Netfix Brings Us Marco Polo

Netflix continues to offer its own content, this time in the form of the historic tale of Marco Polo. And this history you can absorb over the holidays and come away all the better because of it.  While we all know the story, here is Netflix's short summary: 

"Marco Polo" is an epic adventure that follows the early years of the famous explorer as he travels the exotic Silk Road to the great Kublai Khan’s court. But Marco soon finds that navigating the Khan’s world of greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry will be his greatest challenge yet, even as he becomes a trusted companion to the Khan in his violent quest to become the Emperor of the World. 

Here is the trailer if you want to see for yourself. 

You may remember another version of this story back in 2007 with Ian Somerhalder in the role of Marco and Brian Dennehy playing Kubliai Khan (don't ask). It was not a great retelling, but had its moments. In this latest version it appears Netflix had more funding and better casting. 

And we can expect even more original shows from Netflix in the future. Earlier this week Netflix stated it had plans to roll out as many as 20 original series or seasons of original series each year. That is a lot of new shows at a time other content providers, including the networks, cable companies, and streaming services (from Amazon to Crackle) are doing the same.  Good news for viewers, but we will have to be much more discerning if we want to find time to eat and sleep.