This $300 Million Show With An Incredible Cast Remains One Of My Biggest TV Disappointments A Year Later

Over a year after it debuted, I still can’t believe how underwhelming Amazon’s megabudget spy series Citadel was. After the outrageous success that greeted Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the Russo Brothers were seemingly granted blank cheques to make whatever they wanted. Sadly, I’ve found none of their follow-ups matched Endgame, with both Cherry and The Gray Man receiving tepid responses. The latter Netflix action movie was once poised to launch a sequel and spinoff, though little has been heard of either since its 2022 release.

One thing I could never accuse the siblings of is laziness since in addition to the various Russo Brothers-directed movies, they’ve acted as producers and writers on many other projects. Joe Russo penned the Extraction movies, with the siblings producing both entries too. They have producing credits on Everything Everywhere All at Once and horror series From too. I can admire their productivity, but as Citadel shows, quantity does not always equal quality.

Citadel Did Not Live Up To Its Budget & Talent

On paper, Citadel should be one of the biggest shows on TV

I’m a sucker for a good spy show or movie, so Amazon’s Citadel ticked a lot of boxes when I first heard about it. Citadel’s main cast includes Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville, and it promised to be a TV series with cinematic setpieces and scale. Then I got concerned, with reports that Citadel’s budget had ballooned to $300 million due to reshoots and re-edits and reports of creative clashes. Given that Citadel season 1 only consists of six episodes, that averages out to about $50 million per episode.

I can appreciate that Citadel is slickly made, but the issue is how familiar and hollow it felt. They might be beautiful people, but Madden and Chopra have little chemistry, while an actor of Tucci’s talents deserves better material than to be an exposition machine. Even the elaborate setpieces and shootouts felt lifeless. Citadel season 1’s ending even featured an almightly, game-changing twist – and one I was utterly unmoved by.

Of course, a large budget and starry cast doesn’t guarantee something will be great, as many blockbuster movies prove. Still, Citadel had the potential to be something fresh or innovative, but instead of subverting genre tropes, it leaned on them.

How Citadel Season 2 Can Be Better Than Season 1

The Russos have an even bigger creative hand in Citadel’s second series

Amazon has big hopes for their spy saga to catch on, so Citadel season 2 was a given the moment the credits rolled on the first series. I’ll admit that season 1’s big reveal opens up some fun storytelling opportunities, since Madden’s Mason Kane may become more of a villain next time. Fantastic character actors such as Matt Berry, Jack Reynor and Rahul Kohli (Midnight Mass) are joining the next year of Citadel also.

One announcement that shakes my confidence in Citadel season 2 is that Joe Russo is no longer directing every episode, as originally planned (via Puck). The reasons for this are understandable since the bros will direct the next two Avengers sequels for Marvel. Joe will still helm part of Citadel season 2, but considering the muddled nature of season 1, having the same director for every episode would have helped the next entry feel more cohesive and focused.

The creative clashes on Citadel can account for how messy the story could feel at times. I hope the Russos and their collaborators learned some lessons on what worked and what didn’t the first time around. They’re armed with a terrific ensemble and a large budget, so I don’t think there’s any excuse for Citadel season 2 to suffer from the same issues.

Citadel Is Already A Franchise At Amazon Prime Video

Citadel: Diana will test the franchise’s legs

Another thing that got me interested in Citadel in the first place was Amazon’s plan to make it a truly international affair. The season 1 finale included a teaser for Citadel: Diana, an Italian spinoff starring Matilda De Angelis while a Hindi series dubbed Citadel: Honey Bunny is also incoming; both spinoffs are set to debut towards the end of 2024. Regardless of the mixed response to the first season, both Amazon and the Russos are invested in making Citadel work, so despite a shaky start, it can still find its legs.

All that said, Citadel was such a letdown that I’ll take a wait-and-see approach to future seasons. If word of mouth on Diana is solid I’ll check it out, but season 2 would almost need to be a soft reboot to win me over. There were fundamental issues with the plotting and characters that made it a slog, so the next chapter needs a real injection of energy and – most importantly – fun.

Source: Puck

Citadel

Citadel is a 2023 action-thriller series developed by the Russo Brothers. The narrative follows agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh, played by Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who work for a global spy agency intent on maintaining world stability. They must confront a new threat from a shadowy organization bent on global chaos. Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville co-star in this high-stakes, globe-trotting espionage drama.

Cast

Richard Madden , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Stanley Tucci , Lesley Manville , Osy Ikhile , Ashleigh Cummings

Release Date

April 28, 2023

Writers

John Applebaum , Bryan Oh , David Weil

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