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'House of Cards' S4 trailer shows it has some intrigue left
While Netflix has already dropped a couple of teasers for the next season of its flagship series, the official House of Cards season four trailer gives viewers their first extended look at some new footage. Poll results suggest that most of you (56 percent) are still riding with the Frank Underwood 2016 campaign, so take a peek and enjoy the final season produced under the guidance of show creator Beau Willimon. (Otherwise, you can also check out new trailers for Fuller House, Judd Apatow's series Love and The Art of Organized Noize documentary that's coming to Netflix March 22nd.)
Netflix is bringing 'House of Cards' back for S5 in 2017
The Frank Underwood 2016 campaign doesn't kick off until March 4th, but Netflix is already announcing that its flagship original series House of Cards will be back again in 2017. There is a major change in store for season five, as it will be without creator, writer and showrunner Beau Willimon. As Willimon's Twitter profile explains, he's been working on HoC for the last five years, so it could be that this is just to take some time off. Update: Beau Willimon has issued a statement of his own, saying "it's time for me to move on with new endeavors." You can read it in full below.
Amazon beats Netflix to take home two Golden Globes
The 2016 Golden Globes ceremony was held last night, once again highlighting Amazon and its growing repertoire of high-quality TV shows. Mozart in the Jungle, which follows a group of orchestral musicians and the conductor Rodrigo De Souza, picked up two awards for the best comedy or musical TV series and the best performance by an actor in a comedy or musical TV show. Amazon's Transparent was also in the hunt for both accolades, but failed to outshine its streaming-exclusive rival.
'House of Cards' season four is coming March 4th
While a field of contenders vied for attention during tonight's Republican debate, Netflix took the occasion to reveal Frank Underwood's 2016 campaign plans. House of Cards and its star character/villain will be back for a fourth run next year on March 4th, and there's already an FU2016 website up to push its candidacy. The ad itself is only a brief 30-second teaser that you can watch without expecting any spoilers, check it out below.
China smashes sales records during its version of Black Friday
In the US there's Black Friday, but in China, they get all their big online shopping discounts on November 11 aka "Singles Day" instead. As of 4:28am ET today, Alibaba's Tmall, the Chinese equivalent of Amazon, has already made over $11 billion which broke last year's record of $8.97 billion. As reminded by our friends over at TechCrunch, both numbers from that platform alone beat the entire US' online sales of last year's Thanksgiving and Black Friday combined. It's no wonder Alibaba could afford to hire Frank Underwood Kevin Spacey and James Bond Daniel Craig to kick off this year's party.
'House of Cards' season three is now available on Netflix
It's been too long since we had lovable psychopath Frank Underwood in our lives, which is why it's so good to see him back on Netflix. The third season of House of Cards is now available on the streaming service, although eagle-eyed viewers may have caught the first episode when it leaked on February 11th. Oh, and your boss probably reads this site too, so if you suddenly come down with a 24-hour case of bubonic plague, you can expect a frosty reception come Monday.
What's on your HDTV: 'Citizenfour', 'House of Cards' and 'Big Hero 6'
It's almost time. This week the third season of House of Cards will come to Netflix streaming, and based on the early peek we got courtesy of a glitch, it's pretty good. As usual you can expect it at about 3AM ET on Friday morning, along with a new stand-up comedy special from Ralphie May. Until then however, there's plenty of other choices, like the award-winning Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour, which premieres tonight on HBO at 9PM. On Blu-ray Big Hero 6, Beyond the Lights and Whiplash bring excellent options with Oscars credibility, while on TV we have the series finale of Parks & Recreation. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Netflix's 'House of Cards' season three arrived early -- briefly
We don't know why, but the third season of House of Cards popped up on Netflix today, well ahead of the planned February 27th release date. It appears to be gone again now (our stream of episode one is still going until Netflix rips it from our cold, dead browser tab) but that's the life of online distribution, we guess. Maybe next time someone should label the "Cuba" and "HoC" switches a little more clearly? Update: According to Netflix a "technical glitch" caused the early release, but we should still expect the debut to proceed as planned in a couple of weeks.
Amazon scores two Golden Globes, Netflix debuts House of Cards trailer
Tonight's Golden Globe Awards were a triumph for internet TV services, as Amazon and Netflix scored wins for their original series -- all on a night when the big four broadcast networks didn't win any. Amazon had two awards to Netflix's one, and won their head to head battle as its hit Transparent triumphed in the "Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy" category that included Orange is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Jane the Virgin and Girls. Series star Jeffrey Tambor collected the other award for Best Actor in a TV Comedy. Netflix won a single award (Kevin Spacey, Best Actor in a TV Drama, House of Cards) but might have given us the best moment of the evening by releasing a trailer for House of Cards season three. It's embedded after the break if you need a taste of the Underwoods before the new season debuts worldwide on February 27th.
The third season of 'House of Cards' arrives on February 27th, 2015
If you rushed through House of Cards' second season and have been wondering when you could see more of Frank Underwood's political machinations, wonder no longer. Netflix has revealed that the third season of its best-known streaming TV series will be available on February 27th, 2015. The teaser (below) doesn't do much more than provide the launch date and remind you of Underwood's new role, but that's all you need to know, really -- the important thing is that you can marathon new episodes in just under three months' time.
Netflix data didn't feed House of Cards' success, 'the bliss of ignorance' did
The opening scene of the Netflix original House of Cards, in which a dog is killed by the lead character, certainly isn't for the faint of heart. So much so that some people made the decision to stop watching right as Frank Underwood finished saying he has "no patience for useless things," and ended the canine's life shortly after it had been run over and left to suffer on the street. And if you've watched the show, then you know Frank wouldn't be Frank without doing such unsettling things. Yes, it was a powerful and very risky way to kick off a new style of series, but it is one that set the tone for the House of Cards we've now become familiar with, regardless of how appalling it may have been. For Beau Willimon, the man responsible for turning an old UK TV series into a show based on American politics, if you can't handle that scene, then you're not meant to watch the show.
Sony's streamer lets you watch one show (House of Cards) in 4K for £350
If you spent a fortune on the first Sony Bravia UltraHD TVs, it may have hurt to find out that Netflix was only streaming 4K using a format (H.265) that doesn't work on those sets. Sony has now righted that wrong with the FMP-X5 4K media streamer, specifically made for European-only owners of the KD-84X9005, KD-65X9005A and KD-55X9005A Bravia TVs. House of Cards is the only 4K show available for it from Netflix (or anywhere else) right now, but the streaming outfit said that others, like Breaking Bad, will be arriving soon. The other drawback is a rather hefty £350 sticker (direct from Sony), but if you were an early adopter for one of those models, we think you can manage it.
House of Cards S2 Blu-ray goes on sale June 19th for those who prefer a hard copy
House of Cards may be most famous for leading the charge of Netflix's original streaming content, but the show's producer Media Rights Capital is ready for all avenues. Just like the first season, season two will get a release on physical discs this summer from Sony Pictures. Frank Underwood's Washington D.C. escapades are ready for viewing in 1080p, and although that's not 4K, at least your ISP's connection to Netflix can't get in the way. One change this year is that there are a few extras on the discs including a behind the scenes look at a table read and dive into Frank's tendency to directly address the viewer -- we'll have to wait and see if Netflix adds special features to the streaming editions before the next season arrives. There's no pricetag yet, but the first season started off at about $50 before settling in near $30, and we'd expect about the same for this one.
Got Comcast? You can watch House of Cards without a Netflix subscription
Have you been eager to watch House of Cards, but haven't wanted to spring for a Netflix subscription? If you're a Comcast subscriber, you no longer have to. The cable firm has reached a deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that lets subscribers buy the first season of House of Cards through the Xfinity Store on their set-top boxes. Orange is the New Black will reach the store on May 13th. The arrangement also gives provides access to some hotter Sony movies and TV shows before the usual video on demand release window, including American Hustle and Breaking Bad. Netflix still has exclusive streaming rights for its shows, but that shouldn't be a problem for Comcast customers with a little extra cash on hand.
House of Cards season two is ready for viewing on Netflix
After an all-too-long wait, the second season of House of Cards is available for streaming on Netflix. Season one (feel free to revisit it with director's commentary if you like) wasn't Netflix's first foray into streaming (regionally) exclusive content, but the series has served as its highest profile jewel, winning awards -- the first ever streaming exclusive nominated for a primetime Emmy -- and garnering critical praise for all involved. That includes producers Beau Willimon and David Fincher, as well as stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara. As is Netflix's custom, the entire season is available for viewing so whether you want to watch it all in one sitting, skip directly to the last episode and work back from there, or take it one week at a time old-school style, it's all up to you. Naturally a third season is in the works, so whenever you finish, take solace in knowing that it's not over for good. Let us know how your viewing party is working out in the comments below, however, as the Commander in Chief has asked -- no spoilers, please (if you can't start watching right away, try Netflix's Spoiler Foiler tool for browsing Twitter).
Must See HDTV for the week of February 11th: Winter Olympics, House of Cards
For the next couple of weeks it will be all-Winter Olympics, all the time, but what about TV that's not curling, speed skating and some combination of skiing and shooting? Fans of Netflix's House of Cards have had Valentine's Day circled for quite a while now, since that's when season two will make its streaming debut. Non-Olympic sports fans have NBA All-Star weekend and the beginning of Daytona 500 qualifying to look forward to, while games can check out World of Tanks on Xbox 360 and Far Cry Classic on Xbox 360 and PS3. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Netflix passes bill for the third season of House of Cards
Before the start of season two on Valentine's Day, Netflix has a gift for the legions of House of Cards fans. Deadline reports that the streaming outfit confirmed that it has renewed the political drama for a third season. When the series started, it was planned as a two-season run with a $100 million investment in tow, so this marks the first renewal for Kevin Spacey & Co. Of course, it's no secret that the show has continued to gain momentum while amassing a respectable trophy case. And don't forget: it'll even be in 4K.
Netflix plans season 3 of Lilyhammer, new show based on Marco Polo
Netflix's exclusive content push is rolling on, starting with news that Lilyhammer will return for a third season later this year. As usual Netflix hasn't released viewer numbers or statistics, but season two's eight episodes have apparently done well enough in a month to justify another go-round -- a good sign for the series that kicked off the service's focus on fresh content. This weekend, the streaming video service also netted its first Golden Globe Award as Robin Wright won for her part in House of Cards, and Netflix co-hosted an awards party with The Weinstein Company. The surprise however, is that the two had more to celebrate than their recent deal that will bring TWC movies exclusively to Netflix during their pay-TV window, starting in 2016. They're also working on a new TV series, focused on "the epic adventures of Marco Polo, a kinetic tale of high politics, masterful manipulation and deadly warfare among clashing empires." Due later this year, it joins other selections like HoC season two and Orange is the New Black season two on Netflix's slate of originals and will arrive at around the same time as the Wachowski-backed sci-fi series Sense8. As we've come to expect from such series, the nine-chapter Marco Polo production has a number of experienced names attached. That includes executive producer and creator John Fusco of Young Guns and Young Guns II fame, plus executive producer/director Dan Minahan, who not only carries credits from Game of Thrones and True Blood for HBO, but also wrote/directed one of our current Netflix streaming favorites, Series 7: The Contenders. Placed in 13th century China amid "a world replete with astonishing martial arts, sexual intrigue, political skullduggery and spectacular battles" this project is likely aimed directly towards fans of HBO's adult-themed hits and recent Starz history-based efforts like DaVinci's Demons and Spartacus.
This is what Netflix's 4K streaming looks like
Earlier today Netflix CEO Reed Hastings jumped into LG's press conference to confirm that his company will offer the second season of House of Cards in 4K, streamed directly to Ultra HD TVs from LG and others. Naturally then, we stopped by Netflix's Las Vegas hotel suite to check out the latest offerings and got an early preview. While Samsung showed off a demo of 4K Netflix last year, that video stream wasn't really live from the internet so this is our first true taste of Ultra HD content. Obviously it's a demonstration under controlled settings and non-final hardware, but watching the House of Cards season two trailer and a documentary clip came through impressively sharp. According to spokesperson Joris Evers, at first the super high-res streams will only be available via embedded Ultra HD TV apps since most devices aren't ready to decode h.265 HEVC compressed video yet. The demo we saw was actually running through a dedicated decoder, with two separate 4K video profiles set at about 11Mbps and 15Mbps (check after the break for a grab, not meant for quality comparison but to show the bitrate) that both seemed a clear upgrade over current 1080p feeds. We still don't know exactly when the Ultra HD video will be available, but that may depend on how quickly the next generation of TVs with support for the format hit the streets. Netflix has said it wants to be known as the place to go for 4K content and it appears to be well on its way -- assuming you have a healthy broadband connection, of course.
Netflix confirms it will stream House of Cards in 4K this year, posts full season two trailer
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings just crashed LG's CES 2014 press conference (we're sure he was invited) to announce, officially, that House of Cards will be one of the first shows available in 4K later this year. Already shot and mastered in 4K, the show is a natural fit, although it seems viewers will need to use the Netflix players embedded in their Ultra HD televisions to stream this show in the highest quality possible. We're going to ask Netflix how it plans to fit all those pixels through our skinny internet connections when we get a chance, but for now HoC fans can bite into a new season two trailer after the break.
