Will There Be A ‘House of Cards’ Season 6?

As we bid farewell to Netflix original series like Bloodline, The Get Down, and Sense 8, it’s hard not to wonder what show might be next on the chopping block. The fifth season of political drama House of Cards recently hit the platform, and while the critical response has certainly improved since its middling third season, it’s hard to know what series are safe anymore. Season 5 ends with a moment that is effective as both a cliffhanger to get viewers pumped for a potential Season 6 and an ambiguous series finale, and fought against the predictions of critics who thought the show might flail after the departure of Beau Willimon. The massive success of the series both critically and across awards shows indicates that it would be unthinkable to cancel, but Netflix has yet to confirm a sixth season. So what’s the deal? A renewal seems likely, but the minds behind House of Cards have made it clear that they’re always prepared for whatever decision comes their way.

Showrunners Frank Pugliese and Melissa James Gibson, who took over after Willimon left, discussed the show’s future with The Hollywood Reporter last week and all the big cliffhangers left open-ended by Season 5, and they seemed optimistic. They went into production on Season 5 without a guarantee for 6, so the finale was intended to function as both a season and series finale. “Working on television, you have a sense that if it had to end there’s a way to end it, but there is almost always a plan for what it would mean to keep going forward.” The ending, which sees Claire Underwood finally take her shot at power and speak directly to the audience, certainly does the job. “That’s the trick. It has to feel like an organic ending and an organic payoff to the arc of the season and in this case, I think you could argue that it really could go either way. We were happy to hopefully leave the viewers wanting more,” said Gibson.

The cast, including stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, and Michael Kelly, are not contracted for Season 6 yet, but that is apparently typical of the series. “They technically don’t have to tell us yet,” said Kelly. When Wright spoke to THR last week, she referenced the sixth season as if it was a done deal. “All I can tell you is after season five, things are complicated and interesting for Frank,” she responded when asked about a potential Season 6. “And things are going to become very interesting for Claire.” Boris McGiver, who plays reporter Tom Hammerschmidt, also seemed to be in the dark about future seasons, but was apparently operating on the assumption that it was happening: “I think they are scouting for next season.”

It seems completely implausible that Netflix wouldn’t renew their first original series and the show that essentially put them on the map, so our best guess is that we’ll see a new season in mid to late 2018. If the show were to get impeached, we’re sure President Underwood would have a helluva lot to say about it.