'House of Cards' paints the portrait of an American monarchy

After months of drumming up hype with cheekily-timed previews, Netflix has released its first trailer for House of Cards' fifth season (not-so-coincidentally after President Trump's first 100 days)... and it's clear that the Underwoods will both have and want a lot on their plate. Not surprisingly, things pick up almost immediately where they left off: Frank and Claire are grappling with a heated presidential election, a troubled marriage, terrorism and journalists vowing to expose Frank's shady activity. Not that they're deterred, however. Frank imagines the couple remaining in power for decades, term limits be damned.

The familiar cast will remain (plus accomplished actors Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott). However, it's important to remember that the fifth season is the first to go without US series creator Beau Willimon -- it's up to existing showrunners Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese to take the reins. While we wouldn't expect a radical departure from House of Cards' successful formula, it'll represent the first time that the show goes without its key architect. There's certainly some risk involved. Although Netflix is much less dependent on the series for original content than it was when the show started, it would be a significant blow to Netflix if its marquee material didn't attract many viewers.