Netflix axes Marco Polo
December 15, 2016
Netflix is pulling the plug on Marco Polo, its high budget 13th-century drama after only two seasons.
Netflix does not disclose ratings, so it’s unknown how poorly Marco Polo did. But reviews were mostly negative, and there was no viral momentum built up.
Originally developed for Starz, it was produced by the Weinstein Company, and Harvey Weinstein said it would be one of the most expensive shows ever done for pay TV. With an estimated budget of at least $180 million over two years, the series was filmed in far-flung locations such as Italy, Kazakhstan and Malaysia, and received an extensive marketing campaign.
Netflix said in October it would spend $6 billion on content in 2017, much of it on original programming.