Netflix Cancels Historical Drama ‘Marco Polo’ After Two Seasons

Marco Polo may have taken an extraordinary journey to the Far East, but his trip to Netflix was short-lived. Marco Polo, a historical epic based around the titular Venetian traveler, has been cancelled after two seasons.

Marco Polo, which arrived on Netflix in December 2014, was a rather obvious attempt to cash in on the Game of Thrones model of television production. With a famous historical event — the 13th century meeting between Polo and Mongol warlord Kublai Khan — as its basis, Marco Polo dialed up the sex and violence to create an R-rated spectacle of a series that would not have been out of place on HBO.

Ultimately, the critics did not take a shine to Marco Polo, though it did earn some acclaim, with its diverse representation of its Asian characters drawing particular praise. While Netflix renewed its first-ever historical drama for a second season in 2015, Marco Polo will not be receiving a third go-round.

The news of Marco Polo’s demise is particularly notable because subscription video platforms have canceled very few of their original scripted shows. With Marco Polo set to join other discontinued Netflix programs (such as Lillyhammer and Hemlock Grove) in the bin, the New York Times is wondering whether the SVOD industry leader is starting to become more selective. We’ll need to see a few more cancellations before we can confirm that hypothesis.