If you like Kevin Spacey [as Frank Underwood] in House of Cards, then try:
Se7en, Usual Suspects, LA Confidential
Sure, American Beauty is a solid Best Picture winner, but we prefer Spacey as an all–out villain. And okay, he’s technically not an all-out villain in LA Confidential, but his morals are questionable enough. We can’t pick just one, but we’ll confidently say that you will never be able to look at Spacey the same way afterSe7en. What exactly is in the box? Pure Spacey acting gold is in the goddamn box.
If you like Molly Parker [as Jacqueline Sharp] in House of Cards, then try:
Deadwood
HBO canceling Deadwood before it's fourth and final season is probably the dumbest decision the cable drama giant ever made. Still, non–ending aside, Deadwood boasts immaculate seasons that ripe for bingeing. As the female lead opposite Sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), Parker plays Alma Garrett, a wealthy widow sitting on a literal gold mine. No television set has ever felt as lived in as the Wild West boomtown of Deadwood. HBO's best drama? Quite possibly.
If you like Reg E. Cathey [as Freddy of Freddy’s ribs] in House of Cards, then try:
The Wire
Cathey's small role as Freddy, one of Frank Underwood's only real friends in Washington, is a bright spot in a show that could benefit from a little more heart and a little less cynicism. Cathey plays another small role on The Wire, but the role is one to remember. As campaign manager and chief–of–staff Norman Wilson to Baltimore Mayor Tommy Carcetti (played by Aiden "Littlefinger" Gillen), Cathey is an incredible foil for his weak–willed, self–serving Machiavellian boss. Plus, you know you want to be one of those people who tells everyone else how transcendent The Wire is.
If you like Corey Stoll [as Philly Congressman Peter Russo] in House of Cards, then try:
Homeland, Season 4
This is definitely the smallest role on this list, but Stoll's guest appearance in the first episode of Homeland's comeback fourth season as the head of the CIA station in Pakistan is huge. Homeland's fourth season is practically a series reboot, and Stoll's pivotal part helped this once–great Showtime drama navigate towards its new niche as a legitimate program about the War on Terror. The fourth season of Homeland competes only with the first as the show's best, and largely stands on it's own. Our recommendation—watch from the first season, but prepare for a significant quality dip midway through season two. House of Cards is often over–the–top, but as far as convoluted nonsensical plotting goes, Homeland is in a league of it's own.
If you hate all the characters but like Washington DC in House of Cards, then try:
The Americans
If you think Frank and Claire Underwood have a strange partnership, all we can say is they have nothing on the marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell). This Reagan–era DC drama is about two KGB agents sent to the United States as sleeper agents in 1965. Fifteen years later, they have a nice suburban home and two perfectly normal American children, but their relationship is still more of a mission than a marriage. The Americans is tense and action—packed, but at it's core its a romance.
