House of Cards, the popular Netflix series, stands out in the crowd of recent political television dramas. Based on a BBC miniseries and novel by Michael Dobbs, the show has not only changed the way we view television—Netflix releases an entire season at once—but also how we view our government. When the second season was released on February 14 this year, fans binged on episode after episode of the dark and cynical portrayal of Washington power players.

House of Cards has been described as “Shakespearean” in its depiction of political duplicity, and Kevin Spacey’s Congressman Francis Underwood often directly addresses viewers in a way that echoes nasty Richard III’s asides to the audience. The critically praised show has also made television history, earning nine Emmy nominations, including Best Drama, the first online streaming show to be so recognized.

Beau Willimon is the mastermind behind House of Cards. As creator, showrunner, and executive producer, he’s spent the last four years obsessively writing and re-writing each episode, paying the utmost attention to every detail. According to Willimon, House of Cards is all about power—both personal and political—and how the two intersect. In a conversation with culture reporter and “Media Equation” columnist David Carr of the New York Times, Willimon discusses his inspiration behind the series, its influence on the future of television, and how closely his plotlines parallel what really happens behind closed doors in Washington.

Willimon is also the author of the play Farragut North, the basis for the Academy Award-nominated screenplay for Ides of March, co-written with George Clooney and Grant Heslov. In addition to his career as a writer and producer, Willimon worked on a number of political campaigns, including Chuck Schumer’s 1998 senate race, Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential race, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 senate race, and Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential race.