'Spectacular' period drama with perfect rating streaming on Netflix now

Season two of this Netflix show received an overall score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes but fans were left outraged when the show was cancelled despite its huge success.

Marco Polo is a 2014 TV series inspired by the early adventures of the famous Venetian explorer and writer Marco Polo as he travelled through Asia between 1271 and 1295. It captures his time spent in the court of Kublai Khan and the beginnings of the Yuan dynasty, an imperial dynasty of China.

The show struck a chord with many viewers for its retelling of ancient stories, shining a light on an often overlooked piece of Asian culture. In fact, in 2015 the president of Mongolia presented the Marco Polo team with an award, acknowledging and honouring their positive portrayal and global presentation of Mongolian subjects.

A Rotten Tomatoes review states: "What a plot. What amazing character developments, the colours, the costumes, the acting, the story plot in between each character – what a VILLAIN ARC! Oh my god, you've got to see it to believe this villain origin story, the cultural mix and religious fighting historical representation, the acting, the fighting scenes, and the plot twists!"

Another viewer shared: "Don't know what to say; this show is great! Great cast, great story; it starts a bit slow, but that's just in the first few episodes. Great CGI, great fight scenes – love it. Still wish for a season 3 please! Season 2 is even better than season 1!"

Playing the well-known merchant is Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy, whose performance many viewers have praised. Alongside him on screen is Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire; Joan Chen as Empress Chabi; and Rick Yune as Kaidu.

Although other viewers have criticised the show for its supposed historical inaccuracies. One review reads: "Shortcomings aside, the ingredients of this show combined to be very watchable.

"I've just enjoyed a third viewing of the whole series and still appreciate the tangible world they created, the acting, the beauty and the terror, even if it is not entirely (or very) accurate to historical record."

This could be one of the reasons that the show never made it to a third season. While it received high praise from fans and an Emmy nomination, it didn't perform as well on the streaming platform at the time of its release. Marco Polo, according to The Hollywood Reporter, resulted in a $200 million loss for Netflix, and these numbers were its ultimate downfall.

Fans have expressed their disappointment in not getting more episodes after a major "cliffhanger" at the end of season two.

One person shared:"Well acted and visually stunning. The second season can be better than the first, just spectacular ... I just don't give 5 stars because of the ending that ends in an unexpected way; they cancelled too soon!!! One of the best series ever!!!

Another upset fan wrote: "I don't know why they stopped this show. It's like Game of Thrones but in Asia. I guess less people are interested." Someone else added that they "can't believe" the show stopped production, as it seemed to "take off".

If you're wanting to see what all the fuss is about and delve into the world of the Mongolian Empire, all episodes of Marco Polo are available to stream on Netflix now.