrillers stay in that world of whip counts, back rooms and ruined rivals, following operators who treat the White House less as an office than a prize to be seized by whatever means work.
Master manipulators who play everyone at the table
Frank Underwood wins by reading people faster than they read him, and House of Cards savors every con. These stories put the same cold intelligence to work, whether in high-stakes gambling games, corporate knife fights or a courtroom scandal, all driven by someone always three moves ahead of the room.
Espionage dramas where no one is who they claim
The blackmail and shifting loyalties of House of Cards translate cleanly to the spy world, and these series run on the same fuel. Handlers turn on assets, footage lies, and trust becomes a liability, keeping you unsure who is running whom right up to the final reversal.
Ruthless climbs and the price of the top
House of Cards is finally a story about ambition with the conscience filed off. These picks trace the same arc across a crime dynasty, a basketball empire, an outlaw gang and a fashion masthead, watching driven people claw upward and slowly count what the climb cost them.