Only mere hours after the announcement that Netflix would be canceling House of Cards following its sixth season, the streaming service was confirmed by Deadline to be considering a host of spinoffs for its flagship drama series.
One possibility that has been bandied about was a show following Doug Stamper, main character Frank Underwood’s chief of staff. Michael Kelly, who portrays Stamper, was nominated for an Emmy for this role. As of yet, however, nothing is official.
All of this news comes in the midst of the massive scandal surrounding Kevin Spacey and the allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward Anthony Rapp when the actor was 14-years-old. Spacey responded to the accusations claiming that he “did not remember the encounter” but found himself horrified by Rapp’s story. Spacey did not confirm or deny the alleged assault, and went on to publicly come out as gay, a move which drew massive fire on social media.
There is not yet any word on the involvement of Spacey in any of the possible spinoffs, although considering Netflix’s response to the circumstances, this would appear unlikely. However, Spacey has served not only as an actor on the series, but also as a crucial executive producer. He has certainly played an important role in shaping the show into what it has become, and it is hard to imagine a series set in the House of Cards universe without him. Spacey has been nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Frank Underwood in each of House of Cards’ five seasons.
This news is also reminiscent of HBO’s plans to create several spinoffs for its wildly successful Game of Thrones, and although the shows do share some common ground thematically, there is a significant gap in both the popularity and critical acclaim of both series. While Game of Thrones certainly has enough world-building to create multiple different series, House of Cards does not have the same bevy of options.
What do you think a House of Cards spinoff will be about?
