Netflix Is Handling The Kevin Spacey ‘House Of Cards’ Controversy Incredibly Well

The Kevin Spacey scandal —an ongoing story involve an A-list star being accused of sexual misconduct by several people who were minors at the time, which also included his poorly timed announcement that “I choose now to live as a gay man”— was bound to dominate headlines, and it has. As much outrage as the Kevin Spacey scandal has produced, though, there’s one crucial player that’s managed to remain mostly out of the weeds: Netflix.

Since actor and Star Trek: Discovery star Anthony Rapp came forward with his account of an unwanted sexual advance Spacey made on the actor when Rapp was 14, many more have come forward with similar stories. There are now 14 accusers, which include filmmaker Tony Montana, actor Robert Cavazos, actor Harry Dreyfuss, and at least eight former House of Cards’ employees, the latter of which claim that Spacey made the show a “toxic” work environment. If these allegations are true, it’s disturbing that Spacey has gotten away with widespread sexual misconduct so long, and it’s absolutely vital we continue to talk about these accusations in a way that’s respectful to the victims’ voices and stories.

That said, the way that Netflix has responded to this controversy from the moment that it broke has allowed both the company and the show House of Cards to emerge from this controversy relatively unscathed. Most of the most damning coverage — the haunting stories and reports, the emotional think pieces — have focused almost completely on Spacey. When House of Cards is mentioned, it’s largely in a hypothetical, speculative sense. What will become of the show’s future? Will Robin Wright take over? Will there ever be a Season 6?

There is one big exception: the revelation that there was a sexual harassment claim made against Spacey during the first seasons of House of Cards. Though Netflix and Media Rights Capital (the studio that created House of Cards) claim that there was only one official complaint made against Spacey, eight employees who worked on the set corroborated allegations of sexual misconduct. It was even reported that Spacey stuck his hand down the pants of a production assistant without consent. The anonymous employee said that his supervisor ensured he would never be alone with Spacey again. However, the employee claims that he was asked to drive Spacey somewhere several months later, a task that required him to be alone with Spacey for 30 minutes. Both companies were quick to respond to the House of Cards complaint, claiming they resolved the reported incident quickly. That reflects a major reason why Netflix has managed to stand in the middle of this scandalous storm without getting too dirty — the company works quickly.

Anthony Rapp’s original accusation was published on BuzzFeed late on the night of October 29. The following day, Spacey issued his controversial apology, and Netflix announced that it would be ending its flagship drama after Season 6. On that day, October 30, Netflix also confirmed that Spacey was not on the House of Cards set, the same set the company, in partnership with MRC, suspended indefinitely on October 31. The most damning accusation involving Netflix — the November 3 claim that Spacey harassed employees working on the set — came to light on the same day it was reported that Netflix was considering killing off Spacey’s character and a day before the actor was fired from his own show. During this time, House of Cards’ former showrunner Beau Willimon has spoken out on at least two occasions, and both Netflix and MRC have given surprisingly detailed statements. Netflix has — largely successfully — been trying to distance itself from this scandal long before any accusing eyes have turned to the streaming service. It’s a conscious choice that has affected everything down to the marketing of the series. So far, it’s an approach that’s seemed to work well.

It’s easy to imagine a world where Netflix would be heavily criticized for the Spacey allegations. Companies suffer due to their star or show’s actions all the time. Though it should be noted that it happened on a much larger level and involved not a star but the head of the company, the Harvey Weinstein allegations have helped to financially destroy the Weinstein Company. Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly’s sexual misconduct charges continue to influence coverage of Fox News. The Casey Affleck allegations paired with ex-Amazon Studios chief Roy Price’s resignation, which came in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, and the company’s long-standing partnership with Woody Allen has started to cast a bit of an unfavorable light on Amazon. Though House of Cards is arguably Netflix’s most influential show — it put Netflix Originals on the cultural map, after all — Spacey’s scandal has left the company relatively unharmed.

It’s not just Netflix’s speed in firing one of its biggest stars that likely contributed to Netflix staying out of the controversy. To put it bluntly, Netflix doesn’t need House of Cards anymore. Though the series is a consistent awards contender and a clear success for the company, fan response to later seasons of the show have been divisive. Netflix was bound to pull the plug on the series at some point, so it was likely an easy call to push that announcement when this scandal broke. Also, this isn’t the Netflix of 2012 or even the Netflix of 2015, as media analyst Brad Adgate pointed out in an interview with Variety. At this point in time, Netflix has hundreds of original shows, movies, and specials, and that list is growing every day. In the age of Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, Narcos, The Crown, and even more recent successes like 13 Reasons Why and Ozark, the loss of House Of Cards in 2018 would not be the catastrophic blow to the company that it would have been even as recently as a year or two ago.

However, that doesn’t mean Netflix needs to be or will be completely finished with its flagship drama. There have been rumors that Netflix is considering spin-off series for House of Cards, one of which would reportedly focus on Michael Kelly’s Doug Stamper. Also, Netflix left Season 5 of House of Cards in a place where it could easily write off Frank Underwood and continue Season 6 with Claire as the new president. The show could also just as easily end after Season 5 with Claire’s rise to the presidency and fourth-wall breaking twist standing as an adequate conclusion to this crazy drama. Phrased a different way, the ball is completely in Netflix’s court. It doesn’t need House of Cards or Spacey, so the company can respond to this scandal as quickly and forcefully as it needs to be dealt with.

That doesn’t mean Netflix is completely off the hook. There’s still the fate of Spacey’s Gore, which Netflix announced it would not be moving forward with. Also, since Spacey was credited as an executive producer on House of Cards, the LA Times is reporting that there is a chance Netflix could face legal exposure if a harassment suit arises. But as this scandal currently stands, almost all of the media and mainstream attention has focused on the victims’ stories and Spacey’s response — as it should be.

Stream House of Cards on Netflix