ADTV: Making the Case for ‘House of Cards’

In a year where the outlook appeared to be barren without Breaking Bad and True Detective in contention, House of Cards began as the default Emmy consensus front-runner earlier this year, says ADTV’s Ryan Showers. It just seemed to “fit” as the next Drama Series winner after having to stand by Breaking Bad for two Emmy cycles as a bridesmaid. In theory, House of Cards would be the perfect winner: it’s the show that “started it all” for Netflix’s original series success (if ever the time to make a declarative statement about the development of streaming to the television landscape, this is it); it’s rooted in film industry star-power (David Fincher and the two leading actors); and it has the qualities Emmy voters are attracted to (its somber tone, a political setting, upscale production values, and dramatic storylines and twists).

And voters would be wise to reward Netflix soon, as its influence is growing, and they have a great opportunity with the third season of House of Cards, which is the most independent season of the series to date. While Beau Willimon focused more on Frank Underwood’s climb to power in plot-driven arcs in its first two years, he the took the risk of letting the characters drive the narrative of the third season.

Read Ryan’s full Emmy article at ADTV…