Netflix’s House of Cards replacement series is a multi-season political thriller that will finally return this week with new episodes, and it could not be more exciting. House of Cards was the first major Netflix Original series. The drama followed Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood as he made his way up the United States government, managing to become the President of the United States.

House of Cards’ success was also responsible for making Netflix’s binge release model so popular and the norm for the streaming service. The political thriller series would go on for six seasons, ending in 2018, with Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood taking over as House of Cards‘ main character for the show’s final season after Spacey was fired following multiple sexual misconduct and assault allegations.

Since then, Netflix has found success with other thriller shows over the years. They have come in the most varied subgenres, with legal thrillers like The Lincoln Lawyer, spy thrillers like The Night Agent, crime thrillers like The Gentlemen, and more. That said, when it comes to Netflix’s true House of Cards replacement, the answer to that is quite clear.

The TV show in question is The Diplomat, which debuted on Netflix in 2023 and has aired three seasons on the streaming service thus far. The Netflix political thriller series follows Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler, the US Ambassador to the UK, as she deals with international crises and a complicated marriage. Like House of Cards, it mastered the art of annual releases, coming back soon.

The Diplomat Has Beat House Of Cards At Its Game

The Diplomat season 4 will be released on Netflix on October 15. This continues a three-year streak for the Netflix political thriller series. Not only has the show managed to adhere to the annual release schedule for new seasons that several series have failed to make work in the streaming age, but The Diplomat has cemented itself as an October release after its first season. The Diplomat season 1 was the only season of the Netflix thriller series to be released in a different month, arriving on April 20, 2023. All three seasons after it moved to October, a consistent schedule.

The Diplomat season 4 is not only expected to keep the show’s consistency when it comes to when its new episodes are released, but also in terms of how they perform on the streaming service. After all, The Diplomat holds a near-perfect 92% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes for all the Netflix political thriller’s three seasons so far. The show came out of the gate with a solid 84% RT score, which grew to a stellar 95%, before rising to a series’ best 97% critics’ score. Not only is the show consistent, but The Diplomat keeps getting better from season to season.

In that regard, it has already eclipsed House of Cards for Netflix. After all, the Spacey-led political thriller series holds a strong 77% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, but it comes in quite short of The Diplomat‘s 92%. Additionally, House of Cards did not remain consistent throughout its run, starting at the series’ highest note with 87% and ending at its lowest point, at just 65%. Both shows also hold a single Primetime Emmy Awards win thus far, with David Fincher winning Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for House of Cards, and Allison Janney taking Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat.

That said, the more recent Netflix political thriller series has half as many seasons as Spacey’s veteran drama. In terms of their similarities, both shows focus on the high-stakes backstage of the political world, focus on a husband-and-wife duo with powerful aspirations, and more. However, The Diplomat focuses its action on international affairs, not confined to Washington, and its characters are not painted as full-on villains like Frank Underwood was. Now, House of Cards‘ spiritual successor is ready for an explosive comeback, and The Diplomat should keep being a Netflix mega hit with season 4’s release.

Release Date

April 20, 2023

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Debora Cahn

Directors

Alex Graves, Andrew Bernstein, Simon Cellan Jones, Tucker Gates

Writers

Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Julianna Meagher, Mia Chung, Peter Noah, Eli Attie

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  Keri Russell

  Ambassador Kate Wyler

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