Netflix Commits to an 8-Episode Final Season of House of Cards, Without Kevin Spacey

After taking a month to determine whether continuing House of Cards was feasible after cutting ties with its star, Kevin Spacey, Netflix has committed to making an eight-episode season to end the political drama. Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, made the announcement today at the UBS 45th annual global media and communications conference in New York. The sixth season will focus on Robin Wright, who plays Spacey’s wife, Claire Underwood. Production on the sixth season, which had been suspended one month ago in light of the sexual harassment allegations against Kevin Spacey, will resume early next year, said Sarandos. “We’re excited to bring closure to the show for fans,” said Sarandos, adding that the arrangement also allowed the 370 people on the show’s crew to keep their jobs. “We’re very excited we were able to come to a good creative conclusion.” House of Cards had faced an uncertain future in light of the sexual harassment allegations against Spacey, who stars as Frank Underwood. Actor Anthony Rapp told BuzzFeed in October that Spacey made a sexual advance toward him when he was 14. Soon after, eight current and past House of Cards staffers told CNN that Spacey had engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment, leading to a “toxic” work environment. While Netflix has now made a decision about House of Cards, Amazon is still mulling the fate of the streaming show that put it on the map, Transparent. Last month, Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor, who has been accused of sexual harassment by cast member Trace Lysette and his own former assistant, said in a statement that “given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent” for its fifth season, which will shoot next year and is expected to be released in the fall. This came after reports that Transparent creator Jill Soloway had been looking at ways to continue the show without Tambor in the wake of the allegations, which the actor has denied. Amazon hasn’t yet commented on Tambor’s statement or made any decisions about the actor’s future involvement with the show, which it renewed for Season 5 in August. These aren’t the only shows on either streaming services’ lineup that have been affected by sexual harassment allegations from victims who decided to go public following the dozens of allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. Last month, Netflix said it was dropping the second standup special in its deal with Louis C.K. after The New York Times reported that five women had accused him of sexual misconduct; the comedian confirmed the allegations a day later, after denying them for years. (FX also cut ties with C.K., who produced several shows for the network, including Louie, Better Things and Baskets.) Meanwhile, Amazon Studios’ former chief Roy Price exited a month ago after the publication of a Hollywood Reporter story in which a producer on Amazon’s Man in the High Castle alleged that Price sexually harassed her in 2015. The outlet also severed ties with Harvey Weinstein’s former company, Weinstein Co.—effectively cancelling a drama starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore and taking over the company’s Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men followup, The Romanoffs. Weiner himself has been accused by sexual harassment by former Mad Men writer Kater Gordon, which could also put his show in jeopardy. Additionally, Amazon hasn’t made a decision about whether to continue production on One Mississippi, which is executive produced by C.K.; his falling out with creator and star Tig Notaro over the harassment allegations inspired the show’s arc in Season 2 in which a male boss sexually harasses a female coworker.