House of Cards deals winning hand to fans of binge TV
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Machiavellian scheming of a fictional US congressman with a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind is taking binge television viewing to a new level.
In its most ambitious foray into original programming, online streaming service Netflix tossed conventional TV wisdom out the window and released all 13 episodes of House Of Cards to its worldwide subscribers in one fell swoop.
That instantly appealed to fans of binge viewing weaned on lapping up entire seasons of previously telecast dramas and sitcoms on DVD or streaming video in as little as one or two sittings.
"Netflix was wise to release House Of Cards all at once," said Paul Levinson, a media studies professor at Fordham University in New York who ranks the show as one of the three best of the year.
