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House of cards was originally introduced in 1990 on the BBC channel as a part of their new mini-series. It was based upon the American political thriller novel ‘Houses of Cards’ by Michael Dobbs. However, the Netflix series which was aired in 2013 on the online streaming service for the first time, is a modified reproduction of the original 1990 BBC one by Beau Willimon.
What is the series about?
The series ‘House of Cards’ is a show filmed in the capital of the USA (Washington D.C) and the plot surrounds the story of a congressman known as Frank Underwood and his wife Claire Underwood who both are equally ambitious about politics and their positions in it. Frank is a Democrat from the 5th congressional district of South Carolina, has been nominated for the position of secretary of state. This is where the series takes a turn when Frank begins to plot and plan to gain power with the support of his wife. House of Cards is an epitome of the ruthless exploitation and betrayal that politics brings along.
Why does it seem so fascinating?
One of the basic reasons for the hype of ‘House of Cards’ is because of the number of times it has been remade, each time depicted according to the present time. The book was the raw version and its depiction was the British version of the 1990 show. Later when influenced by the British version was remade into the American style keeping in mind the American political history and the tactics being used very much today, House of Cards was meant to be nothing less than spectacular from the beginning.
Nonetheless, it is not your every-day drama and is not for every sort of audience either because of the much different genre that it features. However, the way it does feature enticing political plot twists and the endurance of the ruthless manipulative sides of being a politician, the show is declared as one of the most amazing series to have been aired. Viewing the ratings and the fan following of the show, it seems as if the general public admires fictional politics much more than the real one.
Besides the plot, what has pushed the show this far is the strong admirable cast, putting the soul in every character in all the right angles. The characters are what draw the audience’s attention and extend to its eternal grasp if the concept of every character is as strongly built as it is in this show.
Was this a gamble for Netflix?
Since the Netflix concept is the future of television because of its convenience, all episodes were available at once and content viewing without the interruption of advertisements. Although there were other original Netflix shows before ‘House of Cards’ but they were mere testers, it was this show that was Netflix’s breakthrough as an efficient streaming service. Evoked by the new concept of Netflix and the quality content this show had offered, the viewers kept coming for more.
