Kevin Spacey’s Most Controversial Project Is Being Blocked for Some Netflix Users

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If you were planning to binge the political thriller House of Cards on Netflix’s ad-supported tier in the U.S., you might be out of luck — at least for now. As of January 2026, Netflix’s low-cost advertising plan still blocks 145 titles, accounting for roughly 1.85% of its total 7,834-title library, due to ongoing licensing restrictions. Even powerhouse projects like House of Cards are affected by this limitation, meaning some subscribers won’t be able to stream Kevin Spacey’s most controversial series without upgrading.

House of Cards helped define Netflix’s original programming ambitions, launching all episodes at once and proving that subscription streaming could rival premium cable with its plotting, character depth, and ruthless lead. So the fact that it's not actually available to new subscribers on the basic tier is shocking — Netflix's trademark "tudum" noise was born in House of Cards, for goodness' sake.

Is 'House of Cards' Worth Watching?

House of Cards marked a major turning point for Netflix, proving it could deliver prestige television on par with — and sometimes sharper than — HBO. The series was praised for its meticulous plotting, confident pacing, and willingness to center on entirely unlikable characters, led by Kevin Spacey’s chilling, fourth-wall-breaking Frank Underwood. Beau Willimon’s adaptation was seen as especially effective in making the audience complicit in Frank’s corruption, using his direct addresses as both a narrative hook and a moral trap.

While the show occasionally veered into camp and sometimes made its political opponents seem unrealistically foolish, those flaws were considered minor compared to its strengths. Anchored by Spacey’s career-defining performance, strong supporting turns, and David Fincher’s mood-setting direction, House of Cards was described as addictive, nasty, and deeply compelling — the kind of series perfectly suited to being devoured all at once. Collider's review of Season 1 added:

"Ultimately, these are minor bumps in the road on a show that can drop your jaw when it chooses to unleash the full force of Frank's power. Releasing all 13 episodes is perfectly fitting for a show like House of Cards. A week-by-week release would let us acclimate, and give us time to tease out the characters' next moves. The show gets us addicted in the first two episodes, and then we're trapped along for the ride. We're up until 3:00am because we need to know what happens next. House of Cards makes us invested in its characters, right down to their rotten, cynical cores."

House of Cards is streaming now on Netflix.