"House of Cards" season 4 has just been released on Netflix. As stated in a report from Netflix Life, the streaming network has already renewed the show for a fifth season but it is now heavily speculated that season 5 will be the final season for the show.
[Season 4 spoilers ahead]
The first half of the season dealt with Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and the conflict with his wife Claire (Robin Wright). The second half dealt with their political campaigns and ended with the couple threating to unleash terror on the world as they now have complete power and authority.
According to the Netflix Life report, season 5 may see everything the Underwoods worked for come crashing down. One of the main reasons stated is the departure of Beau Willimon, series creator and executive producer. Willimon departed after working on the first four seasons in order to prioritize an original play that he is working on.
The report points out that Netflix has renewed "Orange Is the New Black" for several future seasons but "House of Cards," arguably one of the network's most successful and critically acclaimed shows, only got renewed for one more season, indicating that the end is indeed drawing near.
According to Romper, the final season may see Claire step up as the new protagonist. Season 4 did see Claire break the fourth wall for the first time and she may continue to do so in season 5 until the time comes for Frank Underwood to finally face his crimes.
The character of Frank Underwood in the original U.K. series and novels dies via an assassination and it is likely this will happen to Frank in the Netflix series as well. His declining health, as seen in season 4's plot revolving around the liver transplant, may also lead to Frank's demise in season 5.
While no official release date has been announced yet, it is likely season 5 will follow the same release pattern of previous seasons. This means "House of Cards" season 5 may launch in late February or early March 2017.
