Netflix is set to enter the original content space in a big way with the release of House of Cards, a long-anticipated original series featuring Kevin Spacey as Rep. Frank Underwood, a ruthless politician with his eye on the top job in Washington.

The entire first season will be available to stream beginning tomorrow.

Netflix won the rights nearly two years ago, outbidding the likes of HBO and AMC with a massive upfront commitment of $100 million for 26 episodes (or two seasons). Netflix has an exclusive two-year window on the series. After that, the show’s producers are free to take it wherever they want.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s content chief, argued at the time that the commitment was “not much of a radical departure in what we do every day,” and was based on the same methods and algorithms that Netflix uses to screen the rest of it’s content. He did add, however, that “There’s an added risk factor, in that this is the first time we’re licensing something that hasn’t been produced, or at least completed.”

That’s putting it very mildly. It’s an incredibly large deviation from how Netflix currently goes about acquiring content. It also represents only a piece of the commitment they’ve made to original content. By the end of the year, Netflix will launch a new season of Arrested Development, an old FOX cult favorite, among other new projects.

Original content, and House of Cards specifically, represents a very visible high-risk, high-reward proposition for the company.

More than that, it's also a potential game changer for the entire pay-TV industry.

Netflix as a disruptor

In many respects, Netflix is already a very disruptive force, offering a substantial streaming package to consumers where they can watch:

• Where they want: People want to be able to watch content everywhere - on TVs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Netflix allows for that. But pay-TV's "TV Everywhere" initiative has been plagued by delays and infighting since its launch. The result? Only 37% of pay-TV subscribers have ever viewed TV online through a TV network’s app or website.
• When they want: People like and increasingly expect to be able to consume content on their own schedule. As result, it’s becoming more challenging for programmers to drive live tune-in to non-live, evergreen content. DVRs, apps, and limited streaming options like Hulu have helped bridge this gap, but they don’t necessarily speak to…
• How they want: Programmers typically release TV shows once a week, with an entire season lasting months. But many viewers increasingly prefer to watch numerous episodes of a show at once and finish seasons in weeks (if not days). If Netflix subscribers like the first episode of House of Cards, they’ll be able to instantly watch the next... and then the next. Also, there won’t have any pesky advertisements to watch, click out of, or fast-forward through.

But, content is still king

There’s one massive missing piece in Netflix’s arsenal of disruption: access to the best of what people want.

U.S. subscribers are watching an estimated 80 minutes of Netflix content every day, but it's not uncommon for people with the service to say "I can't find anything worth watching." The problem is the more content subscribers consume, the more content Netflix needs to replace.

This gives programmers tremendous leverage over Netflix. As of now, here’s how it stacks up:

• Netflix comes to the table with no original or exclusive high-value content, and with a single revenue stream that is entirely dependent on the acquisition of third party content
• Programmers come to the table with lots of original and exclusive high-value content, an otherwise robustly profitable business with many different revenue streams, and a legitimate fear that the rise of Netflix and streaming in general poses an existential threat to their business

Without content, Netflix doesn't have a business. Because exclusive rights to anything - especially popular TV programs - are a huge draw, programmers are increasingly deciding to either not provide them to Netflix (e.g. Showtime), or asking for prices that Netflix won't pay (e.g. Epix). 

Programmers have similar leverage over consumers as well. Pay-TV is the exclusive home to much of the most valuable video content, including live sports events and HBO. When there’s only one place to get something, people are forced to go to that once place to get it.

How House Of Cards can change everything

True "low-end disruption" occurs when the performance of a product overshoots the needs of certain customer segments, enabling a disruptive technology to enter the market and provide a product which has lower performance than the incumbent but which exceeds the requirements of certain segments (thereby gaining a foothold in the market).

Netflix’s entrance in the original content business is a massive step forward in their attempt to be a true low-end disruptor in the video content and delivery space. For the first time, they'll:  

• Provide consumers with top-quality exclusive and original content that is not part of a pay-TV subscription
• Couple "where,""when," and "how" disruption with some "what" disruption

The result? A product that unquestionably exceeds the minimum requirements of certain segments of the market. Netflix's $8 a month price point makes it well-suited for the least profitable consumer segments. And if they continue to produce original and exclusive hits, they might be able to swim a bit more upstream.

At the same time, is the rate at which pay-TV is improving exceeding the rate at which customers can adopt the new performance? Well, a typical pay-TV subscription includes dozens of channels (many of which a given consumer will never watch) and carries an average price tag of $86 (in part from the fees charged by some of those channels the consumer never watches). So, one could argue "absolutely!" (By the way, by 2020, it's estimated that the average cable bill will rise to a whopping $200!)

Disruption equals a win for consumers

We will likely see a mix of the following if House of Cards is a runaway success:

• Better digital content: If Netflix can create a successful return on a $100 million investment in digital content, expect more high-quality, original and exclusive digital content as a result. Amazon and YouTube have lots of cash and could immediately increase the their original programming budgets. Combined with the other benefits of digital platforms, this could lead to more…
• Cord cutting: Only one million pay-TV subscribers cord-cut in favor of streaming in 2011. But, if Netflix is able to truly reset our expectations of what a content provider can and should be, more consumers may start to look at it as more than complimentary. But cord cutting is nothing compared to…
• Cord nevering: The greatest threat to the pay-TV ecosystem in the long run is that the market contracts because new, younger consumers never participate in it. In 2010, 30% of Netflix subscribers aged 17-24 didn't subscribe to pay-TV. If Netflix and other digital distributors can truly disrupt from the low-end of the market, this is the segment they will target and find the most success in. 

But, rumors of the death of the pay-TV industry are grossly exaggerated

The issue isn't that the pay-TV industry can’t become more consumer friendly, it’s that they don't want to. They’re simply incentivized to protect their status quo distribution scheme as much as possible, for as long as possible. And who can blame them? Business is good.

But, Netflix doesn’t need to fully disrupt the industry to get it to move. It only needs to convince the industry that the existing ecosystem could potentially be disrupted. Breaking the industry’s monopoly on top-quality, original, exclusive programming is a good way to do that. 

This will force more competition into the marketplace. This could mean the pay-TV industry will instantly be more open to:

• Making TV Everywhere more of a consumer-friendly priority now, rather than an eventual goal down the road
• Allowing more digital content to be available as part of a subscription
• Adding to Hulu’s product offering, rather than scaling it back
• Lower cable bills as a result of pay-TV providers pushing back more aggressively against subscriber fee increases and/or insisting on smaller and more affordable basic subscriptions

Any or all of those developments would be welcome news for pay-TV subscribers.

Of course, House Of Cards could also flop

If House of Cards is an utter failure, the situation will be quite different. Netflix will be $100 million poorer, and likely be unable and unwilling to make another such bet in the near future. Moreover, the titans of the pay-TV industry will hail the failure as evidence that they were right about the supremacy of the traditional TV ecosystem. They will talk about the ecosystem’s unique ability to identify, invest in, produce, market, and create hit content properties. And it is quite possible that they could very well be right in those assertions.

Stay tuned

Everyone in the industry is watching to see how the House Of Cards gamble pays off for Netflix. If you consume and pay for any video content, you might want to buckle up, grab a bowl of popcorn, and tune in to the results yourself. 

Disclosure: The author owns stock in Time Warner. 

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Everyone's in the dark when it comes to Netflix's "House of Cards" ratings, including lead actor Kevin Spacey.  

Last week, Netflix rolled out all 13 episodes of the political drama on its streaming site at once and since then the big question is how many people are tuning in to watch. 

Though Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos won't divulge on the specifics, he revealed during All Things D's Dive Into Media conference that its new original series is currently the most-watched thing on the site in all 40 countries where it operates. 

To clarify, Sarandos defines "most-watched" in terms of the number of people viewing and the number of hours they're engaging with the program. 

When All Things D pushed for metric data, he refused to give away any numbers.

Sarandos explained he refuses to deliver ratings because he sees it as an apples-to-orange comparison with network ratings. 

"If I come out to you and say that we attracted more viewers than a show on another network then that's bad news for them, and not particularly good news for me because I don't monetize it in any way," he said. "I don't sell advertising, I'm not jockeying for a position with  cable operators." 

However, you would think that the star of the show, Spacey, must want to know how many eyeballs are watching his performance as conniving congressman Francis Underwood. 

If so, that's too bad, because according to Sarandos, he's in the dark, too.  

"I don't tell him," says Sarandos. "I tell him that we're thrilled. He says, 'Are you happy with the numbers?' I tell him we're thrilled with the numbers in absolute and relative to what we expected."

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

"There are two kinds of pain," House Majority Whip Frank Underwood says in the opening scene of Netflix's original series House of Cards. "The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things." 

Then he snaps a dogs neck. 

The scene is grimly depraved, foreshadowing the spiral of backroom knuckle-breaking, extramarital sex, and intra-party murder that Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, takes us down over the course of Season One. 

Needless to say, Washington is completely obsessed. Two months after its release, House of Cards remains the subject of endless debate in Beltway political circles, and media types are still  arguing over who the depraved characters most resemble. 

But despite Washington's fascination with its onscreen caricature, the real House Majority Whip, California Republican Kevin McCarthy, says his job bears little resemblance to Spacey's performance. 

"It's not really accurate. We don't murder animals or members or anything like that," McCarthy told Business Insider. "And we would never be sitting in our office when a vote is going on on the floor."

In reality, McCarthy's role — at least as he describes it — sounds more like a camp counselor than a backroom wheeler-and-dealer. His office, he says, is an "idea factory"— a place for Republican House members to toss around a Nerf ball, eat pizza, and talk about legislation.

"It is a place for members to come, hang out, participate, talk about different solutions," McCarthy said. "I try to drive my office more as a start-up of ideas." 

McCarthy's laidback whipping style is markedly different from his predecessors — an illustrious list that includes Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, and Dick Cheney, all of whom reportedly relished their reputations as iron-fisted power-brokers. 

"The Whip's office is much different than the Whip offices of the past," McCarthy said. "America has changed. You don't have earmarks, you have greater transparency."

"The Whip's office is almost more educational — educating members on the bill itself, listening to members ahead of time."

Still, McCarthy hasn't been above helping Spacey get into character as Frank Underwood. 

"Spacey called me the other day and he leaves this message, he goes 'Congressman? This is Congressman Frank Underwood," McCarthy said, putting on his best imitation of Spacey's Underwood drawl. "We've talked a few times, he hung out with me for a few days."

"When he first wanted to talk to me, I didn't want to talk to him because I knew how it was going to be portrayed, it was going to be Hollywood," McCarthy added. "But then I found out that he was supposed to be a Democrat and I had no problem."

DON'T MISS: Kevin McCarthy Tells Us How Republicans Are Making A Comeback

SEE ALSO: MSNBC's New Weekend Host Goes Off About 'House Of Cards'

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

When Netflix rolled out all 13 episodes of the original series "House Of Cards" at once it flipped the pay-TV industry model on its head.  

Rather than waiting weekly for a new episode to premiere, consumers were offered instant gratification with an entire season at their fingertips to offer the ultimate in viewing flexibility: the ability to watch when they want to and without the added commercials. 

They were also presented with an altered way to discuss spoilers in television shows.  

Almost instantaneously, conversation revolved around whether this would — and should — be the model for television to follow in the future.  

While television and filmmakers won't be copying Netflix's model anytime soon, Kevin Spacey thinks execs should pay attention.  

In an interview with Capitol File magazine, the "House of Cards" star shared how Netflix's decision to roll out all 13 episodes of the series simultaneously is a game changer: 

"It’s a real opportunity for the film and television industry to learn the lesson the music industry didn’t learn. Give the audience what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price, and they’ll buy it." 

Though Netflix refuses to reveal how many people have viewed the series, the original programming doesn't come cheap.  

"House of Cards" is estimated to cost upwards of $4.5 million per episode. (To compare, most television series episodes cost under $4 million to produce.) 

The big bet of releasing 13 episodes at once in February paid off.  

Right now, Netflix is soaring. After its Q1 results came out, its stock shot up nearly 20%.  

The site just launched another new series thriller "Hemlock Grove" which the company said was viewed by more globally in its debut weekend than "House of Cards." The original series also rolled out all season episodes at once.  

Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said earlier at a conference this year the company is simply evolving television in a way consumers want. 

Later this year, the streaming site will launch the highly-anticipated return of Fox's cancelled "Arrested Development," a comedy from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan titled "Orange is the New Black," and an original DreamWorks Animation series called "Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team)" inspired by an upcoming film.  

Season 2 of "House of Cards" is currently filming 13 new episodes in Baltimore which are set to release simultaneously, according to Capitol File. 

Read the full Capitol File interview with Spacey here.

SEE ALSO: Teaser posters for Netflix's next original series, "Arrested Development">

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The White House Correspondents' Dinner opened with a shout out to Netflix original series "House of Cards."

Kevin Spacey's title character Frank Underwood negotiated seating charts, hoarded tickets for the dinner, and gave a word of sympathy to host Conan O'Brien.

"I do sympathize Conan ... It must be so hard to write jokes about a town that already is one." 

SEE ALSO: The celebrities heading to the event >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

From the lack of political news coming out of the Beltway today, it appears as though Washington is still recovering from the annual bender of celebrity-stalking, all-day cocktails, and shoulder-rubbing that is the White House Correspondents Dinner. 

While the main event was obviously the dinner — and the dueling stand-up acts from President Barack Obama and Conan O'Brien— the real draw of the weekend was the plethora of parties before, after (and, thanks to BuzzFeed this year, during) the event.

We dropped by a few of the parties this weekend and even managed to sneak into the dinner for a few minutes. Below are some of the hottest celebs we saw. 

Sophia Bush and Sofia Vergara posed for a pic on their way into the dining room: 

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and his identical twin brother, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their first Nerd Prom: 

Kevin Spacey was also one of the hottest stars to see this weekend, thanks to his role as House Majority Whip Frank Underwood on House of Cards: 

Plenty of usual suspects made an appearance. Here's Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett chatting with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg before the dinner: 

And here's White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough hanging out near the back of the ballroom: 

Some stranger names were also on the invite list. Duck Dynasty's Willie and Korie Roberston were the hottest reality star appearances at the dinner this year:  

Celebrities at the dinner poured into the exclusive Vanity Fair/Bloomberg party at the French Embassy. Among those we spotted: Katy Perry hanging out with the cast of Modern Family, Elizabeth Banks entertaining a crowd at the bar; a very statuesque Nicole Kidman; Hayden Panettiere getting numerous compliments on her yellow dress; Bradley Cooper; and basically everyone else you've seen on TV this year. 

Check out Vanity Fair's full photo gallery here >  

One of the other hottest parties of the night was BuzzFeed's alternative soiree, which took place during the actual dinner and was packed with under-40-something political-types who couldn't get a ticket to the main event.  

GOP anti-tax guru Grover Norquist made an appearance: 

And so did Robyn Wright Penn, better known in D.C. as her House of Cards character Claire Underwood:  

Although there weren't too many other celebrity sightings at the BuzzFeed party, everyone there was having way too much fun to notice.  

This video pretty much sums up the vibe: 

SEE ALSO: The Best-Dressed Celebrities At This Year's White House Correspondent's Dinner

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The nine Emmy nominations for Netflix's "House of Cards," including a key nod in the Outstanding Drama Series category, shows that the Television Academy is willing to recognize "a new way of viewing," Kevin Spacey told TheWrap on Thursday morning.

"For the Academy to recognize us, being the new kids on the block, is fantastic," Spacey said from the Baltimore set of "House of Cards," which is midway through shooting its second season. "I think that because of this, more companies that have been primarily or specifically in the portal business will want to get into the original content business. Because if you're going to compete, that's what you'll have to do."

The Netflix original series, whose first 13 episodes were released simultaneously in February, simply recognizes the new way in which people watch television, Spacey added.

"The way in which it has been distributed is really in line with the way in which audiences have been discovering their entertainment over the last number of years," he said. "You ask anybody what they did over the weekend, and they say, 'I stayed home and watched two seasons of "Breaking Bad."'

"That's the way audiences have been consuming shows that are very complicated, with multiple storylines. We're now the first original series to be released that way, but it has been going on for quite some time — although it doesn't affect the way we create the series, because the camera doesn't know it's a streaming camera any more than it would know it was a TV camera or a film camera."

The Emmy success, he said, only adds to what the show has already done in changing the marketplace. "We are giving the audience what they want, which is the freedom to discover it the way they want to discover it. And I think it also in some measure shows that we have learned the lesson that the music industry didn't learn -- that if you give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price, then they'll buy it and they won't steal it.

"Why is 'Game of Thrones' the single most pirated show in the history of television? Because people can't get it fast enough."

SEE ALSO: "Breaking Bad" And "Mad Men" Are Way More Popular On Netflix Than Its New Shows Like "House Of Cards"

Join the conversation about this story »

It's no secret that Americans have had enough of their government.

Last weekend, Senate Majority Harry Reid, of all people, cited a statistic that Congress's approval rating is lower than North Korea's. 

But when it comes to television, the country can't get enough of political drama and comedy. The 65th annual Primetime Emmy award nominees came out Thursday, and political shows popped up in almost every category, including both Outstanding Drama and Comedy Series.

From thrillers like "Scandal" to the sitcom-style "Veep," there's definitely room for politics in today's TV hits. See below for the nominees:    

"HOMELAND"

Category: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Damian Lewis), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Claire Danes), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Mandy Patinkin), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Morena Baccarin)

The Politics: Showtime's explosive look at the CIA has more cliffhangers than Claire Danes has on-screen breakdowns. The show follows a bipolar CIA agent (Danes) and an American Prisoner of War (Lewis) found alive in Iraq after eight years. "Homeland"won for Outstanding Drama Series in 2012, and both Lewis and Danes also cleaned up in their categories. 

"HOUSE OF CARDS" 

 Category: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actors in a Drama Series (Kevin Spacey), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Robin Wright)

The Politics: It's the story of a South Carolina Congressman and House Minority Whip (Spacey) who gets passed over for a promised Secretary of State nomination and doesn't take the betrayal lying down.  "House of Cards" is the first Netflix original series to receive an Emmy nomination. ("Arrested Development" star Jason Bateman snagged one, too.)

"THE GOOD WIFE"

Category: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Christine Baranski)

The Politics: Series co-creator Michelle King admitted that former New York governor-turned New York City Comptroller candidate Elliot Spitzer was one of the inspirations for this series about the family of a Cook County state's attorney who resigns amidst a public sex scandal. Four season's later, he's mounted a successful comeback— we've yet to see if Spitzer can pull off the same.  

"THE NEWSROOM"

Category: Oustanding Lead Actors in a Drama Series (Jeff Daniels)

The Politics: Political dramas penned by Aaron Sorkin have a history of doing well at the Emmys (see: The West Wing) but not everyone has been as emphatic with the behind-the-scenes look at fictional Atlantic Cable News, a station struggling with its own ideologies. The show takes place in the very recent past, so ACN is covering the exact same issues as real news stations in the last few years. 

"POLITICAL ANIMALS"

Category: Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Sigourney Weaver)

The Politics: The USA miniseries focuses on a highly political family: Weaver is the Secretary of State and a former First Lady, having divorced her ex-President husband (Ciaran Hinds) for cheating on her throughout their time in the White House. After a failed presidential run, she's biding her time and trying to keep her family's sanity intact. 

"SCANDAL"

Category: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Kerry Washington)

The Politics: Washington plays Olivia Pope, the best crisis manager in Washington. She cleans up other people's messes, despite the fact that she's embroiled in her own: an on-again, off-again extramarital affair with the President of the United States. 

"VEEP"

Category: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Tony Hale), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Anna Chlumsky)

The Politics: "Veep" takes a humorous look at one of the less glamorous jobs in Washington. Louis-Dreyfus plays fictional U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer who struggles with feelings of powerlessness and is perpetually waiting for the President to call. 

Join the conversation about this story »

Yesterday Netflix's earnings report was directly in line with what analyst projected, but the internet streaming service's stock price still dropped about 7% in after-hours trading.

Analysts and investors are concerned with how Netflix plans to increase its subscriber base.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells held a webcast yesterday in lieu of the traditional earnings call. The two explained that the company is investing in original series as a way to boost subscribers. Netflix calculates the cost of producing a show as an investment instead of an expenditure.

There was a "small but noticeable" member bump from "Arrested Development" but the bump didn't help Netflix reach the 900,000 new subscribers Wall Street was hoping for. Netflix added 630,000 subscribers in the U.S. during the second quarter bringing the total to 29.81 million U.S. subscribers. 

Morgan Stanley's Scott Devitt and John Egbert believe that Netflix's original series are "yielding tangible benefits to member singups and churn."

While Netflix wouldn't reveal actual viewership numbers for its original series it did note that it has renewed all of its series for a second season. Hastings emphasized the importance of the company renewing its original series as, "a very positive sign". 

Netflix also pointed out that it will produce original documentaries and stand-up comedy specials as a way to attract new members.

The company's newest series, "Orange Is The New Black" is doing better than Emmy-nominated, "House of Cards" and all other shows the company has released.

Each original series is doing better than the last which you could argue is a good thing. As long as Netflix can continue to demonstrate to investors and Wall Street that it is scaling quickly and effectively it will continue to perform well.

SEE ALSO: What Wall Street's Short-Sellers Are Thinking About After Netflix's Earnings Webcast

Join the conversation about this story »

Stephen Colbert called out Kevin Spacey on Wednesday for receiving nine Emmy nominations despite "House of Cards" not being a real "TV show."

"I've got a beef about this," Colbert said. "It's an Internet show. ... Why should you get an award for TV when you're not on TV? Defend yourself."

Spacey aced his rebuttal, arguing that the "House of Cards" model complements the changing way people consume television.

"I think that what's been remarkable about how the audience has responded to "House of Cards"— all 13 [episodes] of the first season coming out all at once — is that they are in control," Spacey said. "They can watch it how they want to watch it. They want to binge on all 13? They can."

Colbert then challenged Spacey on the believability of the show's main character: a white Democrat from South Carolina, Colbert's homestate.

Spacey replied, "It's obviously a fictional show, because it's also [about] a Congress that gets s--- done."

The conversation got heated when Spacey compared "House of Cards" and "Colbert Report" viewerships, prompting Colbert to brag that he already won his Emmy. 

Naturally, Spacey leapt from his chair, stole Colbert's Emmy from the mantle, and made Colbert chase him around stage for it.

Watch the clip:

SEE ALSO: Kevin Spacey Says 'House of Cards' Proves TV Is Smarter Than Music Industry

Join the conversation about this story »

The Netflix original series "House of Cards" has gotten a slew of good press since its premier earlier this year, and it's the first of its kind to get an Emmy nomination.

But don't count Barney Frank, the former U.S. Rep. from Massachusetts, among its fans. In an opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald Sunday, Frank went step-by-step through the "fictional misrepresentation of political reality" that is Kevin Spacey's portrayal of a Majority Whip denied a promised Secretary of State nomination and seeking revenge. 

Frank insists that he's not interested in a dramatic criticism of the show — which he concedes is well acted — but rather a serial misrepresentation of government that might give Americans the wrong idea about what their elected officials are up to. 

Spacey plays a South Carolina Congressman and House Majority Whip. For Frank, the problems start there and don't stop. The character is too "perfect," but also "wholly amoral," a caricatured combination Frank insists he's never found in an actual politician. 

The problems with the plot are numerous and significant, Frank writes: Spacey wields way too much power for a majority whip. D.C. officials are unrealistically eager to help out corrupt national politicians. And "amoral superhero" Spacey's capacity for manipulation of anyone and everyone in politics is constantly exaggerated. 

But aren't TV representations of real-world institutions always unrealistic? Maybe, but not every show is as preposterously unbelievable as "House of Cards," Frank writes.  He cites "The West Wing," with a line-up of humanly imperfect politicians who sometimes make mistakes and doubt themselves, as a more accurate representation of government. 

Even though he's only watched three episodes and admits that the dramatic inaccuracies could be cleared up later in the season, Frank worries that the damage has been done. 

"What troubles me," he writes, "is that people will watch this, think that this is the way government functions and be further disillusioned from trying to influence it." 

Frank isn't the first politician to weigh in on "House of Cards," both for accuracy and entertainment value. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) called it "highly entertaining" but "not very realistic," while Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) said the Spacey-portrayed power-hungry Congressman really isn't all that different from the real residents of Capitol Hill. 

Join the conversation about this story »

The government has shut down for the first time since 1996, and The New York Daily News went after Republicans in the crudest way possible.

The latest cover of the prominent tabloid shows Speaker of the House John Boehner seated at the Lincoln Memorial — under the headline "House of Turds" (a nod to "House of Cards") — with something dripping from his hands. 

SEE ALSO: The Government Has Shut Down, And Here's The GOP's Next Move

Join the conversation about this story »

Netflix just released its first teaser trailer for the second season of its original program "House of Cards" featuring Kevin Spacey.

It doesn't show much — just actress Robin Wright smoking — but does tease a return date of February 14. So Happy (early) Valentine's Day.

The show won three primetime Emmys earlier this year.

SEE ALSO: New "Amazing Spider-Man 2" poster hints at multiple villains

Join the conversation about this story »

What a year for TV – so many moments of audacious creativity, from groundbreaking dramas like Game of Thrones to that VH1 flick about TLC.

From the Red Wedding to "Red Light Special," these were the greatest TV moments of 2013: Russian spies, New Orleans witches, bloody swords, sex doctors, prison, politics, Stephen Colbert getting lucky and Walter White saying goodnight.

Check out the best moments >

Kanye West Vs. Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC

Yeah, nothing happened. But that just made their face-to-face confrontation seem more real. It was a timely reminder of what TV still does better than any other medium – famous people acting crazy in real time. No disrespect to Ben Affleck.

Kevin Spacey Goes to Church

House of Cards, Netflix

As a fabulously corrupt Congressman, Spacey struts through Capitol Hill, cutting one throat after another. Toward the end, he stops into the chapel to light a prayer candle and muse, "There is no solace above or below. Only us, small, solitary, striving. Battling one another. I pray to myself. For myself." And this is how the man talks in church.

The Clone Wars of 'Orphan Black'

Orphan Black, BBC America

This sci-fi oddity got slept on, stranded in the wastelands of BBC America. Sarah, a fugitive grifter, sits alone on a train and makes eye contact with a stranger on the platform who looks exactly like her – then sees her jump in front of an oncoming train.

But when Sarah steals the corpse's purse, she begins to realize she's just one of many clones. With Tatiana Maslany playing all these different clones, it's a mind-warp like no other.

Netflix is out with a new trailer for "House of Cards," Season 2 of which premiers on Feb. 14. 

Season 2 kicks off with Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) stepping into a new role as vice president — one he helped carefully craft for himself. In the trailer, he is already declaring that the "butchery begins."

Meanwhile, investigative reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) is putting together the pieces on a huge story (along with fellow reporter Janine Skorsky, played by Constance Zimmer) revealing the truth of what happened between Frank and Peter Russo. 

"For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain," Frank says in the trailer, "there can be no mercy."

Here's the trailer:

Join the conversation about this story »

If you weren't pleased with the teaser trailer for "House of Cards" released at the beginning of the month, Netflix just released a new, longer one that should satisfy. 

Kevin Spacey's back as Frank Underwood and ruthless as ever.

Here's the plot synopsis for the new season from Netflix:

Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has masterfully maneuvered his way into the Vice Presidency, but his ascension faces threats on all fronts...

Investigative reporter Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) is inching closer to the truth about Frank and Peter Russo (Corey Stoll) and will stop at nothing to break the story.

And Frank's wife Claire (Robin Wright), the newly appointed Second Lady, must deal with the bright glare of the spotlight and how the intense scrutiny eats away at their once private existence.

The series returns to Netflix February 14.

SEE ALSO: The teaser trailer for HoC released earlier this month

Join the conversation about this story »

Ahead of a meeting with tech CEOs including Reed Hastings and Marissa Mayer to discuss NSA surveillance, Obama made an aside about whether the Netflix CEO brought along advanced copies of "House of Cards" season 2. 

Hastings took the opportunity to casually joke that Obama should make a cameo on the Emmy-winning series.  

Though Obama didn't respond, he instead commented how he wished DC worked more like the fictional series. 

“I wish things were that ruthlessly efficient,” said Obama. “It’s true. It’s like Kevin Spacey, man this guy’s getting a lot of stuff done.” 

Watch the scene captured below. 

"House of Cards" returns to Netflix February 14.

SEE ALSO: Watch the first intense trailer for the new season

Join the conversation about this story »

Netflix just released another new trailer for "House of Cards" season 2 and it's even better than the first.

Now that Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) has accepted a nomination for Vice President, will he be able to maintain his power or is he getting ahead of himself?

Season two of "House of Cards" returns to Netflix February 14.

If you can't wait until then Netflix recently released commentary on all of season one which can be accessed through the subtitles menu.

SEE ALSO: The first trailer for the series return

Join the conversation about this story »

While season 2 of "House of Cards" hasn't even premiered yet, Netflix is already working on season 3.

"House of Cards" actress Robin Wright confirmed the news at a press event for the series saying filming on the new season will begin soon.

Earlier today, Netflix announced it was raising $400 million so it can produce more original series.

Co-executive producer Rick Cleveland previously told Gold Derby he believed the series would only go 26 episodes because Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright do movies.

Season 2 of "House of Cards" will be released February 14 on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: A trailer for season 2 of "House of Cards"

Join the conversation about this story »

Yesterday, Netflix took out $400 million in new debt to begin expanding in Europe and investing in more original series. Both of these factors are crucial for Netflix's continued evolution.

Content costs can be so high they derail otherwise reasonable web TV projects. Intel abandoned its experiment OnCue after failing to make headway in content acquisition, and ended up selling the unit to Verizon for $200 million.

Apple has been rumored to have a TV in the works for a while now. But there are rumors it is now delayed to 2015 because content deals take so long.

A recent New York Times profile of "House Of Cards" show-runner Beau Willimon shows how Netflix believes it has unlocked this puzzle. The story explains that Netflix had two big flaws in its early business model. Content was expensive, and the best syndicated TV shows kept getting snapped up by cable channels:

Around three years ago, Netflix realized it had a problem: It was paying large sums to license other people’s content — TV shows and movies produced by other companies — in order to then show them to you, the Netflix subscriber, at home. This initially proved successful, but there were two troubling aspects to this model: 1) It left Netflix very vulnerable to competition, since the shows and movies it licensed could, theoretically, be licensed by anyone willing to outbid them, and 2) the most popular TV shows, episodic dramas like “CSI” and sitcoms like “The Big Bang Theory,” were already being sold for huge deals into syndication at basic cable channels like TBS and USA.

The content Netflix could afford to buy was long-form serialized drama:

What was left to Netflix were the kind of serialized shows that don’t typically play well in syndication, like “Lost” and “Breaking Bad,” which have complicated story arcs that compel a viewer to watch all the episodes in order. Traditionally, while these kinds of serialized shows could be big hits in their initial broadcast runs, they proved tough sells to aftermarkets, precisely because of the demands they placed on the audience.

Syndicated serial dramas are a tough sell for cable channels because viewers need to watch them from the beginning or they won't understand them. Lose the audience in the first couple of episodes, and you've lost them for good.

Netflix also noticed that its own viewer data showed that people would binge-watch serial dramas in a way that they would not do for sitcoms.

That's why Netflix launched "House of Cards" and "Orange Is the New Black"— they're both the type of show that people will watch on-demand when they have a free day, but cannot dip in and out of if they were syndicated in fixed timeslots on cable TV.

Here's where the $400 million comes in: if Netflix can create for itself the shows it would normally have bought in syndication, and create shows that lend themselves to binge-watching rather than a dip-in/dip-out cable format, then it will end up with the same (or more) content but be able to control the price.

And with interest rates near zero, the money is cheap to borrow. Given the returns — Netflix revenue rose 24% to $1.2 billion — it would almost be more expensive not to borrow it.

Join the conversation about this story »