Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
A legendary monarch. A dying dynasty. A beautiful princess with a secret. Warriors who have harnessed the ancient power of kung fu. A harem full of the most beautiful – and skilled – courtesans in the world. Oh, and a world-famous explorer. Sounds pretty cool, right? That’s the world of Netflix’s ambitious new drama, Marco Polo.
The lavish historical sets and political intrigue might remind you of Game of Thrones, while the show’s epic battle scenes and kickass women will delight fans of Vikings. And the insane wire-work and gorgeous kung fu fight scenes will appeal to Hong Kong action flick fans. However, the most interesting part of the show is its sheer audacity.
When HBO took a gamble on Game of Thrones, they not only had a built-in fan base to lean back on, but recognizable stars like Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, and Lena Headey. They also already had proven that they could handle expensive and complex historic series with shows like Deadwood and Rome. Marco Polo is Netflix’s first foray into the genre, and they are swinging for the fences. Executive produced by Ben Silverman and Chris Grant of Electus (Jane The Virgin, Mob Wives), the first season reportedly cost Harvey Weinstein and his investors an estimated $90 million and it’s being led by lesser known actors like Lorenzo Richelmy, Benedict Wong, and Twin Peaks‘ Joan Chen. Not only that, but it’s seeking to marry Western television tropes with Eastern characters and storytelling that could either appeal to the masses or turn off both fan bases.
Much as the real Marco Polo was the Western world’s eyes and ears in the court of Kublai Khan, the show is trying open a new cultural world to English-speaking audiences. And that’s great. This is one of the first times that medieval Asian culture is being depicted in Western media as being the sophisticated and complex world that it really was. The Mongols weren’t savages; they were genius tacticians and philosophers. Kublai Khan was particularly known for his interest in foreign cultures. So, it’s exciting to not only see something completely new in historic drama, but something that was real.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB-ltNasHVw]Marco Polo debuts on Netflix this Friday, December 12.
Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!
