House of Cards question... which version should I watch first, UK or US?

[Byronic]

10. They are different beasts.

You should probably watch the US version first, then you can savour the original in all its glory.

Absolutely crazy of Rachel Maddow to say not to bother watching the UK version if you had already seen the US version, though. Ian Richardson - as already stated here - is absolutely spell-binding as Francis Urquhart (and Kevin Spacey would be the first to agree with this) and the whole production is of a high quality. The follow-ups aren't quite as good; 'To Play The King' (complete with Urquhart's struggles with Michael Kitchen's, King Charles III-clone) is interesting, but you really shouldn't watch the last series 'The Final Cut' which almost certainly would spoil the coming seasons of the US version.

Enjoy Frank Underwood, but don't dismiss Urquhart. There's nothing quite like F.U. 'putting a bit of stick about'.

And as for whether Urquhart is better than Underwood, Richardson better than Spacey, well, in time..... "you might think that, I couldn't possibly comment."