Kevin Spacey is making his first television appearance since House of Cards. The return doesn’t come through an American prestige drama or major global streamer, but through Minimarket. It’s an Italian comedy series produced for RAI, premiering on Italy’s RaiPlay on December 26, 2025. The project is modest in scale, unusual in comedic tone, and far removed from the kind of power-driven roles that once defined Spacey’s television career.
What Minimarket is About
Minimarket is set in Rome and centers on a young man who runs a small neighborhood convenience store while struggling with direction, money, and ambition. The lead character, played by Filippo Lagana, drifts through daily routines that feel mundane and quietly suffocating. Spacey appears as an imagined version of himself, functioning as a mentor figure inside the protagonist’s mind. He offers advice, commentary, and occasional sarcastic disruption, but he doesn’t exist in the physical world, only as a mental narrator.
Spacey isn’t positioned as a lead or commanding presence. He’s not the engine of the story. Instead, he operates as a voice, a funny symbol, and sometimes a challenging complication for the protagonist.
Why This Role is Different for Kevin Spacey
Minimarket marks a sharp contrast from Spacey’s last major television role. As Frank Underwood on House of Cards, he embodied control, manipulation, and authority. That performance helped define the early era of prestige streaming television. His exit from the series in 2017, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, abruptly ended that chapter of his career.
Since then, Kevin Spacey has had limited work, largely confined to smaller projects. Minimarket doesn’t ask viewers to forget his history, but it doesn’t shine a spotlight on it either. The role is intentionally restrained, keeping him present without putting him at the center.
The Legal and Public Context
Legal proceedings in the years since have produced mixed outcomes. Kevin Spacey has been acquitted in some criminal cases, while civil litigation remains ongoing. That reality forms the backdrop to any discussion of his return to the screen.
Minimarket doesn’t address these issues directly. It places Spacey in a role that avoids power dynamics and authority, allowing the show to focus on a central character rather than the controversy surrounding a recognizable name.
But Why an Italian Comedy Series?
Italian television has a long tradition of character-driven storytelling that blends humor with introspection. Minimarket fits within that tradition, focusing on everyday frustrations instead of high-stakes drama. The comedy is understated and situational, grounded in awkward interactions and internal conflict.
Choosing an Italian comedy series also reduces the pressure that would accompany a return through a major American platform. RaiPlay serves a primarily domestic audience, allowing the series to exist without the weight of global expectation.
How Audiences May Respond
Reaction to Minimarket won’t be unanimous or uniform. Some viewers will approach the series with caution, while others will view with curiosity. Some may be able to separate the role from Kevin Spacey’s history entirely, while a few more might shun it altogether based on the past. However, Italian audiences may simply see unusual casting choices, making it easier for Spacey to dive back into acting.
What This Return Represents for Kevin Spacey
This isn’t a return to the television landscape that Kevin Spacey once occupied. It’s a step into different spaces, in a different country, with fewer expectations and a narrower spotlight. Minimarket doesn’t attempt to recreate the past. It moves sideways to give Spacey’s new venture breathing room.
Whether audiences embrace the series will depend on the strength of its writing and performances, not solely on Spacey’s involvement. But as a marker in his career, this role draws a clear line. It’s not a comeback tour. It’s a cautious reentry, defined more by restraint than ambition.