On Friday, Netflix released their much-hyped original TV series House of Cards. Was it worth the wait? Should they make season two or cancel it now?
Based on a novel by Michael Dobbs and a BBC mini-series, House of Cards revolves around a devious congressman (Kevin Spacey) and his wife (Robin Wright) who’ll stop at nothing to execute his plans to reach higher office.
Others in the cast include Kate Mara, Corey Stoll, Michael Kelly, Kristen Connolly, Constance Zimmer, Sebastian Arcelus, Sandrine Holt, Michael Gill, Dan Ziskie, Sakina Jaffrey, Ben Daniels, Mahershala Ali, and Rachel Brosnahan.
Unlike a traditional network, Netflix released all 13 episodes of House of Cards’ first season at once, so customers can stream them on their own schedule. With DVR usage becoming more and more prevalent, people obviously like this option but it remains to be seen if the strategy will pay off for Netflix’s desire to attract and hold onto new subscribers.
Netflix hasn’t said yet if they consider House of Cards to be a success or not. According to Sandvine, a company that tracks the volume of Internet data usage, Netflix is the largest source of Internet traffic. Sandvine also says that there was no significant change in Netflix traffic this past weekend — meaning there was no spike in viewing when House of Cards became available. It’s unclear if the Super Bowl was taken into account.
Meanwhile, Procera Networks measures web traffic for several of the larger Internet providers. They estimate that 11% of Netflix subscribers that visited the site watched at least one episode of the series.
The first few episodes were, not surprisingly, the most-watched but later episodes were viewed as well. It seems that the last episode of the season was watched by about 28% of the people who watched the first episode. Curiously, more people viewed the 13th installment than watched episodes nine, 10, 11, or 12.
Netflix won’t release new subscriber numbers until its next earnings announcement so we may not know how well House of Cards has been received for awhile. However, Netflix reportedly ordered two seasons up front so either way, it looks like we’ll see a second season.
But, what do you think? Have you seen House of Cards? Did you watch the 13 episodes one at a time, all at once, or some variation in between? Do you want to see more? Should the show be cancelled or are you looking forward to season two?
please do more seasons. we watched them two episodes at a time. they were excellent.
One of the best series ever. Watched the BBC version years ago and looked forward to this one as soon as we learned of it. Excellent writing, performances, direction, design, lighting, score… Top notch in all departments. We keep recommending it to others and we have created new Netflix subscribers in the process. Keep it, renew it, extend it, and may this be the beginning of many more excellent original productions from Netflix!
Please do a second season.
I watched them in groups of at least 3 or 4. Found the series riveting.
PLEASE DO ANOTHER SEASON!!!! I am HOOKED on Kevin Spacey’s character, and the writing is so beyond anything other shows have — and it is so Washington DC, everyone’s out for themselves, and Spacey’s character has no scruples to make his way to the top.
Wonderful show! Finally something worth watching. Always can count on Spacey to deliver a great performance. Can’t wait for the next season. More episodes in a season is terrific.
Great show’. Not a spacey fan but it did not matter, he was excellent. Better than sons of anarchy…
Man, I can’t believe there is even a question/debate about whether or not the Netflix original series House of Cards should be renewed for a second Season. Who ever is responsible for putting the question out there and not having the insight to know the following is no doubt in the wrong position because…. It’s a no brainier OF COURSE IT SHOULD BE RENEWED, OF COURSE THERE SHOULD BE A SEASON TWO. I seriously question the integrity of Neflix if the people in charge can’t even see that House of Cards is a great show and putting all thirteen episodes… Read more »
Excellant, great acting, brilliant storyline, can’t wait for season 2. Well done Netflix,.
Love it. So much better than Scandal. Could match West Wing (reverse good politicos for REAL ones) in storyline. 2nd season? Would Spacey, Wright et al commit?
A winner! Even if you do not live or frequently visit DC, the intro shots of “our town” and that fabulous musical score are as exciting and fun as what enfolds after. And, the story that enfolds does not disappoint. The drama is tight and realistic; the script is extremely competent and the performances are stellar. This production will keep me a happy Netflix customer. Finally, I think Netflix must be in the vanguard with streaming technology and programming–I totally love it.
Great show I hope there is a season 2.
Loved it!
My husband and I watched all of season
1 and loved it. Looking forward for a definate season 2…we’re currently watching the original house of cards from England….if you’re familiar with Parliament governmntal structure then it’s easy to compare
USA version…but
I find the us version much more interesting/riveting and can relate better with the characters.
I saw all episodes and I hope a 2 season soon. Top tv show!!