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Recently we got a chance to find English TV Serial House Of Cards on Amazon India. We found the concept of the series interesting and decided to give it a shot. We purchase the DVD set, and we found that it was right decision to go for it. If political drama is your cup of tea, you will enjoy watching it. And if you are not sure whether you will like it or not, as it might be a new genre for you; go through our reviews and then follow your instincts.
Beau Willimon liked House Of Cards a mini-series aired on BBC and he thought to adapt the same in the context of USA. (It is worth to note that the BBC’s mini-series is based on the novel of the same name by author Michael Dobbs.) He hence developed and produced a TV Serial retaining the same name “House Of Cards”. The entire TV series was premiered on Netflix (the popular online streaming service) and all the 13 episodes of the first season were made available on Feb 1, 2013.
The story of the TV Series is set in the present day and focused mainly on the political incidents took place in Washington D.C. The story moves ahead in a kind of narration way in the beginning. The narration continues throughout but it appears for lesser time on the screen. The narrator of the tale is Frank Underwood (played fantastically by Kevin Spacey) is a Democrat congressman and the protagonist of the series. He dreams high, takes practical decisions, manipulate things, very emotional but buries his feelings inside only, his face doesn’t tell what he is thinking. His character is represented as ambitious fellow who doesn’t hesitate doing bad things when he see greater good. Robin Wright played his equally ambitious, practical and focused wife Claire Underwood who can be ruthless like her husband when needed.
Of course there are many more characters come our way and almost all of them are played fantastically by talented actors. And we will discuss about the same in our episode wise reviews. We will take care to not have many spoilers which can steal the joy of thrill when you watch the TV series.
| TV Serial | : | House Of Cards |
| Created by | : | Beau Willimon |
| # of Seasons | : | 2 |
| # of Episodes | : | 26 |
| Genre | : | Political, Drama, |
| Music by | : | Jeff Beal |
| Starring | : | Kevin Spacey (Francis J. “Frank” Underwoods), Robin Wright (Claire Underwoods), Michael Kelly (Douglas “Doug” Stampers), Kate Mara (Zoe Barness), Corey Stoll (US Representative Peter Russos), Michel Gill (Garrett Walkers), Mahershala Ali (Remy Dantons), Gerald McRaney (Raymond Tusks), Nathan Darrow (Edward Meechums), Molly Parker (Jacqueline Sharps), Sakina Jaffrey (Linda Vasquezs), Joanna Going (Patricia Walkers), Sebastian Arcelus (Lucas Goodwins), Rachel Brosnahan (Rachel Posners), Reg E. Cathey (Freddy Hayess), Kristen Connolly (Christina Gallaghers), Constance Zimmer (Janine Skorskys), Jayne Atkinson (Catherine Durants), Gil Birmingham (Daniel Lanagins), Derek Cecil (Seth Graysons), Kathleen Chalfant (Margaret Tildens), Terry Chen (Xander Fengs), Curtiss Cook (Terry Womacks), Ben Daniels (Adam Galloways), Jeremy Holm (Agent Nathan Greens), Sandrine Holt (Gillian Coles), Kevin Kilner (Michael Kerns), Mozhan Marnò (Ayla Sayyads), Benito Martinez (Hector Mendozas), Boris McGiver (Tom Hammerschmidts), Lance E. Nichols (Gene Clancys), Elizabeth Norment (Nancy Kaufbergers), Samuel Page (Connor Elliss), Larry Pine (Speaker of the House Bob Birchs), Al Sapienza (Marty Spinellas), Kate Lyn Sheil (Lisa Williamss), Jimmi Simpson (Gavin Orsays), Libby Woodbridge (Megan Hennesseys), Dan Ziskie (Jim Matthews), Reed Birney (Donald Blythe), and others… |
| Purchase Link(s) | : |
Buy Season 1 from Amazon.com Buy Season 2 from Amazon.com  Buy Season 1 from Amazon.In  Buy Season 2 from Amazon.in  Buy from Flipkart.com |
Season 1 of the TV series was premiered on at.
| Title | Director | Written By | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 |
David Fincher
|
|
February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 2 |
David Fincher
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 3 |
James Foley
|
Beau Willimon & Keith Huff | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 4 |
James Foley
|
Beau Willimon & Rick Cleveland | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 5 |
Joel Schumacher
|
Beau Willimon & BSarah Treem | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 6 |
Joel Schumacher
|
Sam Forman
|
February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 7 |
Charles McDougall
|
Beau Willimon & Kate Barnow | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 8 |
Charles McDougall
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 9 |
James Foley
|
Beau Willimon & Rick Cleveland | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 10 |
Carl Franklin
|
Sarah Treem
|
February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 11 |
Carl Franklin
|
Keith Huff & Kate Barnow & Beau Willimon | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 12 |
Allen Coulter
|
& Beau Willimon | February 1, 2013 |
| Chapter 13 |
Allen Coulter
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 1, 2013 |
The success of Season 1 encouraged the makers to go for the next season. The second season takes the story from the point it left in the previous season.
| Title | Director | Written By | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 14 |
Carl Franklin
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 15 |
Carl Franklin
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 16 |
James Foley
|
Bill Cain
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 17 |
James Foley
|
Laura Eason
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 18 |
John Coles
|
Kenneth Lin
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 19 |
John Coles
|
John Mankiewicz
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 20 |
James Foley
|
Bill Kennedy
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 21 |
James Foley
|
David Manson
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 22 |
Jodie Foster
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 23 |
Robin Wright
|
Laura Eason & Beau Willimon | February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 24 |
John Coles
|
John Mankiewicz & Beau Willimon | February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 25 |
James Foley
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 14, 2014 |
| Chapter 26 |
James Foley
|
Beau Willimon
|
February 14, 2014 |
 House Of Cards – (US TV Series) – Season 2 |
 House Of Cards – (US TV Series) – Season 1 |
The real heroes of the TV Series (apart from the performances) are the script and direction. The TV series got several nominations for direction, acting and other areas proving its metal. The TV series is the first web series which conquered any major award. The first season was notated for four Golden Globe Awards and won one (best actress). The second series received 13 Emmy award nominations. Here is the list of some of the awards the serieal was nomated for:
Season 1 : Selected Award Nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Drama Series | – | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Robin Wright | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | David Fincher (For – Chapter 1) | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series | Laray Mayfield, Julie Schubert | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series | Eigil Bryld (For – Chapter 1) | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Kirk Baxter (For – Chapter 1) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Jeff Beal (For – Chapter 1) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2013 | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Jeff Beal | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2014 | Best Television Series – Drama | – | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2014 | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2014 | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | Robin Wright | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2014 | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Corey Stoll | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | 2014 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2014 | Best Drama Series | – | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2014 | Best Actor in a Drama Series | Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | 2014 | Best Actress in a Drama Series | Robin Wright | Won |
| Satellite Awards | 2014 | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Corey Stoll | Nominated |
| BAFTA TV Awards | 2014 | Best International | Beau Willimon, David Fincher, Joshua Donen, Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Webby Awards | 2013 | Special Achievement Award | Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey | Won |
Season 2 : Selected Award Nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Drama Series | – | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Kevin Spacey | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | Robin Wright | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Reg E. Cathey | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Kate Mara | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | Carl Franklin (For – Chapter 14) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | Beau Willimon (For – Chapter 14) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series | Laray Mayfield, Julie Schubert | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series | Igor Martinovic (For – Chapter 18) | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Byron Smith (For – Chapter 14) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Jeff Bea (For – Chapter 26) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | Jeff Beal (For – Chapter 1) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) | Lorenzo Millan, Nathan Nance, Scott R. Lewis (For – Chapter 14) | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Art Direction For A Contemporary Or Fantasy Series (Single-Camera) | Steve Arnold, Halina Gebarowicz, Tiffany Zappulla (For – Chapter 14 & Chapter 18) | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Award | 2014 | Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Jeff Beal | Nominated |
Interesting info:
Michael Dobbs, the author of the book series – House Of Cards – have served as the executive producer of this (US) Tv series. He is also a distant relative of US author (who wrote non-fictions) of the same name and hence many people confuse between (due to same names, and same profession). Michael himself is a British politician and hence can authentically elaborate some inside stuff.
The season 3 for House Of Cards is also planned and announced. A lot of viewers of first 2 seasons are curious to watch it. So are you ready to see it as well?
Watch out for the episode wise reviews for the TV serial in coming days. The list of the episodes will keep updated with the links to Episode wise reviews, so don’t forget to bookmark this page.
Did you watch this TV Series? Are you curious to watch it? Have your say via comments below then. We will love to hear your remarks as always. Also do not forget to share this article with your friends over various social networks via Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and others. And yes, you may like to subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on various Social networks to get latest updates for the site to land right in your mail box.
