Frank is passed over for appointment as Secretary of State but remains House Majority Whip so he initiates an elaborate plan to attain power, aided by Claire.

With the help of his equally-conniving wife Claire (Robin Wright) and devoted chief of staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), Frank attempts to influence all affairs surrounding the Walker administration.

Firmly ingrained in Walker's inner-circle, Frank suggests that dissatisfied Vice President Jim Matthews (Dan Ziskie), the former governor, return to his role in Pennsylvania.

The proximity to the White House creates an avalanche of controversy and solicitor general Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel) is assigned to investigate the administration's involvement.

The administration develops a Middle East peace plan that faces substantial opposition from Russian president Viktor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen).

After Doug manipulates the organ donor list to put the president at the top, Frank recovers from surgery and whole-heartedly endorses Claire's plan to make her his running mate.

Tom Hammerschmidt, the former Washington Herald editor in chief, begins writing an article regarding Underwood's corruption and interviews several of Frank's former colleagues, including former president Walker.

Frank demands that congress declare war on ICO and the Underwoods begin using questionable intelligence to justify enacting martial law in key areas before the election.

Meanwhile, as president Claire is able to withstand several threats to her power from private industry magnates Bill and Annette Shepherd (Greg Kinnear and Diane Lane), including a failed try at the 25th amendment and an attempted assassination.

[10] While finishing production on his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher's agent showed him House of Cards, a BBC series starring Ian Richardson.

"[10] Beau Willimon, who has served as an aide to Chuck Schumer, Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton,[14] was hired and completed the pilot script in early 2011.

[15] In a speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, he also noted that while other networks were interested in the show, they all wanted a pilot, whereas Netflix—relying solely on their statistics—ordered the series directly.

Among the numerous exteriors filmed in Baltimore, but set in Washington, D.C., are: Francis and Claire Underwood's residence, Zoe Barnes' apartment, Freddy's BBQ Rib Joint, The Clean Water Initiative building where Claire works, The Washington Herald offices, the Washington Opera House, the Secretary of State's building, Hotel Cotesworth, The Georgetown Hotel, Werner's Bar, Tio Pepe's, the DuPont Circle Bar, as well as scenes set in other locations, including Peter Russo's campaign rally in Pennsylvania and The Sentinel (military academy)'s Francis J. Underwood Library and Waldron Hall in South Carolina.

[26] Most of the interior scenes in House of Cards are filmed in a large industrial warehouse,[27] which is located in Joppa, Maryland, also in Harford County, which is about 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Baltimore.

The series uses green screen to augment the live action, inserting views of outdoor scenes in windows and broadcast images on TV monitors, often in post-production.

[36][37] Multiple sources stated that the decision to end the series was made prior to Rapp's accusation, but the announcement nevertheless caused suspicions for its timing.

[38][39] The following day, it was announced that production on the season would be temporarily suspended, according to an official joint statement from Netflix and MRC, "to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew".

[41] On December 4, 2017, Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, announced that production would restart in 2018 with Robin Wright in the lead, and revealed that the final season of the show would now consist of eight episodes.

[42] Spacey was removed from the cast and as executive producer with several unannounced projects involving the actor being canceled, resulting in Netflix losing 39 million dollars.

[45] The video has been described in the media as "bizarre",[46] "extraordinarily odd",[47] "unsettling",[48] and "alarming";[49] several actors—including Patricia Arquette, Ellen Barkin, and Rob Lowe—have criticized and ridiculed it on Twitter.

[70] House of Cards began airing in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2018, on Virgin TV Ultra HD, a newly established UHD/4K entertainment channel.

The site's consensus reads, "Bolstered by strong performances—especially from Kevin Spacey—and surehanded direction, House of Cards is a slick, engrossing drama that may redefine how television is produced.

[106] USA Today critic Robert Bianco praised the series, particularly Spacey's and Wright's lead performances, stating "If you think network executives are nervous, imagine the actors who have to go up against that pair in the Emmys.

[106] In The Denver Post, critic Joanne Ostrow said the series is "[d]eeply cynical about human beings as well as politics and almost gleeful in its portrayal of limitless ambition".

"[111] Randy Shaw, writing for The Huffington Post, criticized House of Cards for glorifying "union bashing and entitlement slashing within a political landscape whose absence of activist groups or anyone remotely progressive resembles a Republican fantasy world".

The site's consensus reads, "Season three introduces intriguing new political and personal elements to Frank Underwood's character, even if it feels like more of the same for some.

"[131] Emily Van DerWerff of Vox had a mixed review to season four, criticizing the repetitive and predictable nature of the series, writing: "There's no such mystery with House of Cards, where you know exactly what will happen as surely as you do on NCIS.

"[133] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic wrote that "in moments like this it's good to remember that Cards really, fundamentally is a stupid TV show instead of a particularly cunning comment on political reality.

The site's critical consensus reads, "House of Cards enjoys a confident return to form this season, though its outlandish edge is tempered slightly by the current political climate.

[147][4] Although Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series is not a category that formally recognizes an episode, Spacey submitted "Chapter 1" for consideration to earn his nomination.