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Tag: House of Cards

  • Netflix Really Wants ‘House Of Cards’ To Win Some Emmys

    Netflix has been campaigning hard to win its original shows (especially House of Cards) some Emmy awards.

    Last week, reports came out that Netflix was having a Freddy’s BBQ truck delivering free lunch to influential players. Freddy’s BBQ is a place on House of Cards where Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood often eats ribs. The Hollywood Reporter, for example, wrote:

    The most competitive Emmy race in history got another dose of campaign stunt work on Monday when Netflix, which has two hot contenders in the race — House of Cards for drama series and Arrested Development for comedy series — delivered a BBQ lunch to the offices of The Hollywood Reporter. The lunch, earmarked for staffers who cover the shows, included an announcement that Cards’ fictional BBQ joint Freddy’s would be operating food trucks around Los Angeles this week, and ATAS voters would be eligible for a free meal upon presentation of their membership cards.

    The campaigning didn’t stop with free BBQ, however. Deadline reported on Monday that Netflix has been going door-to-door in “upscale neighborhoods with high concentration of TV Academy voters” offering yard signs (as if it were a political campaign) for House of Cards and Arrested Development. Click over to Deadline to see what they look like. According to the site, homeowners are being offered a choice of a six-month Netflix subscription, a a $50 donation to the Red Cross in their name, or a $50 AmEx Gift Card.

    Clearly Netflix wants the television world to know that it is serious about its original programming, and wants to be recognized for that fact.

    Emmy ballots due on June 28th.

  • Kevin Spacey Gave Woody Allen A Netflix Gift Subscription So He Could Watch ‘House Of Cards’

    Variety ran an interview with Keven Spacey, star of the hit Netflix original series House of Cards the other day. Toward the end of the piece, Spacey mentioned that Woody Allen is a director that he’s never worked with, but would like to. Apparently Spacey sent Allen a letter introducing himself, and gifted him a Netflix subscription.

    Variety quotes Spacey: “There are some directors where I think, ‘Why do you never call?’ I wrote a letter to Woody Allen recently. I introduced myself as an actor he might have heard of, but perhaps not, and I gifted him a Netflix subscription so he could watch my show.”

    The publication notes that Allen did write back to Spacey, which the actor said was “even more awesome”. It’s unclear whether or not Allen watched House of Cards or whether he will cast Spacey in a forthcoming project. But come on. How could you not cast Kevin Spacey in something if he actually wants to be in it?

    House of Cards, meanwhile, is in the middle of filming for season 2, and is picking up a handful of new cast members along the way.

    The other day, the crew began transforming Maryland’s State House into a set for the show for scenes filming this week. They’re reportedly remaking the House of Delegates chamber so that it resembles that of the U.S. Senate. According to The Huffington Post:

    Portraits of former speakers of the House that lined the chamber’s walls have been sent to archives. Walls with plaques have been covered by faux marble walls. Blank facades were placed over the voting boards that display the names of Maryland delegates.

    No release date for the season has been announced so far, but 13 episodes are expected. Season 1 hit DVD and Blu-ray last week, opening the door for a wider audience to fall in love with the show everyone has been talking about since it launched.

  • House Of Cards Season 2 Picks Up Two More Cast Members

    As previously reported, House of Cards season 2 casting got underway in Maryland last month, and the show is currently filming, as confirmed Wednesday by Kate Mara:

    A couple more pieces of casting news came out this week, as the show has picked up Jimmi Simpson and Kate Lyn Sheil for the new season.

    TheWrap reports that Simpson has been cast in a recurring role on the show, but the nature and identity of his character is “being kept hush-hush by producers”. Simpson is known these days for his role on A&E’s Breakout Kings, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fans will know him as the unforgettable Liam McPoyle (lead image).

    BuzzFeed reported earlier this week that Kate Lyn Sheil will also appear in the upcoming season. Her role is also being kept secret. Sheil has appeared in V/H/S, Sun Don’t Shine and Somebody Up There Likes Me.

    Mad Men’s Sam Page and Deadwood’s Molly Parker were previously confirmed for season 2.

    House of Cards Season 1 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday.

    According to BuzzFeed, the second season will have 13 episodes. There is no release date scheduled yet.

  • House Of Cards Season 1 Hits DVD, Blu-Ray On Tuesday

    The first season of Netflix original hit House of Cards hits DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday. Now people who aren’t subscribed to Netflix (and those who only subscribe to the DVD part of the service) will be able to watch the show that got so many people talking.

    The DVD list price is $55.99, with Blu-ray running $65.99, though Amazon is offering them for $24.99 and $29.99 respectively.

    The show, which stars Kevin Spacey, and was produced by David Fincher, was first released in February to rave reviews. It quickly became the most popular TV show on IMDB. The show got so big it was even spoofed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

    Season 2 is currently in production. While little is known about the forthcoming season, it is filming in Maryland. This is the second Netflix original to get renewed for a second season. Filming has wrapped on the first one, Lilyhammer, though a release date for the season has yet to be announced.

    Netflix’s follow-up to House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, has yet to be renewed, but fans are salivating in hopes that it will happen, and the latest – Arrested Development – has had the web buzzing since its release last month.

    Last week, Netflix debuted the trailers for its upcoming series Orange is the New Black and a stand-up special from comedian John Hodgman.

  • Arrested Development Cast Members Hang Out With Fellow Netflix Stars Kevin Spacey And Robin Wright

    Arrested Development finally returned on Sunday as a Netflix semi-original series, and stars Will Arnett and Bateman have been hanging out getting some pictures taken with fellow Netflix stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright (House of Cards).

    Spacey tweeted this photo out a few hours ago:

    Here’s a better look:

    (image)

    Photographer Miller Mobley also shared a picture from the shoot:

  • House Of Cards Season 2 Casting Underway

    House Of Cards Season 2 Casting Underway

    Casting for Season 2 of Netflix’s breakout hit House of Cards is currently underway in Maryland.

    Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley recently announced that the show had returned to production in the state, as producers take advantage of a tax credit it offers to film productions.

    On Tuesday, O’Malley was hanging out on set:

    He caught up with House of Cards star Kevin Spacey again on Saturday:

    Spacey, by the way, apparently wore a ring from the show at Preakness:

    On Saturday, according to the Baltimore Sun, about a thousand people showed up at the Bel Air Reckord Armory for a casting call for the show. David Anderson reports:

    “It was a great cross section of people, I think, that will allow us to depict all walks of life in Washington, D.C.,” local casting director Kimberly Skyrme said.

    Skyrme, who is the owner of Kimberly Skyrme Casting of University Park in Prince George’s County, and her staff took headshots and the resumes, and spent several minutes speaking with hundreds of men, women and children who came through the Armory gymnasium throughout the day Saturday.

    While a release date for the second season has not yet been set, fans will be happy to know that the ball is indeed rolling. In the meantime, they can expect more good stuff coming from Netflix. Later this week, Arrested Development will finally make its long-awaited return as a Netflix-exclusive.

    Meanwhile, fans of Netflix’s most recent original show, Hemlock Grove, are eagerly awaiting a second season.

    House of Cards Season 1 will hit DVD on June 11th.

    Image via

  • ‘House of Cards’ Spoof Kicks Off White House Correspondents’ Dinner

    If you missed the annual White House Correspondents Dinner this weekend, here’s what you need to know: Conan O’Brien hosted, and he was pretty good. As was the President, who had some good jokes about Michele Bachmann, birthers, and Michelle Obama’s bangs. He even made a joke about BuzzFeed.

    The whole thing was kicked off by a House of Cards spoof – a 5-minute skit from the set of the popular Netflix original series starring Kevin Spacey. Watch below as members of Congress and the press jockey for seating positions at the dinner:

    Oh, and while you’re at it, here’s the President:

    And here’s Conan:

  • Netflix: Very Few Gamed Free Trials to Watch House of Cards

    Netflix just posted their Q1 2013 earnings – $1.02 billion total revenue, slightly beating expectations. They also added 3 million streaming customers, bringing the total to 36 million.

    Inside the letter to investors, CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells talk Netflix’s push toward original content – spearheaded by the Kevin Spacey-helmed David Fincher-produced political thriller House of Cards. And they drop a pretty interesting bit of data into that discussion:

    People who signed up for Netflix this quarter stayed with Netflix. In other words, Netflix saw very little “free-trial gaming” in order to, let’s say, binge on House of Cards and then cancel the subscription shortly after.

    Some investors worried that the House of Cards fans would take advantage of our free trial, watch the show, and then cancel. However, there was very little free-trial gaming – less than 8,000 people did this – out of millions of free trials in the quarter.

    Netflix has stated in the past that they will not release viewing data on their original series. So, while we don’t really know exactly how successful House of Cards was for Netflix (in terms of the viewership stats), we know that it was a pretty big success by many other metrics.

    A recent survey suggested that around 10% of Netflix’s total subscriber base had watched at least one episode of House of Cards in its first couple of weeks of availability. That survey also found that 86% of subscribers said that they were less likely to cancel their subscription after watching House of Cards. That last figure echoes what Netflix is revealing today – that House of Cards drew people in, and once they were hooked, they decided to stay around.

    And really, that’s the goal. Netflix has put a lot of money into the new slate of original series, which includes the just released Hemlock Grove, and the upcoming 4th season of Arrested Development.

    “As we’ve said before, our first slate of Originals will represent a small percentage of both our content budget (i.e. P&L expense) and total viewing hours this year, though cash use is front loaded relative to the P&L expense. Long term, we believe the value of our Original series in driving acquisition and retention improvements will be borne out as we add more seasons of already popular shows like House of Cards and further series. Harry Potter was not a phenomenon in book one, compared to later books in the series.”

  • Here’s Lucille Bluth Talking About Arrested Development’s Return On Netflix

    Jessica Walter, who plays Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development, spoke with Anderson Cooper about the show’s return in this clip which just hit YouTube.

    It’s worth noting that Walter says there are fourteen episodes, but Netflix confirmed this week that there are actually fifteen. She also says that she got hooked on House of Cards, another recent exclusive-to-Netflix release. “I can’t wait for the new one,” she said.

    She notes that the upcoming Arrested Development season is supposed to be a prelude to to the movie, but she doesn’t know if the movie will happen. Netflix has already indicated it won’t be producing more seasons of the show.

  • House of Cards Coming to DVD on June 11th

    House of Cards Coming to DVD on June 11th

    If you still want to experience the superb new drama House of Cards but aren’t a Netflix subscriber, you’ll have to wait until the summer.

    A little over four months after it premiered as a Netflix exclusive, the Kevin Spacey-led David Fincher-produced policial series will get a physical release.

    Amazon is now listing the complete first season on both DVD and Blu-ray.

    You can snag the Blu-ray set on Amazon for $52.99 and the DVD set will run you $44.99. Both the DVD and Blu-ray sets will launch on June 11th, coming to you from Sony Pictures.

    Back in 2011, Sony Pictures Television signed on to handle the distribution of the show once Netflix’s streaming window ended.

    Just a couple of weeks after Netflix released all 13 episodes of season 1 to a hungry subscriber base, House of Cards became the most-watched thing on the entire streaming service. Shortly after that, the show topped IMDb’s list for the most popular show in the world. After about three weeks, we learned that around 3 million Netflix subscribers had streamed at least one episode of the show.

    [via Engadget]

  • House of Cards Made 86% of Netflix Users More Likely to Stick Around

    House of Cards Made 86% of Netflix Users More Likely to Stick Around

    Netflix has refused to release any specific data on how many of its subscribers are watching their first foray into big-budget original content, House of Cards. Content Chief Ted Sarandos has said that the show is currently the most-watched thing on Netflix, but won’t go any further than that. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says (jokingly, perhaps) that even he can’t get Sarandos to give him any hard data.

    But according to research from financial firm Cowen and Company, Netflix is hiding generally encouraging feedback.

    According to the survey*, 10% of people had already watched at least one episode of House of Cards in its first couple of weeks of availability. Netflix has around 30 million global subscribers, so if we extrapolate the data we can unscientifically suggest that close to 3 million people have streamed the show. Of those people, the average number of episodes watched was 6 (there are a total of 13).

    Streamers overwhelmingly approved of the show itself and Netflix’s all-at-once release strategy. 80% said the show was “good” or “exceptional” and 90% liked that Netflix dropped all 13 episodes at the same time.

    For Netflix, jumping head-first into the original content game is all about grabbing new subscribers, and also keeping them. Good news on that front as 86% of those surveyed said that they were less likely to cancel their subscription after watching House of Cards.

    This is more good news for Netflix on the House of Cards front. Last week we told you that the show is currently the most popular show in the world right now, at least according to IMDb.

    Are you watching House of Cards?

    *Cowen and Company’s survey sample size was 1,200 people – 28% of which pay for a Netflix subscription and 18% of which have some sort of access to a streaming account. So we’re looking at about 550 Netflix users as our true sample size.

    [Cowen and Company via TechCrunch]

  • House of Cards Is the Most Popular TV Show in the World Right Now (According to IMDb)

    House of Cards Is the Most Popular TV Show in the World Right Now (According to IMDb)

    According to the IMDb MOVIEmeter, the Netflix original series House of Cards is currently the most popular TV show in the world right now.

    IMDb’s MOVIEmeter is based on algorithms that determine levels of public awareness and interest. It takes into account IMDb pageviews and well as star ratings.

    “IMDb Pro uses proprietary algorithms that take into account several measures of popularity for people and titles. The primary measure is who and what people are looking at on the public IMDb.com website. Other factors include Box office receipts and user quality votes on a scale of 1-10,” says IMDb.

    According to IMDb, this doesn’t mean that House of Cards is the best TV show out there (although I can personally confirm that it’s undoubtedly one of the most addictive). It’s not a rank of that. What it does show is a ton of buzz and interest for the new political drama.

    Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seems delighted by the news:

    (image)

    Reed Hastings10 hours ago

    Wow. House of Cards now the #1 most popular TV show in the world, according to IMDb. And I still can’t get Ted Sarandos to tell me how many millions are enjoying it on Netflix.

    (image)IMDb: Most Popular TV Series With At Least 5,000 Votes
    IMDb’s advanced search allows you to run extremely powerful queries over all people and titles in the database. Find exactly what you’re looking for!

    Powered by socialditto(image)  347 likes ·  9 comments

    Earlier this week, we learned from Netflix Content Chief Ted Sarandos that House of Cards is currently the most-watched program on Netflix – both in terms of total hours streamed and total viewers.

    “We’re not doing ratings, [but] we’re thrilled with the numbers,” said Sarandos. “It’s the most watched thing on Netflix in every country we operate in.”

    More good news for Netflix, who spent a pretty penny on this series (and who has plenty of other original series in the works).

  • House of Cards Is the Most-Watched Thing on Netflix Right Now

    House of Cards Is the Most-Watched Thing on Netflix Right Now

    As you may have expected from all of the buzz surrounding the new Netflix original series House of Cards, it’s incredibly popular. Just how popular?

    Well, according to Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, it’s the most-watched show on Netflix in every single one of their markets. Here’s what he had to say at All Things D’s Dive Into Media conference:

    “We’re not doing ratings, [but] we’re thrilled with the numbers,” said Sarandos. “It’s the most watched thing on Netflix in every country we operate in.”

    Sarandos went on to confirm that “most-watched” means both in number of total hours watched as well as number of total people watching.

    Sarandos said that we should expect a time when great original series premiering on Netflix isn’t really “news” anymore:

    “I think the 13 episodes at the same time, the fact that it was on Netflix, the fact that we premiered something on Netflix, the fact that we did something we’ve never done before – we created an international content brand on Netflix. So this was a news story in a bunch of different ways besides the fact that the show was good.

    And the show, by the way, is really great, which really helped. But I think it became and interesting news story…but over time it won’t be as novel for sure because we’re going to do a lot of these shows.”

    Of course, what matters here for Netflix is if series like House of Cards can increase signups and keep people signed up.

    “Engagement really matters to Netflix. The more people watch, the longer they stay, the more they tell their friends. There’s a real direct correlation with engagement and retention,” said Sarandos.

    If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. It’s a juicy, well-acted, gripping political thriller. And all 13 episodes are available to stream at once so you can binge. You know, if that’s your thing (and Netflix hopes that it is).

  • Netflix To Debut Pablo Escobar Drama ‘Narcos’ in 2014 [REPORT]

    Netflix To Debut Pablo Escobar Drama ‘Narcos’ in 2014 [REPORT]

    Fresh off the instant success of their first big-budget series House of Cards, Netflix may already be lining up another series to expand upon their position as a true content provider and alternative to traditional cable.

    According to Deadline, Netflix is eyeing a new project called Narcos, a series centered around Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Like House of Cards, Narcos’ first season would be 13 episodes. Apparently, Netflix is shooting for a 2014 release.

    The series would be created and helmed by Brazilian director Jose Padilha.

    Padilha, who is best known for his 2007 film Elite Squad and the 2010 film Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, will make his break into big-budget American cinema with 2014’s Robocop remake.

    Netflix would be partnering with Gaumont International Television, the American wing of the French studio Gaumont. Launched in 2001, Gaumont International Television has already worked with Netflix on Hemlock Grove, a new original series from horror master Eli Roth which is slated to drop on April 19th.

  • Netflix’s New Ad Laments Spoilers Just Days After Dropping the Entire Season of House of Cards All at Once

    Netflix’s New Ad Laments Spoilers Just Days After Dropping the Entire Season of House of Cards All at Once

    Netflix has undeniably shook up the game with its release structure for the original series House of Cards – mainly that there was no release structure. Netflix simply dumped the entire first season (all 13 episodes) into our hungry mouths on February 1st. It was an invitation to binge, in fact it was a mandate to marathon.

    No more waiting till next week. No more structure. Just you, on your couch, with a bottle of wine and a couple of boxes of take-out Chinese. And 3, maybe 4, maybe even 5 of 6 hours of lip-smacking political intrigue. I’ll admit, I ate it up. It took me approximately 72 hours to blow through season one of House of Cards.

    But the problem for me (and millions of other marathoners out there) has to do with spoilers. When you watch a week-to-week cable series, everyone is on the same page. As long as everyone is caught up on the latest episode, you don’t have to worry about ruining the ending to your pals. People who write about it don’t have to worry about ruining everything for their readers. The rules are set.

    But with House of Cards, Netflix has made it hard on us. Since I know everything that happens in season one, any conversation I have about the show is like navigating a minefield of Kevin Spacey references and Kate Mara compliments. Even if I try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, my subconscious will betray me. I know that I’ll end up leaking something, and that makes me that guy.

    Netflix doesn’t want me to be that guy. Surely in response to all of the talk about House of Cards and spoilers, Netflix has released a short little ad that tackles that very issue.

    Netflix wants you to watch responsibly:

    (image)

    But they’ve made it so damn hard.

    Netflix made a show that was designed for marathoning and spoiling. Sure, I’d never seen The Wire until it was already over, and I watched the whole series in a matter of weeks. And though I had a blast flying through episode after episode of that great show, I knew that it wasn’t actually designed for that kind of viewing. House of Cards most definitely is. When Netflix tells you that the “next episode will begin in 20 seconds,” you know it’s not a suggestion. It’s a command.

    And then you’re left with the nagging feeling that you’re going to spoil it for all of your friends. Ah, screw ’em. I regret nothing.

  • House of Cards Marathoning Gets the Rap It Deserves

    House of Cards Marathoning Gets the Rap It Deserves

    Your House of Cards-watching mania has finally received the hip-hop tribute it deserves.

    “I can’t stop watching house of cards – six episodes in like twenty-four ahrrrrrrrs.” That’s all.

    Some minor spoilers ahead – but nothing that damaging.

    [Adam WarRock via NYT]

  • Watch ‘House of Cards’ for Free, But Only Episode One and Only for a Month

    Watch ‘House of Cards’ for Free, But Only Episode One and Only for a Month

    Netflix is dangling a carrot in front of non-members’ faces by offering the pilot episode of their brand-new original series House of Cards to everyone – for one month. Non-members (and members, of course) can head here to stream the 56-minute long “Chapter 1.”

    “The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we’re proud to present to Netflix members today,” said Ted Sarandos , Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they’ll want more.”

    House of Cards became available on Netflix (all 13 episodes at once) today. It’s helmed by David Fincher and stars Kevin Spacey as a scheming Congressman.

    Based on the British miniseries, ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

    Apparently, Netflix has made a strong enough pilot episode that they feel it could be useful in roping in subscribers. It’s a smart move, as nothing is more frustrating that loving a show, knowing that you could sit on your couch all day and watch it in its entirety, but not having access. But will users sign up on the strength of House of Cards? That, of course, remains to be seen.

    Netflix isn’t the first content provider to try the ol’ hook ’em with the first episode trick. HBO is known for doing a little bit of that themselves.

  • ‘House of Cards’ Is Now Available for Your Streaming Pleasure (All 13 Episodes)

    ‘House of Cards’ Is Now Available for Your Streaming Pleasure (All 13 Episodes)

    The wait is finally over. Today, Netflix drops all 13 episodes of the David Fincher/Kevin Spacey political drama House of Cards. Although it’s not the first Netflix original series to premiere (think Lilyhammer), it’s definitely the biggest budget series to debut on the streaming platform.

    As is becoming tradition, Netflix has made all 13 episodes available at once. Anyone up for a marathon?

    House of Cards stars Kevin Spacey as a the House Majority Whip, a master politician who sets his sights on much higher office. Here’s the official synopsis:

    Based on the British miniseries, ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

    House of Cards is the true first punch to the traditional cable model for Netflix, but it’s definitely not the only one they have in store. In May, the long-awaited new season of Arrested Development will debut on Netflix – you guessed it, all at once. And just a few weeks before that, the original series Hemlock Grove from horror master Eli Roth will make its debut.

    Yesterday we learned that Microsoft will unlock the Netflix app to all Xbox LIVE users (not just GOLD members) this weekend with the expressed purpose of getting House of Cards into more living rooms.

  • Netflix Xbox App Will Be Unlocked for All LIVE Users This Weekend

    As many Xbox LIVE users know, and Xbox LIVe Gold membership is required to utilize the Netflix app on the Xbox 360. Stupid or not, that’s how it is.

    That’s all going to change this weekend – but for this weekend only. Microsoft is unlocking the Netflix app and making it available for all Xbox LIVE users, no matter their metallic status.

    “Access to the Netflix app is unlocked this weekend on Xbox! Watch every episode of the new Netflix original series “House of Cards” premiering Feb. 1. Xbox will unlock the Netflix app, so all LIVE users with a Netflix subscription can watch all weekend long. (All Netflix regions),” says Major Nelson.

    So it looks like a promotional thing for the new David Fincher/Kevin spacey political drama House of Cards, which premieres on February 1st. All 13 episodes of the new series will be available to stream at once – so you better be prepared for a marathon.

    Here’s what you can expect from House of Cards:

    Based on the British miniseries, ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

    In other news, it’s seriously time for Microsoft to rethink the whole Xbox LIVE Gold requirement thing for apps like Netflix. Seriously.

  • House of Cards, the Spacey/Fincher-Led Netflix Original Series, Gets a Trailer

    House of Cards, the Spacey/Fincher-Led Netflix Original Series, Gets a Trailer

    One of Netflix’s major forays into the original programming game just got its first trailer. House of Cards, the new show based on the British miniseries of the same name, comes to you courtesy Fight Club & The Social Network director David Fincher and stars the incomparable Kevin Spacey.

    House of Cards will hit Netflix on February 1st, just shy of two years after it was first announced.

    Fincher? Spacey? Political intrigue? I’m in. Check out the show’s first trailer below:

    Here’s the official synopsis:

    Based on the British miniseries, ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Kate Mara (“American Horror Story”) and Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”) costar in the first original series from David Fincher (“The Social Network”) and Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March”).

    House of Cards was the first in a series of original content announcements Netflix early last year. Since, we’ve seen Netflix stream a season of the Steven Van Zandt mafia-drama Lilyhammer, and we’re still waiting on Hemlock Grove – a new show from Hostel director Eli Roth. Oh, and you may be aware that Netflix is going to be the exclusive broadcaster of the new season of Arrested Development, which has already begun production. The ten episodes from the new season will hit Netflix all at once – so happy marathoning!

    UPDATE: Speaking of marathoning, Netflix has confirmed that all 13 episodes of the first season of House of Cards will be available immediately on February 1st.

    “House of Cards combines the best of filmmaking with the best of television. Netflix members worldwide can instantly watch all 13 episodes of the first season of the show beginning on February 1, 2013. In offering the entire season at once, Netflix is giving viewers complete control over how and when they watch the show,” they say.

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  • Netflix Eyeing New Episodes of Reno 911!

    Netflix Eyeing New Episodes of Reno 911!

    And by “eyeing,” I mean Netflix actually wants to further its commitment to the content production side of the entertainment business, something they’ve already established with the House of Cards endeavor. While original programming is one thing, can Netflix help revive previously cancelled television shows like Reno 911! and give them new life?

    That’s certainly one of their goals, but the success will depend, in all likelihood, Viacom’s willingness to play well with streaming video. You see, Comedy Central owns the rights to the Reno 911!, and guess who owns Comedy Central? The same company we discussed in relation to the furthering of their YouTube lawsuit earlier this morning. Of course, if Netflix can demonstrate an ability to monetize the content it produces, and share it with the copyright holders, Comedy Central and Viacom will probably approve.

    The question is, can Netflix be an effective medium for original content? It certainly has the distribution tools at its disposal, but will people want to see a show that Netflix is largely responsible for in the sense of its creation?

    According to the NYMag.com, the House of Cards coup for Netflix inspired the Reno 911! producers to pursue Netflix as a viable medium for creating and distributing new episodes:

    The Reno 911! talks actually predate Netflix’s efforts to land new episodes of the similarly cancelled Fox series Arrested Development. In June, Shamberg and Sher (Contagion, Pulp Fiction, World Trade Center, Erin Brockovich) e-mailed Netflix’s chief creative officer, Ted Sarandos, to compliment him on his recently made deal with David Fincher and Kevin Spacey to remake the BBC hit House of Cards for Netflix. And the producers were interested in doing something with his service, too.

    Considering the success television shows have had on Netflix’s streaming service — over 60 percent of the consumed streams are television shows — resurrecting Reno 911! on such a platform is something worth pursuing, especially if the demand for the show still exists.

    According to the show’s producers, production costs of their episodes was not very high, which is another “plus” in the Netflix column. That being said, perhaps it’s Netflix’s position as a successful content distributor is what makes it a player in situations like these. Reno 911! producer Michael Shamberg offers his take on Netflix’s position in all of this:

    I don’t know that [Netflix] is reinventing the entertainment industry, but the old models are breaking down, and money’s tight, so everyone’s trying everything.” [Emphasis added]

    All things considered, one has to wonder if these new episodes of Reno 911! would be available for DVD rental.