It’s a depressing moment that we’ve all experienced – that sinking feeling, when you’ve spent years following a television program and investing in its characters, but suddenly feel the quality starting to slip. On rare occasions, long-running shows can rebound from a dodgy season, but most soon begin to unravel, haemorrhaging viewers as the inevitable cancellation nears.
I experienced this feeling last year while watching the fifth season of Netflix’s House of Cards. When it debuted in 2013, I was immediately captivated by the 21st century remake of the 1990 BBC miniseries, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. In a simpler political climate, before the real-life president had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the show conjured a specific brand of Hollywood-meets-Washington drama, its razor-sharp dialogue guiding us through hurtling, but meticulously placed, plot twists. If there’s one show that ushered in Netflix’s era of binge-friendly television, it’s this one.
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