Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (2024)

House of Cards was one of the most significant achievements in Netflix’s early track record. While it’s impossible to watch the series the same way given the reports that have come to light about Kevin Spacey’s horrific history of sexual abuse, it should not take away from the hard work that was done by the entire cast and crew. In fact, Spacey’s character of Frank Underwood was often upstaged by Robin Wright’s performance as his wife, running mate, and ultimate replacement Claire. Not only was Claire the “Lady Macbeth” of the series, but she became its entire legacy as the streaming network moved forward.

It’s impossible to overstate the seismic impact that House of Cards had on the development of the modern television marketplace. While the notion of binge-watching television shows developed directly for a streaming service was initially treated as a joke, House of Cards brought in high level talent, including the brilliant filmmaker David Fincher, to create a realistic, harrowing political drama that was far less optimistic than The West Wing. The “binge model” clearly worked out, and Netflix never would have been able to develop shows such as Ozark, Stranger Things, The Crown, Squid Game, Master of None, Unbelievable, When They See Us, or Narcos without the initial success of House of Cards; it’s essentially the show that started the “streaming wars” as we know them today.

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Based on the 1990 BBC series of the same name by Andrew Davies, House of Cards reimagines a crisis set in the heart of the British parliament within the political wheeling and dealing modern of American politics. After being betrayed and not receiving a position on the cabinet of the newly elected President Garrett Walker (Michell Gill), the southern Democrat Frank Underwood (Spacey) begins putting together a plot to steal the White House for himself. House of Cards was a frequent contender at the Primetime Emmy Awards, and often featured standout guest appearances from veteran actors such as Lard Mikkelsen, Greg Kinnear, Diane Lane, Patricia Clarkson, Kim Dickens, and the late great Reg E. Cathey. Here is every season of House of Cards, ranked worst to best.

6 Season 6

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (1)

To their credit, the producers of House of Cards Season 6 had a lot to deal with in the wake of Spacey’s firing; they had to find a way to conclude a storyline that had been set up at the end of the fifth season that featured Frank attempting to get revenge on Claire after resigning from his position as President of the United States. However, fans already knew that Claire was finally going to be President, and Season 6 could have been a great opportunity for the series to move forward with a new focus on her cabinet. Even if Spacey hadn’t been accused of any crimes, Frank had grown into a redundant character that had well overstayed his welcome on the show.

Related: How House of Cards Kills Off Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood

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What’s odd is that this isn't the direction that Season 6 takes at all; it does almost nothing, but go back and attempt to make his death a mystery. Frankly, it felt disrespectful to spend so much time focused on Frank’s disappearance when Claire had clearly established that she was worthy of her own show. Season 6 features a ridiculous ending that is borderline laughable, and doesn’t delve into the notion of Claire being a maternal politician despite the allusions set up in previous seasons. It felt like a complete and utter waste of time to spend any time focused on Frank’s “assassination,” and despite generally being one of the best actors on the show, Michael Kelly’s final scenes as the former White House Chief of Staff Doug Stamper betray nearly everything about his character. New cast members Kinnear, Lane, and Cody Fern are all wasted.

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The only real question regarding House of Cards’ final season is where it ranks in terms of all-time disappointments. As much as Game of Thrones fans complain about the end of the series, the final season of House of Cards makes Game of Thrones Season 8 look like Season 5 of Breaking Bad, Season 7 of Mad Men, or Season 4 of Succession.

5 Season 4

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (2)

House of Cards Season 4 got a slight boost of energy thanks to the debut of Joel Kinnaman as Will Conway, the Republican Governor of New York that is running against Frank as the Republican candidate. Unfortunately, Conway appeared too late into the season, and failed to ever present himself as a likely challenger to Frank.

4 Season 3

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (3)

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While House of Cards Season 3 quickly proved that it felt less exciting when Frank had the position of power he wanted, the season stands out due to the brilliant work by Lars Mikkelsen as Viktor Petrov, the President of Russia. Here was a ruthless politician who was even more open in his deceits than Frank, and Mikkelsen’s playfully demented performance added a lot to the role.

Related: Kevin Spacey Posts Ominous Christmas Eve Video as His House of Cards Character Again

3 Season 5

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (4)

An issue in later seasons when the campaign and presidency of Donald Trump felt like the more unbelievable scenario; it was sad when House of Cards was less terrifying than reality! That being said, the electioneering and revelations about Frank’s father gave the show more life than it had in a while.

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2 Season 1

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (5)

Season 1 did a great job at introducing the cast of characters and presenting a compelling version of the modern political state; while there were certainly allusions to some notable figures in the current landscape, it didn’t feel like House of Cards was trying to replicate the news cycle. Fincher’s directorial touch in particular made the pilot a standout, and Kate Mara’s recurring role as Zoe Barnes, a young reporter for The Washington Herald, was very important. In a show where a majority of the characters represent some sort of evil, having the perspective of a likable young journalist was critical!

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1 Season 2

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (6)

Season 2 is clearly House of Cards and its creative peak; now that he had found his way into the Vice Presidency, all Frank needed to do was find a way to prove once and for all to the nation that Walker was a joke. It’s electrifying political television, but it was also the last time that the series felt realistic; later seasons began to grow too unbelievable and ridiculous. It was also the last season where Netflix’s insistence on sticking with 13 episodes didn’t feel like it padded the season with too much content.

Every Season of House of Cards, Ranked Worst to Best (2024)
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