After months of speculation and more behind the scenes politics than the show itself, Netflix’s House of Cards confirms that it will be back for a sixth (and final) season.


The world of Hollywood has been rocked by the recent spate of accusations against some of its biggest names, and among those in the firing line was House of Cards lead Kevin Spacey. Claims against Spacey were made by Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp, leading to the House of Cards actor being spectacular removed from season 6 after only a few episodes had been filmed. It was later announced that the series could continue without Spacey, but that it would still remain on indefinite hiatus. The crew and fans had hoped that production would resume soon, and it looks like our prayers have been answered.


Speaking at UBS’s Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos confirmed that House of Cards will resume work on season 6 of the show:

“I can actually give you some news in the room today, because we have been in arrangement to produce a sixth season of House of Cards. It’ll be an eight episode season that’ll start production early ’18, and it will not involve Kevin Spacey.”


While an early 2018 start date still gives us a bit of a wait, Sarandos at least gave some insight into how House of Cards will move forward. Confirming early assumptions that Robin Wright will become the de facto lead of the series swansong, Sarandos teased that the show is finally back on track to some form of normality:

“It will star Robin Wright. And we’re really excited about bringing some closure to the show for fans.”

Season 6 shut down on November 3, with the hiatus being extended for another two weeks on November 23. Bearing in mind that the majority of the final season was written before the allegations were made against Spacey, there was (and still is) a major question mark over how House of Cards can wrap up the immoral Underwoods without one of them in tow.


As for HoC‘s future without Spacey, there are many ways that the political thriller could continue. Looking at the book series and the acclaimed BBC show from the ’90s, the names may be different, but the concluding chapter of the story largely focussed on Frank’s wife. Given that Wright’s portrayal of Claire has become just as popular as her homicidal husband, it is expected that the rest of season six will shift toward Mrs. Underwood and possibly see the death of Frank. With House of Cards holding the honor of being Netflix’s first original series, it set the precedent for the streaming giant’s impressive library of shows. As arguably one of the company’s most important series, it is only right that House of Cards can bow out with some sort of dignity in 2018.