Back when Game of Thrones was at the height of its powers, with multiple production companies trying to emulate the Benioff-Weiss masterpiece by releasing shows like Vikings, Black Sails, Da Vinci’s Demons, etc., Netflix decided to team up with the now defunct Weinstein Company to create a medieval action fantasy of their own about the Venetian explorer and writer, Marco Polo. The series is named after the world famous traveller himself and it gives a fictionalized account about Marco Polo’s meeting with the royal court of Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan) and his stay with Khan, which are all based on true events.
This period television series is set in 1271 and will follow Marco Polo as he is taken prisoner by the great Kublai Khan. The young sailor is forced to use his wits and knowledge to survive the royal court during the time when Kublai decided to become Khagan – Emperor of the Mongol Empire and went on to found the Yuan dynasty. The series will focus on the relationship between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan.
Marco Polo was heavily advertised at time of its launch and it garnered a lot of interest. After the first season dropped, critics were harsh with their reviews, who were disappointed with the series which didn’t present well, despite having a budget of USD 90 million to work with (which was second only to Game of Thrones at the time). The next season fared better, but both production company partners called it quits after the second season, citing over 200 million USD loss for Netflix alone.
Now, a few years since its cancellation, it has now become a cult series with the 21-episode web series resurging with views as of late. Marco Polo is a perfectly good series for binging with its brilliant cinematography, locations and artwork. The show was created by Hidalgo screenwriter John Fusco, with Lorenzo Richelmy portraying the title character and Benedict Wong acting as the great Kublai Khan.
Both seasons of Marco Polo are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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