History YMMV / HouseOfCardsUS

** Throughout the series, it's unclear if the Underwoods are genuinely a loving couple, or if they're individually ruthless and ambitious and recognize the other is the same, making them a perfect match to work together. Their marriage almost gets destroyed as a result of their own power plays against each other, and neither has any problem with the other having affairs as long as it does't interfere with their careers.

* AcceptablePoliticalTargets:
** {{Defied|trope}} in regards to partisan politics. Whereas Francis Urquhart on [[Series/HouseOfCardsUK the original British show]] was a member of the Conservative Party, the showrunners here avoided making Frank a Republican to avoid demonizing the right-wing as is commonly done in a lot of media on both the news and television fronts. If anything, the show makes the point to demonstrate that Democrats and Republicans are not so different at all, and party alignment says nothing about the individual's strength of character.
** Played very straight with Viktor Petrov, the obvious stand-in for Vladimir Putin, who is portrayed as a scheming, politically duplicitous, DirtyOldMan that is hated by both Underwoods as well as in his home country.

* BrokenBase: Season 3 is either a [[GrowingTheBeard brilliant depiction of a man and his wife struggling to stay at the top]], or it's a [[SeasonalRot poorly written mess]] with too many subplots and characters, and helpings of IdiotPlot and {{Plot Hole}}s all over the place.

* HarsherInHindsight: Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Frank Underwood was always acclaimed by viewers and critics, with praise for his depiction of a sociopathic VillainWithGoodPublicity who commits crimes on his way to the top and would do anything and kill or threaten anyone to stay there before ultimately crashing down. After being accused of sexual assault and using his influence in Hollywood to cover it all up, coupled with his own brother Randy's comments that Spacey's portrayal of a villainous character is actually just him "playing himself on camera," the show has been widely considered to have become a depiction of the man's own life story. It has also made a few scenes become a tad awkward in hindsight. For example:

* HarsherInHindsight: Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Frank Underwood was always acclaimed by viewers and critics, with praise for his depiction of a sociopathic VillainWithGoodPublicity who commits crimes on his way to the top and would do anything and kill or threaten anyone to stay there before ultimately crashing down. After being accused of sexual assault and using his influence in Hollywood to cover it all up, coupled with his own brother Randy's comments that Spacey's portrayal of a villainous character is actually just him "playing himself on camera," the show has been widely considered to have become a depiction of the man's own life story. Furthermore, considering that three people have died after coming out against Spacey, the similarities between him and the murderous Frank seem to run ever deeper. It has also made a few scenes become a tad awkward in hindsight. For example:

* AcceptableTargets:

* WhatAnIdiot: While Frank spends much of Season 3 juggling an IdiotBall, he gets one shoved down his throat in Chapter 37 when he [[spoiler:publicly humiliates Jackie Sharp at a debate, after she spent the debate doing all that he told her to do, and when she protests to him he insults her. To the shock of no one, she turns on him and endorses Dunbar for the candidacy.]]

* EndingAversion: To say the least, the inconclusive ending to the show's finale didn't satisfy fans -- the finale currently has rating of just '''2.5''' out of 10 on [=IMDb=], a ''far'' lower rating even than those of much more notorious series finales including those of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', and ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. It's probably only because of it being a Netflix-exclusive series (and one that many people had stopped paying attention to years beforehand, at that) instead of a major network series that it doesn't have a reputation as the absolute worst TV series finale of all-time.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Due to Creator/KevinSpacey being accused as a sexual predator, a few scenes become a tad awkward in hindsight. For example:

* HarsherInHindsight: Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Frank Underwood was always acclaimed by viewers and critics, with praise for his depiction of a sociopathic VillainWithGoodPublicity who commits crimes on his way to the top and would do anything and kill or threaten anyone to stay there before ultimately crashing down. After being accused of sexual assault and using his influence in Hollywood to cover it all up, coupled with his own brother Randy's comments that Spacey's portrayal of a villainous character is actually just him "playing himself on camera," the show has been widely considered to have become a depiction of the man's own life story. Furthermore, considering that three people have died after coming out against Spacey, the similarities between him and the murderous Frank seem to run ever deeper.

** Michael Corrigan, an LGBT activist in Season 3 imprisoned in Russia. Though his protest of Russian homosexuality laws is entirely sympathetic, the man himself is much less so. He admits he doesn't love his husband anymore and made a mistake committing to him (and has cheated on him, too), but decided to stay with him because a homosexual couple getting divorced would be bad for the cause. He then calls his husband weak for being unwilling to take a stand like he does, and when Claire points out his husband is in pain and that refusing to make the statement Petrov wants will just make things worse because he'll be humiliated, [[NoSympathy Michael doesn't care]]. And then instead of cooperating he just [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide hangs himself]]]]. A character that could be sympathetic and tragic is instead just a self-righteous martyr more interested in the personal glory of suffering for his cause than actually trying to fight for it, and he's an advocate for gay marriage who doesn't even care about his actual husband. Frank ends up reflecting the audience's views when he says, "He was a [[DirtyCoward coward]], and [[spoiler: [[SpeakIllOfTheDead I'm glad he's dead]]]]!"
** Lucas Goodwin becomes this to some in Season 4 when he decides to [[spoiler:carry out an assassination attempt on Frank at a rally in Washington as revenge for Zoe's death. Unfortunately, he ends up ruining a bunch of other people and ends up [[WoundedGazelleGambit helping Frank's cause]]: Meechum is killed, Claire reconciles with Frank and they're stronger than ever, Dunbar's campaign is ruined because of her prior contact with Lucas, and Zoe doesn't get real justice]]. NiceJobBreakingItHero

*** In Season 3, Frank uses his Vice President Donald Blythe as a stand-in for Solicitor General Heather Dunbar to prepare for the 2016 Iowa caucus debates. The scene was wildly ballyhooed (including on our main page), as people believed that a candidate would never use a man as a substitute for a female opponent. Then it came out that Creator/DonaldTrump was using UsefulNotes/NewJersey governor Chris Christie as a stand-in for UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton to prepare for the 2016 presidential debates.

** After the release of "Let Me Be Frank," a bizarre video in which Kevin Spacey channels Frank Underwood to simultaneously address his sexual assault allegations and Frank's removal from the show, some fans started joking that Spacey was, in a delusional last bid for attention, trying to well and truly ''become'' Frank Underwood. Now that ''three'' of Spacey's accusers have suddenly died under mysterious circumstances the way they might if Frank had killed them, one may begin to wonder if they were all too right.

* EvilIsCool: Frank of course.

* AwardSnub: Corey Stoll's performance as Peter Russo was seen as the highlight of the first season by many, yet he ended up being one of the few things not to earn a nomination at the 2013 Emmys.

** VERY high in season 4. The best example: [[spoiler: Lucas' assassination attempt on Frank. Which, while foreshadowed early in the season, happens halfway through the fourth episode, much earlier than the audience would suspect.]]
** And Doug gets ''three'' in Season 6. First of all, [[spoiler: he reveals why [[UndyingLoyalty he's so loyal to Frank]]: ''[[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes Frank is the one]] [[PetTheDog who got him]] [[TheAlcoholic dry]]'']]. Then, near the end, [[spoiler: ''he breaks the fourth wall'']]. Then, in the final scene, he reveals [[spoiler: ''he is the one who killed Frank'', and he did it to protect his legacy]].

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Some viewers have complained that the show becomes difficult to watch after a while because many non-deserving people (such as [[spoiler: Peter Russo, Zoe Barnes, Lucas Goodwin, Freddie Hayes, Adam Galloway, Megan Hennessy, President Garrett Walker]]) end up with their lives ruined or are even killed because of the Underwoods. The Underwoods, meanwhile, only gain more and more political power as the show goes on. Ironically enough, one of the biggest criticisms of Season 3 is that its plot hinges on {{ass pull}}s just to make sure Frank struggles with the presidency.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Some viewers have complained that the show becomes difficult to watch after a while because many non-deserving people (such as [[spoiler: Peter Russo, Zoe Barnes, Lucas Goodwin, Freddie Hayes, Adam Galloway, Megan Hennessy, President Garrett Walker]]) end up with their lives ruined or are even killed because of the Underwoods. The Underwoods, meanwhile, only gain more and more political power as the show goes on. Ironically enough, one of the biggest criticisms of Season 3 is that its plot hinges on {{ass pull}}s just to make sure Frank struggles with the presidency.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Rachel Brosnahan as a call girl before she became Series/TheMarvelousMrsMaisel.

** {{Defied|trope}} in regards to partisan politics. Whereas Francis Urquhart on [[Series/HouseOfCardsUK the original British show]] was a member of the Conservative Party, the showrunners here avoided making Frank a Republican to avoid demonizing the right-wing as is commonly done in a lot of media on both the news and television fronts. If anything, the show makes the point to demonstrate that Democrats and Republicans are NotSoDifferent, and party alignment says nothing about the individual's strength of character.

** Defied in regards to partisan politics. Whereas Francis Urquhart on [[Series/HouseOfCardsUK the original British show]] was a member of the Conservative Party, the showrunners here avoided making Frank a Republican to avoid demonizing the right-wing as is commonly done in a lot of media on both the news and television fronts. If anything, the show makes the point to demonstrate that Democrats and Republicans are NotSoDifferent, and party alignment says nothing about the individual's strength of character.

* ContinuityLockout: Season 4 on. It is impossible to discuss the second half of the show without watching the first half. Indeed, the fourth and fifth season rely very heavily upon the prior seasons - especially with the way it brings back characters from prior seasons in significant ways.

* CompleteMonster: [[VillainProtagonist Francis J. "Frank" Underwood]] is a [[CorruptPolitician scheming, charming, and monstrous politician]] who seeks ultimate power and legacy. After feeling betrayed by President Garrett Walker, Frank begins a brutal campaign to institute himself as President, leading Frank to ruin countless people's lives and personally murder [[spoiler:Zoe Barnes and Peter Russo, the latter after destroying his sobriety and utterly breaking his spirit]]. Upon becoming President, Frank's crimes only worsen as [[PresidentEvil he goes to any lengths to secure power and wipe out his enemies]], [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill bombing civilian-populated villages to kill a single terrorist]], allowing an innocent man be killed on live video, and faking bomb threats all being par for the course. To further drive fear into America's soul and convince the people they need him as their leader, Frank organizes cyber attacks that lead to numerous horrible riots and accidents, and sits idly by as [[DeadlyGas sarin gas]] is deployed against countless innocents, simply to use the gas attacks as a PretextForWar. Frank considers compassion and love a weakness, and slowly but surely forgets about, ditches, or outright murders those who he considers "friends", culminating in him planning to coldly murder [[spoiler:his wife Claire]] if she even thinks about betraying him. Frank Underwood is a vile, depraved man who uses [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation]] and [[FauxAffablyEvil facades]] to convince hapless victims that he is a good man, only to always pull the rug out from under them and reveal [[WolfInSheepsClothing who he truly is]]: A self-serving sociopath with delusions of grandeur.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Due to Creator/KevinSpacey being revealed as a sexual predator, a few scenes become a tad awkward in hindsight. For example:

* OvershadowedByControversy: The accusations of molestation against Kevin Spacey, followed by his tone-deaf attempt to turn the story towards his own coming out of the closet, caused Netflix to announce the show's cancellation just one day later (though still with the release of one last season that had largely already been filmed).

** Michael Corrigan, an LGBT activist in Season 3 imprisoned in Russia. Though his protest of Russian homosexuality laws is entirely sympathetic, the man himself is much less so. He admits he doesn't love his husband anymore and made a mistake committing to him ([[YourCheatingHeart and has cheated on him, too]]), but decided to stay with him because a homosexual couple getting divorced would be bad for the cause. He then calls his husband weak for being unwilling to take a stand like he does, and when Claire points out his husband is in pain and that refusing to make the statement Petrov wants will just make things worse because he'll be humiliated, [[NoSympathy Michael doesn't care]]. And then instead of cooperating he just [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide hangs himself]]]]. A character that could be sympathetic and tragic is instead just a self-righteous martyr more interested in the personal glory of suffering for his cause than actually trying to fight for it, and he's an advocate for gay marriage who doesn't even care about his actual husband. Frank ends up reflecting the audience's views when he says, "He was a [[DirtyCoward coward]], and [[spoiler: [[SpeakIllOfTheDead I'm glad he's dead]]]]!"

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The show focuses on an especially-vile VillainProtagonist's sociopathic manipulation of the United States government in a ruthless rise to power, and said VillainProtagonist [[KarmaHoudini manages to get away with his crimes]]. Those who need someone to sympathize with and root for will find little to hold on to. This is exacerbated by the fact that Creator/KevinSpacey was revealed after the airing of season 5 to ''actually be'' a sexually-predatory figure within his own power structure, providing way too much inadvertent RealitySubtext for many viewers to feel comfortable starting or continuing to watch the show, even without his presence in the final season.
** The final season itself had a hard sell. For those who watched the show for Frank, his absence is abrupt and stark. For those who watched it for Claire, her character is altered so significantly to accommodate the show's trademark outrageous power-plays and murders that she is barely recognisable as her earlier self. Even watching it to take a moral stance against Spacey required getting through five seasons of content with him as the star.