[Sandpiper]

I am enjoying it.  Political intrigue is not something I usually watch.  I'm on episode 3 (or maybe it's 4).  Very different / interesting the way Spacey's character sometimes talks to the camera / viewers.  Sometimes he only half does it.  I'm not sure if he's talking to another character or the camera.  He's the only character that does it.  I will say that southern accent takes me slightly out of House of Cards and into Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil.  When he goes from interior scenes to exterior, I'm expecting to see Savannah, GA -- not D.C.

Is it a one season / 13 episode show or will there be more depending on viewership?

 

[JimJ]

I am enjoying it. Political intrigue is not something I usually watch. I'm on episode 3 (or maybe it's 4). Very different / interesting the way Spacey's character sometimes talks to the camera / viewers. Sometimes he only half does it. I'm not sure if he's talking to another character or the camera. He's the only character that does it. I will say that southern accent takes me slightly out of House of Cards and into Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. When he goes from interior scenes to exterior, I'm expecting to see Savannah, GA -- not D.C.

Is it a one season / 13 episode show or will there be more depending on viewership?

I'm loving it so far. Kevin Spacey is great. I've watched the first three so far. I just looked it up and Netflix guaranteed 26 episodes when they bought the show, so it seems there'll be a season 2 no matter what.

 

[Shayne Parkinson]

I love the original (British) series, and the two that came after. It got to the point that when the protagonist looked at me, I wanted to hide behind the sofa. He went from charming to scary very readily.

His talking to the audience goes with the Shakespearean tone and references (at least in the original). It's rather like a soliloquy.

 

[Chad Winters]

I'm waiting for reviews, I love the idea of original Netflix programming but these political ones usually end up "liberals good....conservatives evil hypocrites". I can skip that

Now something more realistic like "all politicians = evil hypocrites" I could live with

 

[teashopgirl]

I'm also 3 episodes in. I think the plotting and the characters are interesting, but I wish Spacey's accent was a little less noticeable. And I think he talks to the camera too much...the episode writers should trust the viewer to see layers without being told directly what's up all the time. Still, I plan to finish the season.

 

[Scheherazade]

I have zero interest in the premise, but I plan to watch it after I finish marathoning Supernatural just to support them in doing more of their original programming.  I did the same thing with Lilyhammer (another premise I thought I'd hate) and I absolutely loved it and watched it in one sitting.  It's nice that Netflix is starting to make people question the viability of cable networks by giving people what they want when they want for a fair price.  It's pretty great to be able to watch a show that isn't constrained by a time slot and chopped up with mini cliffhangers to allow for commercial breaks.  Not to mention no having to wait a week for the next episode.  This, or something like it, should be the future of television, but most networks are too interested in stopping piracy rather than providing a cure for it.

 

[DYB]

There will definitely be another 13 episodes; Netflix agreed to two up front.

There have already been quite a few reviews out (NYTimes, Entertainment Weekly, etc.) and all have been raves.

I'm not a big fan of Spacey in general, but this is the sort of role he can play well. It should be noted that the first two episodes were directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, The Social Network, etc.), who is also one of the executive producers on the series. So there are some very serious folks behind it. And the cast is fantastic.

 

[Meemo]

We started watching this week, and are 5 or 6 episodes in.  Very well done.  Interesting, complex characters.  And definitely not the usual good liberals vs bad conservatives formula (as much as I loved The West Wing, that always bothered me).  Honestly I couldn't tell you right now whether Spacey's character is a Democrat or Republican.  And I kinda like the sly winks at & asides to the viewer.  Glad there's a second season coming. 

And I seriously need to catch up on Arrested Development before the Netflix episodes start up.  Can't believe I've never watched before.  I started watching last summer when I was recovering from surgery but only got through the first season. 

 

[teashopgirl]

I'm pretty sure he's a Democrat, but it doesn't really seem to matter. I've just watched 2 more and I'm pretty hooked.

 

[JimJ]

I'm waiting for reviews, I love the idea of original Netflix programming but these political ones usually end up "liberals good....conservatives evil hypocrites". I can skip that

Now something more realistic like "all politicians = evil hypocrites" I could live with

Still only three episodes in (been too busy marathoning Doctor Who to get back to House of Cards) and it definitely seems to be more of the second one. Spacey's character is a Democrat but is very cynical and seems to care much more about his own ambitions and machinations than any kind of party loyalty.

 

[DYB]

It's more about all politicians being horrible, without party affiliations, though the main character is a Democrat.  He's not one of the nice guys.  "House of Cards" is a little bit like "Veep" without the jokes.

 

[JimJ]

Bumping this up as season 2 goes live in about 30 minutes.  Just finished a season 1 re-watch binge and am now watching the clock.

EDIT: No spoilers, but that first episode was crazy! 

 

[Meemo]

So excited that it's back - I'm sure DH and I will be watching ASAP - we pretty much mainlined season 1 last year. We should probably rewatch the last show of the first season as a refresher.

 

[Sandpiper]

I just finished watching last episode of season 2!!  When does 3 start??

 

[Meemo]

Not soon enough - we pretty much mask lined season 2 - then had a House of Cards hangover!  Then we switched to True Detective. Also really good, in a different way.

 

[spotsmom]

I just started watching this series.  With Spacey's character being from Gaffney, SC (a real town, by the way) the accent is normal.  There actually is a large peach water tower somewhere down that way!  But we, also, think of Garden of Good and Evil.

I heard the original (British) series was better.  Would one have to be totally familiar with British politics to watch it?

What's scary about "Cards" is that this is probably precisely how things get done in DC...

 

[spotsmom]

Just finished the 1st season.  I don't know how all of you waited so long to see what happened  Of course, I hear the 3rd season won't be expected until mid-2015 so I guess I should watch season 2 s-l-o-w-l-y!

 

[Shastastan]

Just watched episode 1 of Season 1.  I thought it moved a little slowly.  Does it get more "exciting?"  Seems sort of like a soap opera, to me, so far.

 

[Free Range Editor]

"House of Cards" is a little bit like "Veep" without the jokes.

My son interned on Capitol Hill one summer. It completely killed his interest in politics. His comment was that it was not enough like "West Wing," and too much like "Veep." But we're both big House of Cards fans. Marathoned (OK, so that's not a word) both seasons right after they hit Netflix.

 

[spotsmom]

Just watched episode 1 of Season 1. I thought it moved a little slowly. Does it get more "exciting?" Seems sort of like a soap opera, to me, so far.

It picked up, for us, after about 3 or 4 episodes. We watched a couple every night. We got to the point we "couldn't put it down".