Update, October 31: On Tuesday, Media Rights Capital and Netflix announced that production on House of Cards’ sixth season has been suspended indefinitely in the wake of the accusations against Kevin Spacey. “MRC and Netflix have decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew,” the joint statement reads.
Netflix announced on Monday that the sixth season of House of Cards, which is currently filming, will be its last. The season will air in 2018, and Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese—who replaced series creator Beau Willimon in 2016—are expected to return as co-showrunners.
This closes the door on a series that is widely credited for helping Netflix become the streaming powerhouse it is today. When the show premiered in 2013, Netflix had just dipped its toes in original programming, and it was still uncommon for big-name actors like Kevin Spacey and costar Robin Wright to lead a streaming-only TV series. In its first five seasons, House of Cards received 46 Emmy nominations—including five Best Actor nominations for Spacey—and six wins.
The cancellation comes less than 24 hours after actor Anthony Rapp said in an interview with BuzzFeed News that Spacey made unwanted sexual advances toward him in 1986, when he was just 14 years old. There are conflicting reports on whether Rapp’s allegations played a role in Netflix choosing to end House of Cards: according to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision has been “in the works since the summer,” though Deadline reports that Netflix made the call on Monday, in the wake of the accusations.
On Sunday night, Spacey apologized on Twitter for his “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” though he also said he does not remember the incident with Rapp.
Shortly after it announced that House of Cards was ending, Netflix addressed the allegations against Spacey in a joint statement with the show’s producer, Media Rights Capital. “Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey,” the statement reads. “In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”
