Do yourself a favor and don't compare this to Games of Throne. You may actually like it. I really didn't like the first episode but after some time the characters, the plot and performances hit their stride. I also think it's great that Hollywood put something like this out there. How can anyone not be interested, it is so different and unique in every way. I feel like they are just starting to scratch the surface with this series. And there are some much to say about Kublai Khan, his reign and what happened.
I don't think it's fair to compare this to Games of Throne, in fact, I think it's simply absurd. I can only imagine why some people do. This is more like Spartacus (S1, S2) where you take a real historic figure and history and make it into a made for TV series and yes you create drama and situations for the sake of the story. And yes, like Spartacus, everyone speaks in English accents, this is how all historical movies are done these days regardless of their culture. Even pure fantasy movies now are done with English accents.
My favorite performances are from Benedict Wong and Joan Chen. I always enjoy watching power couples scheming and plotting their moves.
The only gripe I have is the way they designed the set of Kublai Khan's court, it looks too similar to GoT's court which is just annoying.
