Game Of Thrones Meets Shōgun In Netflix’s $200 Million 2-Season Historical Epic
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
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Game of Thrones meets Shōgun in one of Netflix's most expensive historical epics. In 2014, Netflix was slowly building a catalog of new original shows and movies. Critically acclaimed dramas like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black were making waves, cementing the streamer as much more than a convenient home for licensed content.
Still, at the time, there was one genre and trend the company hadn't tapped into yet — not in any way that mattered, at least. In 2014, HBO's Game of Thrones was nearing peak popularity, its fourth season showcasing more gruesome, historically-inspired violence and political intrigue. Jon Snow and the Night's Watch were fighting for Castle Black's survival, Pedro Pascal's eyes were being pushed back into his skull, and Tyrion Lannister finally took revenge on his father. It was a great season for Game of Thrones, which, at the time, was producing new episodes each year for roughly $50–60 million per season.
That was, and still is, a lot of money, of course, though much more reasonable compared to the budgets of some other current streaming shows, including Game of Thrones' first official spinoff, House of the Dragon. Season 1 reportedly cost HBO roughly $200 million, the same as the total for two seasons of Netflix's biggest and most epic Game of Thrones replacement, Marco Polo. Much like Thrones, Marco Polo features intense, bloody violence, high-stakes battles, sweeping vistas, royal infighting, and sexual politics, a narrative combination that remains highly successful today.
Marco Polo chronicles the titular Venetian explorer's experiences in the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. The young and inexperienced Marco, played by relative Italian newcomer Lorenzo Richelmy, becomes embroiled in the imperial court of Kublai Khan (Benedict Wong) — descendant of the infamous conqueror Genghis Khan — and his quest to claim the ancient Chinese city of Xiangyang, further spreading his hold across the Asian continent. Abandoned by his absent father, Marco is left to learn the customs and culture of the Mongols while holding on to the Great Khan's fickle favor.
Marco's position in the story is very similar to Protestant navigator John Blackthorne in Shōgun; both are trapped in a ruling household as European foreigners, trying to survive intergenerational and governmental conflicts brewing within the walls of their adopted strongholds. Each character has their own ambitions and motives for climbing the political ladder in Japan and Mongolia, respectively, embracing their precarious situations as best they can while falling in love and fighting for their place in the world.
Shōgun is based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell, which was loosely inspired by historical accounts related to English navigator William Adams and his arrival in Japan in the early 17th century.
Even so, while Marco Polo is very loosely based on Polo's own (highly debated) real-world historical account of his travels, Il Milione, the real meat of the story is Khan's desire to defend his rule and expand his legacy, just as Lord Toranaga played a dangerous political game in feudal Japan to secure his position and undermine his opponents in Shōgun.
Why Netflix Canceled Marco Polo After Season 2
Marco Polo's incredible location shoots (the show filmed across the world in Italy, Malaysia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Slovenia), detailed sets, historical costumes, and massive set pieces didn't come cheap. The first season cost a reported $90 million for 10 episodes, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing the production represented a $200 million loss for Netflix after it canceled the show following season 2's middling performance. The series never caught on the way Game of Thrones did. While audiences generally enjoyed the first season, giving it a high 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, critics weren't convinced, with season 1 carrying a shockingly low 33% critics' score.
Sadly, even a major jump in critical reception — season 2 boasts a rare 100% critics' score and a consistent 93% audience score — couldn't save the series after its second season. It was just too expensive for Netflix and the streaming landscape at the time, and the release of season 2 was later overshadowed by the premiere of Stranger Things season 1 just two weeks later, which generated unprecedented buzz in the weeks and months following its debut.
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01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
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The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
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Marco Polo is still worth a watch, though, particularly for those who enjoy epics and political storytelling and are curious about a period and dynasty often overlooked in historical fiction. The production design is stunning; Benedict Wong's performance as Kublai Khan is fantastic; the legendary Michelle Yeoh joins the cast in season 2, and the score is unlike anything else on Netflix (or any other streamer, for that matter), incorporating traditional Mongolian throat singing in the most haunting, effective way.
In this case, given the growing prevalence of epic, historically inspired prestige TV in the wake of Game of Thrones, Marco Polo seems to be a case of "right place, wrong time." At least it also managed to produce a one-off special for one of its most interesting characters, Kung Fu master Hundred Eyes (Tom Wu), before its unceremonious and, at the time, still undeniably rare, Netflix cancellation.
All episodes of Marco Polo are available to stream now, only on Netflix.
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