CitadelPrime Video’s expensive and divisive spy thriller TV show has been renewed for a second season.
In a press release, Amazon Studios confirmed that the series starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas would return for another outing on Prime Video. Showrunner David Weil will also return to write the scripts for the next installment, while Joe Russo – executive produced Citadel season 1 alongside his brother Anthony – will take on directing duties for the show’s second season.
For the uninitiated: Citadel is an action spy thriller starring Madden and Chopra Jonas as Mason and Nadia, two elite agents who work for the titular spy agency with no allegiance to any nation. But when the Citadel is infiltrated and destroyed from within by Manticore, a shadowy organization bent on world domination, Mason and Nadia have their memories wiped to protect them, and the Citadel’s secrets. Years later, the pair are reunited by fellow agent Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) to stop the Manticore once and for all.
At first glance, it may seem strange Citadel would get the green light for another trip. Pre-release, the reportedly $300 million project (one of the most expensive shows ever made) received negative reviews from critics, resulting in the series receiving a 54% rotten rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. This spring Citadel review, we said “James Bond and The night agent have nothing to worry about”, adding that “the disparity in composition, especially its confusing fleeting story beats, and the general unoriginality make for a bland spy series.”
“Citadel is a truly global phenomenon,” Amazon Studios CEO Jennifer Salke said in a statement. “Our goal was always to create a new franchise rooted in original IP that would grow Prime Video’s international audience.
“This show has drawn a large number of new international customers to Prime Video. Its huge worldwide debut audience is a testament to Joe and Anthony Russo’s remarkable vision, the incredible talents of Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci, and the tireless the work of the creative teams, cast and crew Given the overwhelming number of customers who have embraced this show, we’re not only thrilled to share the premiere episode of Citadel globally without membership, but also confirm that the series will return for a second season.”
To mark CitadelSeason 2 renewal Amazon has confirmed that the show’s first episode will be available to stream for free on Amazon Freevee – Amazon’s ad-supported streamer – in the US for a month starting today (May 26). Viewers outside the US will be able to stream Citadelpremiering on Prime Video without an Amazon Prime subscription as well, over Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28).
An exciting victory for Amazon in the face of adversity
Despite sensational costs, several production problems and poor critical reception, Citadel has proven to be another smash hit for Prime Video.
According to Amazon’s press release, Citadel is the second most-watched Prime Video original series of all time outside the United States. Add its US ratings into the mix, and the show is also the fourth most-streamed TV series on Amazon’s platform globally.
Unlike Netflix, Amazon Studios doesn’t release official viewership numbers, so we can’t confirm exactly how popular the show has been. To give some context, though Power ringsAmazon’s big budget Lord of the Rings TV show, is reportedly the most-watched Prime Video original ever, with 24 billion minutes streamed (per Collider).
According to a June 2022 Hollywood Reporter piece, other popular Prime Video shows include Reacher (5.76 billion minutes watched) and The wheel of time (4.91 billion), which was in first and second place before Power rings took them over. As Prime Video’s fourth most streamed TV original, then, Citadel can’t be too far behind the latter of that duo.
CitadelThe unlikely success, then, is another example of how reviews from critics can inform global audiences about what’s worth streaming, but doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on what people will enjoy watching.
In some cases, critics are right on the money with their opinions on whether or not a movie or TV show will be a hit – just look at how the Marvel movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was panned before its release – these reviews likely put a significant dent in its box office performance, but the film was also poorly received by fans. However, there are also cases where critics and more casual viewers do not see eye to eye. Citadel may be a pretty bad show in the eyes of critics, but based on its 67% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, it has fared better among general audiences—and that’s what will matter most to Amazon Studios.
For more Prime Video-based coverage, read our guides on Power rings season 2, Invincible season 2, The wheel of time season 2, and the best Prime Video shows.