Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, History, Netflix, Game of Thrones
Ellie Kemp
A Netflix series, compared to Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom, has been binge-watched for hundreds of millions of hours.
The streamer is famed for its successful original TV series, including the likes of Squid Game and Wednesday.
It's also gained recognition for its historical dramas - just like this one.
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The series ran between 2014 and 2016 for two seasons before it was sadly canceled.
It was actually among the early Netflix originals to be canceled after multiple seasons - remember Hemlock Grove, the horror canceled in 2015 after three seasons? Or how about Bloodline, which was canceled after its third season, which aired in 2017?
Anyway, this drama is set in the 13th century and follows the early years of a famous Venetian explorer in the court of Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China.
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As he navigates this lavish yet brutal new world, he’s drawn into a high-stakes game of loyalty, betrayal and ambition.
But he must walk the tightrope between being a curious foreigner and a trusted confidant - or risk losing his head.
Lorenzo Richelmy stars as Marco, while Benedict Wong plays Kublai Khan.
Tom Wu, Zhu Zhu, Remy Hii, Joan Chen and Rick Yune round off the main cast, with Wicked's Michelle Yeoh and Hereditary's Gabriel Byrne making special guest appearances.
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The series in question is called Marco Polo - after the drama's main character.
Watch its trailer below:
It's been viewed for an astonishing 126.5 million hours, according to figures from FlixPatrol.
The series has also racked up an incredible Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 percent from audience members.
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Despite all that, critics were less favorable, giving Marco Polo a 66 percent rating.
"An all-around disappointment, Marco Polo is less entertaining than a round of the game that shares its name," its critics consensus said.
Yet viewers were in disagreement, as one fan said: "This was brilliant. Every bit as good as GOT, Vikings and The Last Kingdom. Well acted and visually stunning. It should never have been canceled."
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A second agreed: "Great cast, great story, starts a bit slow but that's just in the first few episodes. Still wish for a season 3 please!"
A third remarked: "The fact that this series got cancelled is a travesty. It had so much promise."
Another gave their verdict: "I thought the show, graphics, characters and everything about this show kept you wanting more! Definitely worth watching and I wish they wouldn't have canceled!! 100% a fantastic series."
Both seasons of Marco Polo are streaming now on Netflix.