Netflix folds House of Cards amid Spacey claims

Netflix has cancelled the show that has been core to its popularity, House of Cards.

The show will end after the upcoming sixth season is complete, with the decision made public soon after allegations of sexual assault were made against its leading star and producer Kevin Spacey.

Earlier this week Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp claimed that Spacey made sexual advances toward him in 1986 when the actor was 14 years-old.

In response, Spacey issued a statement on social media saying he “did not remember the encounter”, but added he was “horrified” by what Rapp described.

House of Cards, a remake of Andrews Davies’ 1990s BBC miniseries, is considered the show that established SVOD service Netflix as a key player in the US and international original programming markets. The dark political drama, which stars Spacey as a machivellian politician, has been nominated for 53 Emmys.

In a statement Netflix said that, along with production partner Media Rights Capital, it is “deeply troubled” by the Spacey news.

“In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported,” the statement added. “As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”

It has been reported that Media Rights Capital has considered ending the show previously. Variety also first reported that Netflix and Media Rights are in early stages of development for a new House of Cards spinoff.

Meanwhile, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has also announced today that in light of the recent claims it will not honor Spacey with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award.

The news is the latest in a string of revelations to have appeared after Harvey Weinstein was accused of ongoing sexual assault earlier this month. Since then accusations have also been made about Amazon’s content head Roy Price and Nickelodeon’s Chris Savino among others, with the scandal spreading around the world to various industries and public figures.