'House of Cards' to premier on Netflix in February

Netflix will premiere its first original TV series "House of Cards" on February 1, the company announced today. In a twist, the company will release all 13 episodes at once instead of parceling them out the way broadcast and cable channels do.

The show -- which stars Kevin Spacey ("Horrible Bosses," "American Beauty") and Robin Wright ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Forrest Gump") -- was produced exclusively for Netflix.

"House of Cards," based on a BBC miniseries of the same name, is a look at "uncompromising exploration of power, ambition and the American way," according to Netflix's press release. Spacey plays the House Majority Whip and Wright plays his wife who will "stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy."

"House of Cards" is Netflix's second original series. Forthcoming shows will also include a fourth season of "Arrested Development" and a new series from "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan called "Orange is the New Black." The company's first original show, "Lilyhammer," premiered in February.

After angering its customers last year with hasty business decisions, Netflix took a gamble on licensing new material that's never aired. Typically, the company pays for TV shows the seasons after they run or airs some current season episodes, but Netflix agreed to license "House of Cards" before it was successfully produced. Come February, the company will see whether or not that bet will pay off.

The 13-episode first season will be available to all Netflix customers, and the producers plan to start shooting a second season in spring 2013.