- Season six of Netflix’s “House of Cards” will be its last, Netflix confirmed. The announcement came a day after its star Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct by actor Anthony Rapp. Spacey apologized for his actions, and in the apology came out as gay. He has received heavy criticism for doing this, including from former “House of Cards” showrunner Beau Willimon.
Netflix’s first big original series, “House of Cards,” is coming to an end.
Netflix confirmed to Business Insider that season six of the political drama will be its last. The season is set to air in 2018.
The series stars Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood and Robin Wright as his wife, Claire Underwood. The drama debuted on Netflix in 2013 to critical acclaim, and was well-received by viewers. The show has also gotten nominations and wins at the Emmys and the Golden Globes, including wins for Spacey’s chilling performance as a cutthroat politician. The show is often credited with establishing Netflix’s ability to produce prestige dramas.
The conclusion of the show reportedly has nothing to do with Spacey, since the decision had been in the works since the summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But the announcement came a day after Spacey was accused of sexually assaulting actor Anthony Rapp in 1986, when Rapp was 14 years old. Following the accusation, Spacey wrote an apology that he posted on Twitter, in which he came out as gay, and said that he did “not remember the encounter,” but that if it happened it “would have been deeply inappropriate, drunken behavior.”
Spacey's apology has drawn widespread criticism, especially among the LGBTQ community.
Netflix gave the following statement Monday about the accusation against Spacey:
"Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night's news concerning Kevin Spacey. In response to last night's revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time."
"House of Cards" creator and former showrunner Beau Willimon called the accusation against Spacey "deeply troubling," and said that he was unaware of any inappropriate behavior during his four seasons working on the show.
"House of Cards" is currently in production on the sixth and final season will air in 2018, with 13 episodes.