Television series
Marco Polo
A lavishly expensive Netflix epic set in Kublai Khan's court, following the young Venetian trader as he's traded, imprisoned, and slowly absorbed into the Mongol empire's brutal, glittering politics. It's gorgeous to look at and unhurried to a fault, more interested in palace scheming and sumptuous set design than in Marco himself. Best for viewers who want prestige-TV spectacle and don't mind a slow simmer.
If you liked this
Shōgun2024
An outsider stranded in a foreign court, forced to survive with wit and adaptability - Shogun does the exact same story with sharper writing, tighter plotting, and a genuine feel for the culture it's depicting rather than just its costumes.
But It's slower and more meditative than Marco Polo's action beats, with less swordplay and more silence between words.
Rome2005
HBO's Rome gives you the same feast of political scheming, sexual intrigue and sudden brutal violence, but grounded in a Republic that's falling apart from within rather than an empire being built from outside.
But Its two seasons feel truncated and rushed compared with the sprawl you're used to; it ends before it's finished cooking.
Vikings2013
Trade the Mongol court for Norse longships and you get the same hunger for conquest, the same tangled loyalties between warlords, and a similarly muscular, blood-soaked spectacle.
But It leans harder into myth and legend than history, and later seasons sag under their own runtime.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Succession2018
Strip away the armour and the throne room becomes a Manhattan boardroom - but the engine is identical: an aging ruler, circling heirs, and a string of supposed outsiders trying to prove loyalty to earn favour that never quite arrives.
The scheming, the sudden reversals of fortune, the gut-punch betrayals by people who supposedly love each other - Succession does courtly politics with a modern wardrobe and even sharper dialogue.
But There isn't a single sword or horse in it, and if you came to Marco Polo for spectacle rather than dialogue, this will feel like a bait-and-switch.
More like this (8)
The Last Kingdom2015
Another story of an outsider caught between two worlds - Saxon and Dane - navigating shifting alliances and battlefield politics with the same relentless momentum.
But Its budget is a fraction of Marco Polo's, so the spectacle is scrappier and the palaces less golden.
The Tudors2007
Swap the Mongol steppe for the English court and you still get the sex, the betrayal, the whispered plots and the ruler who can end your life with a word.
But It's Henry-centric melodrama dressed as history; anyone hoping for cultural nuance will find it thin.
Spartacus2010
If it's the violence and appetite of Marco Polo you loved rather than the diplomacy, Spartacus gives you that in concentrated, gleefully trashy form.
But It has zero interest in subtlety or slow-burn politics; this is pure pulp, not prestige drama.
Warrior2019
San Francisco's Chinatown tong wars give you the same immigrant-outsider tension and gorgeously choreographed violence, built from an original Bruce Lee concept.
But The scale is far smaller - street gangs, not empires - so if you wanted palace grandeur, this won't supply it.
Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan2007no page yet
Genghis Khan's own rise, filmed with sweeping vistas and brutal battle choreography, offers the historical backbone Marco Polo only gestures towards.
But It's slower and more austere than a Netflix drama, closer to art-house epic than binge television.
The Last Samurai2003
An American soldier's immersion into a foreign warrior culture, torn between admiration and violence, mirrors Marco Polo's own fish-out-of-water arc almost beat for beat.
But Its "outsider learns the exotic culture better than the locals" framing has aged about as well as you'd expect.
Mulan1998
Same imperial Chinese court, same military culture of honour and duty and proving your worth to a ruler who barely knows your name - just filtered through a family-friendly animated musical instead of an adult drama full of blood and sex.
It's a genuinely stirring, well-made piece of animation that treats its warrior-culture setting with more respect and emotional clarity than you might expect from a family musical.
But There's no violence, no intrigue, no nudity - if it's the adult content you came for, this is its total opposite.
The King and I1956no page yet
Decades before Marco Polo, Hollywood was already fascinated by the same setup: a Westerner embedded at the heart of an exotic Asian monarchy, negotiating power, culture clash and mutual fascination with the ruler himself.
It's a lavish, gorgeously mounted musical that shows how far back this particular fantasy of East-meets-West goes, and Yul Brynner's King is magnetic in a way that echoes Kublai Khan's command of every room.
But Its Orientalist gaze is very much of its era, and the songs will either charm you or feel like an odd fit for the subject.
People
Cast
Writing
- John FuscoCreator
Production
- Patrick MacmanusCo-Executive Producer
- Robyn-Alain FeldmanCo-Producer
- Tim CoddingtonCo-Producer
Recommended by
Shōgun, The Last Kingdom, Vikings, Kingdom, Britannia, Barbaren