What is "house of cards"

n. 1 A structure made by laying cards perpendicularly on top of each other. 2 (context idiomatic English) A structure or argument built on a shaky foundation.

1. n. a speculative scheme that depends on unstable factors that the planner cannot control; "his proposal was nothing but a house of cards"; "a real estate bubble" [syn: bubble]

2. an unstable construction with playing cards; "he built three levels of his cardcastle before it collapsed" [syn: cardhouse, card-house, cardcastle]

House of Cards is a 1990 British political thriller television drama serial in four episodes, set after the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was televised by the BBC from 18 November to 9 December 1990, to critical and popular acclaim.

Andrew Davies adapted the story from a novel written by Michael Dobbs, a former Chief of Staff at Conservative Party headquarters. Neville Teller also dramatised Dobbs's novel for BBC World Service in 1996, and it had two television sequels ( To Play the King and The Final Cut). The opening and closing theme music for those TV series is entitled "Francis Urquhart's March."

House of Cards was ranked 84th in the British Film Institute list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000. In 2013, the serial and the Dobbs novel were the basis for a US adaptation set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by Netflix.

House of Cards may refer to:

• House of cards, a structure formed of playing cards, as a pastime

House of Cards is a 1968 mystery film directed by John Guillermin, starring George Peppard, Inger Stevens, and Orson Welles, and distributed by Universal Pictures. Filmed in France and Italy, it marked the second time that Peppard and Guillermin worked together (they had previously collaborated on the 1966 film The Blue Max).

House of Cards is a 1993 American drama film co-written and directed by Michael Lessac and starring Kathleen Turner and Tommy Lee Jones. It follows the struggle of a mother to reconnect with her daughter who has been traumatized by the death of her father. The film premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival before being acquired by Miramax Films for distribution in June of the same year.

"House of Cards" is a song by English rock band Radiohead from their seventh studio album In Rainbows (2007). The song was serviced to American modern rock radio on April 6, 2008 as the third single from the album. It was initially released promotionally alongside " Bodysnatchers" in the United Kingdom. The music video for "House of Cards", directed by James Frost, was produced using lidar technology and released in June 2008.

"House of Cards" is a song by Chicago-based rock band Madina Lake and is the fourth track on their debut album From Them, Through Us, To You, released in March 2007. It was also featured on the bands EP, The Disappearance of Adalia. It briefly charted on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 38.

House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street is the second book written by William D. Cohan. It was released on March 10, 2009 by Doubleday.

House of Cards is a studio album by Saga, their fourteenth album of new material.

House of Cards'' (Spanish:Castillo de naipes'') is a 1943 Spanish comedy film directed by Jerónimo Mihura and starring Blanca de Silos, Raúl Cancio and Manolo Morán.

"House oF Cards" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. it was released in March 1995 as the third single from the album Stones in the Road. The song reached #21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

The fourth season of the American web television drama series House of Cards was announced by Netflix via Twitter on April 2, 2015. Filming began on June 16, 2015. The season premiered on March 4, 2016.

"House Of Cards" is the first single from Australian rock musician James Reyne’s second studio album Hard Reyne released in (1989). It peaked at number 17 in Australia.

House of Cards is an American political drama web television series created by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of the BBC's mini-series of the same name and is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The entire first season, comprising thirteen episodes, premiered on February 1, 2013, on the streaming service Netflix. A second season of thirteen episodes premiered on February 14, 2014, while a third season premiered on February 27, 2015. House of Cards was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on March 4, 2016. In January 2016, Netflix announced that the show had been renewed for a fifth season, due for release in 2017, along with announcing that Willimon would step down as showrunner after the fourth season. Willimon has stated that plans for the show's future are decided after each season.

Set in present-day Washington, D.C., House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood ( Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th congressional district and House Majority Whip who, after being passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, initiates an elaborate plan to get himself into a position of greater power, aided by his wife, Claire Underwood ( Robin Wright). The series deals primarily with themes of ruthless pragmatism, manipulation, and power.

House of Cards has received positive reviews and several award nominations. To date, it has received 33 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Spacey, and Outstanding Lead Actress for Wright, for each of its first four seasons. It is the first original online-only web television series to receive major Emmy nominations. The show also earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with Wright winning for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2014 and Spacey winning for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2015.

The first season of the American television drama series House of Cards premiered exclusively via Netflix's web streaming service on February 1, 2013. The season was produced by Media Rights Capital, and the executive producers are David Fincher, Kevin Spacey, Eric Roth, Joshua Donen, Dana Brunetti, Andrew Davies, Michael Dobbs, John Melfi, and Beau Willimon.

House of Cards was created for television by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of a previous BBC miniseries of the same name by Andrew Davies, which was based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. Set in present-day Washington, D.C., House of Cards is the story of Frank Underwood ( Kevin Spacey), a Democrat from South Carolina's 5th congressional district and the House Majority Whip, who, after getting passed over for appointment as Secretary of State, decides to exact his revenge on those who betrayed him. The series also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara, and Corey Stoll in lead roles.

The second season of the American television drama series House of Cards began filming a set of 13 episodes on April 29, 2013 and concluded on November 8. Filming occurred primarily in Baltimore. On December 4, 2013, Netflix announced that the season would be released in its entirety on February 14, 2014. Set in current day Washington, D.C., season two deals with topics such as entitlement reform, Chinese cyberespionage, anthrax scares, Senate parliamentary procedure, and government shutdowns. It begins at the exact time that season one ended.

Critics previewed the first four episodes of the season under non-disclosure agreements that they not reveal any spoilers. Reviews began appearing as early as January 31. Many critics who previewed the season noted the first episode was shocking, but withheld the surprises of the four episodes made available for preview. Willa Paskin of Slate broke the embargo nearly a day early revealing several spoilers. Whereas critics had been somewhat split on the propriety of binge-watching the first season, they were more supportive of the practice for season two.

Early reviews were largely positive, noting that the second season had a darker tone than the first. Molly Parker was praised as an addition to the cast. Nonetheless, many critics were concerned at the domineering presence of Underwood, who appears to have no worthy adversaries. Viewership of the second season was many times higher than season one. The season earned thirteen Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards and three nominations at both the 72nd Golden Globe Awards and the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards. Kevin Spacey won Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for playing Frank Underwood in season 2. Season 2 of House of Cards was one of the first shows available in 4K video format on Netflix's streaming service.

The third season of the American web television drama series House of Cards was commissioned on February 4, 2014. Netflix released the season in its entirety on February 27, 2015. The season was filmed from approximately June 12 through December 20, 2014.

The season was recognized with numerous award nominations. Kevin Spacey won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards for his portrayal of Frank Underwood and Reg E. Cathey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Freddy Hayes.