Proving the phrase “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” staunchly incorrect, Netflix has recently decided that season six of their hit TV show House of Cards will be suspended.
The decisions comes after the recent allegations made against American actor and producer Kevin Spacey. Needless to say, fans of the show are not happy.
Already, calls are being made to swap out Spacey with Kevin James so that the show might continue, and reporters warn that the cancellation of the show would result in thousands of lost jobs.
Essentially, Netflix has to choose whether or not they’re going to let one man’s wrong doings pull their star show out of business.
From a business and publicity perspective, cancelling the series entirely would be a terrible move, especially for a show that came to define Netflix and jumpstart their success.
On the other side of the coin, continuing the show with Spacey is hardly an option, as any further screen time given to Spacey could be seen as support for his actions.
While die-hard fans of the show might be pleased that Netflix is staying true to the story, the media and public would likely be in uproar.
The final option, and what I personally believe to be their best, would be to continue the show without Spacey’s character, perhaps killing him off camera or some other manner of ending his role.
That way, the fans still get to watch their favourite series, albeit somewhat altered, and Netflix continues to broadcast their landmark hit without having to fire any staff but Spacey himself.
Ultimately, Netflix has to decide carefully which card they decide to remove, lest the whole house come crashing down.
Julien Shine
2A English & Literature
Graphic by Hershel Nashman
