Quality television is difficult to define as it is subjective, however television scholars have theorised which elements define quality TV. Netflix’s original television show House of Cards demonstrates the characteristics often used to describe a quality TV show. The show follows majority house whip Frank Underwood’s plight for vengeance against the politicians who wronged him and his manipulative plan to gain power. The political drama stars Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and notable film actors Robin Wright and Kate Mara, and is produced by acclaimed film director David Fincher.

The show is an American remake of the BBC drama of the same name, supporting its sense of quality. The BBC attracts viewers of higher wealth who are interested in societal and political issues. Netflix’s wish to attract viewers of a similar calibre can be seen with their acquiring of the rights to the show. “To the US television industry… the term quality describes the demographics of the audience. Delivering a quality audience means delivering whatever demographic advertisers seek, or in the case of premium cable, attracting an audience with enough disposable income to pay extra for TV” (McCabe & Akass 2007, pg. 147). The political drama genre appeals to upper-middle class viewers with a disposable income that Netflix is interested in attracting to subscribe to their streaming service (Stanley 2014).

Season 1 Trailer for House of Cards

Netflix bid out HBO to gain the rights to the show, demonstrating its wish to become known as the home of quality entertainment, which HBO is synonymous with (Hass 2013). Chief content officer Ted Sarandos states Netflix’s goal is to “become HBO faster than they can become us” (Hass 2013), producing high quality TV programs that can compete with the cable station. House of Cards does have elements that are found in many of the shows produced by HBO and have become synonymous with quality TV. These elements include adult themes, depiction of nudity, sex, drug & alcohol use, manipulative anti-hero characters, and serious themes (McCabe & Akass 2007).

Thompson (cited in McCabe &Akass 2007, pg. 8) argues that “quality (drama) has become a genre in itself, complete with its own set of formulaic characteristics.” While these characteristics differentiate between nations, American quality TV is often defined by its high production value, esteemed actors, visual style created through innovative camerawork and editing, serious themes, and reflect contemporary society (McCabe & Akass 2007). High production value is often associated with large budgets, with Netflix paying $100 million to produce the first two seasons of House of Cards (Hass 2013). The critically acclaimed actors, directors and producers support its perception of being a quality TV show. The shows brutally honest insight into the inner workings of the White House reflect the belief commonly shared by the American public that politicians are only interested in their own personal gain, rather than the common good of the country (Stanley 2014).

Quality TV has become synonymous with complex narratives, as demonstrated by House of Cards. “This model of television storytelling is distinct for its use of narrative complexity as an alternative to the conventional episodic and serial forms that typified most American television” (Mittell 2006, pg. 29). This style of narrative differs from episodic television as episodes are not self-contained, however, complex narrative is serialised with long-form storylines (Mittell 2012). Serial narratives are more character-driven, delving into their psychological states as the audience must enjoy watching the characters in order to be kept intrigued by the slow-progressing storylines (Mittell 2010). This can be demonstrated in House of Cards as the audience is given an insight into Frank’s psyche and his plan to gain control of the White House is a long campaign, taking the first season until he is appointed Vice President. The audience is also given further insight into Frank’s psyche with his breaking of the fourth wall and speaking directly to the camera about who he encounters and how he will manipulate them.

The first season of House of Cards was praised highly by critics and fans alike, with the subsequent seasons also gaining high praise. The ultimate reward for cementing a show’s quality status is that of award nominations and wins. The show became Netflix’ first original program to win an Emmy, and has won a total of three Emmys and 2 Golden Globes (Dodes 2014). The critical acclaim, awards, and positive fan reception of House of Cards has resulted in an increase of Netflix subscribers, with Netflix gaining 2.3 million more subscribers as a result of its streaming of the first season (Dodes 2014).

House of Cards’ complex narrative, long-form storylines, character-driven narrative, adult themes and appeal to a wealthier demographic makes it a quality Netflix original production.

WORKS CITED:

Dodes, R 2014, ‘The Most Devious Man in D.C.; Kevin Spacey Discusses ‘House of Cards’, TV’s Business Model and Today’s Washington’, Wall Street Journal, 30 January, viewed 15 October 2015, ProQuest Central Database.

Hass, N 2013, ‘And the Award for the Next HBO Goes To…’, GQ, 29 January, viewed 16 October 2015, <http://www.gq.com/story/netflix-founder-reed-hastings-house-of-cards-arrested-development&gt;

McCabe J & Akass, K 2007, Quality TV : Contemporary American Television and Beyond, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, London, viewed 15 October 2015, EBL Ebook Library Database.

Mittell, J 2006, ‘Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television’, The Velvet Light Trap volume 1, number 58, pp. 29-40, viewed 26 October 2015, <https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/the_velvet_light_trap/v058/58.1mittell.html&gt;

Mittell, J 2010, On Disliking Mad Men, WordPress, viewed 26 October 2015, < https://justtv.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/on-disliking-mad-men/&gt;

Mittell, J 2012, Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, pre-publication edition, MediaCommons Press, viewed 26 October 2015, < http://mcpress.media-commons.org/complextelevision/&gt;

Stanley, A 2014, ‘How Absolute Power Can Delight Absolutely’, The New York Times, 14 February, viewed 15 October 2015, Free E-Journals Database.