Fans Are Lobbying for ‘House of Cards’ to Continue Without Kevin Spacey

Netflix announced Monday it would end House of Cards after the hit show’s sixth season, but fans are already lobbying for the series to continue in a new direction.

The cancellation news surfaced hours after lead actor Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual misconduct against Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp in a 1986 incident, but the streaming service maintains that the decision was not related to these allegations. It claims that Netflix executives have been in talks to halt the series for months.

As previously reported, season six of the political drama is currently in production and the final 13 episodes will air in 2018.

Many fans can’t help but look past the ironic timing of the announcement, though, and are calling for the show to continue without Spacey’s character, Frank Underwood.

In the season five finale, Underwood resigned as President of the United States after orchestrating his own demise, all so his wife and vice president, Claire, could run the country. Now that Frank is out of the pivotal government role, fans point out that the show could — and should — continue without him.

House of Cards fans may find some comfort in knowing that spinoffs of the Emmy-winning show are in the “very early stages” of idea development by Netflix and Media Rights Capital, Variety reports.

One spinoff would star Michael Kelly as aide Doug Stamper, with Eric Roth writing. Roth is currently an executive producer on TNT’s upcoming The Alienist and worked on the first four House of Cards seasons.

At least two other House of Cards spinoffs are still being considered, but the subjects of these potential shows have not been revealed. Still, fans may get their Claire Underwood leading role after all.

Though Netflix maintains that the accusations against Spacey are not relevant to the show’s cancellation, it and House of Cards producer Media Rights Capital issued a statement following Rapp’s tale of sexual misconduct.

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“We are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey. In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported,” the companies said in a joint statement. “As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”

On Sunday night, Rapp alleged that Spacey invited him to a house party in 1986 and tried to “seduce” him by picking him up and laying down on top of him. Rapp was 14 at the time of the alleged incident.

Spacey responded by writing on social media, “I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”

Spacey also came out as homosexual in his apology note.