10 TV Moments We Waited Years To See (That Didn't Live Up To Expectations)
8. Frank Underwood's Downfall - House Of Cards
House of Cards was one of Netflix's first big breakout hits, and throughout its first five seasons left fans anxiously anticipating the inevitable day when scheming, murderous President of the United States Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) would finally get his comeuppance - be it death or life in prison.
The chilling end of the fifth season seemed to suggest that season six would focus on his wife Claire (Robin Wright), the newly sworn-in President, burying Frank and cementing her own legacy. However, real-life circumstances ensured that this happened in dramatically compromised circumstances.
With Kevin Spacey's sexual assault allegations causing him to be fired from the show during production of season six, the final arc was hastily re-jigged with Claire now taking Frank's place as the new protagonist.
It seemed like a natural enough transition, except for the fact that it resulted in Frank being unceremoniously killed off-screen between seasons.
Furthermore, rather than swiftly move ahead while focusing on Claire, the rest of season six continually highlighted Frank's absence, before eventually revealing that he was killed by his own Chief of Staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who is then himself killed by Claire in the final moments of the series.
There was obviously no other decision for Netflix to make under the circumstances, but it undeniably resulted in the show's final season turning out an awkward, hurried mess, no matter how hard Wright tried to salvage it.