'House of Cards' news: Short teaser shows the reign of Claire Underwood

Robin Wright stars as Claire Underwood, who is the new president of the United States in the sixth season of "House of Cards." Netflix/David Giesbrecht

Netflix has released a new teaser for the upcoming sixth season of the political thriller "House of Cards." The sixth season has been refocused to concentrate on Claire Underwood, played by actress Robin Wright, as the show's lead.

The short teaser, which was aired during this year's Academy Awards, shows the interior of the White House filled with a flurry of activity by its numerous staffers. The camera eventually makes its way to the Oval Office, where Claire is sitting at the president's table with her back to the camera. She then turns, stands up, and says, "We're just getting started."

"House of Cards" tells the story of a ruthless, power-hungry politician named Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), who begins the story as a Democratic congressman from South Carolina. He is aided in his quest for power by his wife, Claire, eventually landing the presidency in season 2.

However, after Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior first by actor Anthony Rapp and then by a succession of other men, Netflix fired him from the show.

For a while after Spacey's firing, it seemed that Netflix was about to pull the plug on "House of Cards." However, the streaming company then announced that "House of Cards" will return for a sixth and final season — without Spacey.

At the end of season 5, Frank and Claire are shown to have come to an agreement: Frank will give up the presidency to Claire, while he pursues his ambitions for power elsewhere with the aid of his wife. However, it seems that Claire does not intend to keep her side of the bargain with her husband.

According to Netflix's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, the sixth season will have eight episodes instead of the 13 episodes of the past seasons. However, there is no official word yet on when exactly the season will air, although the trailer indicates that the episodes will come out this fall.

Veteran actors Diane Lane and Greg Kinnear are also slated to appear in the sixth season.

However, it is still unclear what the story would be like with Claire Underwood in charge. It is also unclear how the show will address Spacey's departure; will Frank die, and if so, how? Fortunately, all these questions will have an answer later this year.

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