Prime Video on the expensive flop Citadel: Let them cook

Amazon Studios' head of drama declares Citadel a victory, heedless of bad ratings in the U.S.

By Mary Kate Carr | June 12, 2023 | 3:15pm

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Prime Video on the expensive flop Citadel: Let them cook

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden in Citadel Photo: Jonathan Prime/Prime Video

It makes a certain sense that Amazon’s Prime Video can afford a different definition of “success” than most entertainment platforms. What would be a resounding cancelable flop for another streamer is a money pit the company is eager to keep feeding for Prime. What might be construed as a failure elsewhere is declared a victory at Prime, or so says Odetta Watkins, Amazon Studios’ head of drama series.

Per Variety, Watkins spoke at the Banff World Media Festival in Alberta, Canada, and said that Citadel, the international spy series that has failed to chart on Nielsen’s streaming rankings, just “needs time to grow.” Asked about the less-than-stellar numbers (to complement the less-than-stellar reviews), Watkins said, “I can tell you from a creative perspective, for me, it’s a victory, because the show was conceived to be able to speak to the world.”

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Citadel is reportedly doing better with audiences overseas, though take any numbers from Prime with a grain of salt since the company keeps its data very, very close to the chest. Watkins conceded that “every show is not going to hit in every place on the same level, but as the franchise grows, I feel like the numbers will grow all over, including domestically.”

Unlike its rival over at Netflix, which is quick to pull the cancellation trigger, Prime Video is investing in more episodes of its poor-performing flagship series. Again, it makes a certain sort of sense, given that these are the most expensive television series of all time. The top most expensive, Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, had only a 37% completion rate in the U.S. for its first season. Nevertheless, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke lauded that as a victory, too: “This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success—it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in April. “That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”

Similarly, speaking on Citadel (the second most expensive show ever), Watkins told the Banff crowd, “I think there are so many chapters to this. I think you’ll start to see the audience start to respond differently as it goes on. In the U.S., we are very jaded and watch everything with a discerning eye, like, ‘Hmm, that [season] wasn’t as good as the last one.’ I just think [Citadel] needs time to grow.”

Giving a show “time to grow” used to mean allowing a relatively inexpensive 22-episode freshman series to find its footing on network television. When it comes to Citadel, it’s impossible to “grow” in that same fashion; the first season only has six episodes. Perhaps the planned international spin-offs will indeed boost the original series’ value. Or perhaps Prime Video is simply in too deep to turn back now.