Netflix has canceled Marco Polo, Variety has confirmed. The Weinstein Co.-produced series streamed for two seasons on the digital service.
Originally developed at Starz, Marco Polo premiered in 2014, with its second season debuting earlier this year. It becomes one of only a handful of original series to be canceled by Netflix, including Bloodline, Hemlock Grove, and Lillyhammer.
The series starred Lorenzo Richelmy as the titular Italian explorer and Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan. It was also among the more ambitious and costly efforts in the history of the company's original series. Season one cost a reported $90 million ($NZ125m). Production for that first season included a construction crew of 400 and an art department of 160.
In his 2014 review of the first season for Variety, Brian Lowry wrote, "While Marco Polo possesses scope, scale and an inordinate amount of exposed skin, the series exhibits only a sporadic pulse. That leaves a property that can be fun taken strictly on its own terms, but deficient in the binge-worthy qualities upon which Netflix's distribution system has relied."
Marco Polo was executive produced by John Fusco, Dan Minahan, Joachim Ronning, Espen Sandberg, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Ben Silverman, Chris Grant, Dave Erickson, Peter Friedlander. The series was produced by Electus and the Weinstein Co.
